I've never seen anyone literally take it as a 10:1 ratio

so it's like "forgive your brother not seven times but seventy-seven times?

the idea never to put an innocent person in jail even if that means letting criminals go

so the ratio is metaphorical

yep

yes

it's just referred to as "blackstone's ratio" because william blackstone is the guy that coined the phrase

it could have said better 100 guilty men go free than 1 innocent man be punished

i know

I believe that's Benjamin Franklin's version of it

it's just not feasible as a policy

But it *is* what informs policy

I thought it was Blackstone's Formulation?

why not 1000 guilty men?

At least that's how Tim refers to it

yeah, I've heard both

why not a million

again, @Clive , you're taking it too literally

You sure Blackstone came up with that? I remember reading that Frederick the Great said something like that.

it's usually attributed to him, at least, @scaevola

if we can't take it literally then we can't take it seriously

it's all allegorical then it lacks weight

but i don't think it lacks weight

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstone%27s_ratio

You guys are right

It's referred to as both

i think the point of it is better ALL people guilty of anything go free than 1 innocent person get punished

no, that's not it at all

I mean, kind of

but the idea is foundational to America's judicial system

well you cant have it both ways, its either literal 10 or metaphorical X

it's essentially a fancy way of talking about presumption of innocence

If we're going by that standard then no justice system will ever suffice

like with kavanaugh, presumed innocent

let's just make it better and not rely on old quips and adages

Old quips and adages express a valuable idea

Frederick the Great>Blackstone(not great)

The problem is that innocent man will be wrongly committed regardless if done by the State, or the individual. For example, let's say you let go a certain number of guilty men to hold consistent with not wrongly convicting anyone of Innocents. Those who are guilty could be let go, and then wrongly execute acts of malovence upon one or greater people among the populous.

And unfortunately this may not even be resolved through AI. It's a never ending process until proven otherwise.

From the wiki, "It is of more importance to the community that innocence should be protected, than it is, that guilt should be punished; for guilt and crimes are so frequent in this world, that all of them cannot be punished....when innocence itself, is brought to the bar and condemned, especially to die, the subject will exclaim, 'it is immaterial to me whether I behave well or ill, for virtue itself is no security.' And if such a sentiment as this were to take hold in the mind of the subject that would be the end of all security whatsoever"

Quote by John Adams