Voices of Emory: Week of October 7, 1996
Question: Do you think the media should release a crime suspect's identity
before they are charged with a crime?
Will Gresham
Sophomore
Undecided
"Absolutely not. You should be innocent until proven guilty."
Pete Eberhart
Third-Year Student
School of Law
"No, they should not, because once they release the identity, they're
no longer innocent until proven guilty. They're suspected to be guilty.
Even if the charges are dropped, they still have the stigma of the crime."
Rosemary Bakes-Martin
Graduate Student, School of Public Health
"No, because it will jeopardize the investigation and have legal ramifications
for the case as well as violate their rights."
Mark Roberts
Community Services Officer
"No. It might hinder them [the police] from getting more evidence for
the case and it might be a bad situation."
Ed Vance
First-Year Student
School of Medicine
"They shouldn't release the identity, but maybe just a description.
It's best to uphold the principle of being innocent until proven guilty.
A description will give the public a general idea of what to be aware of."
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