Rules Make The Best Excuses

And common sense shines the spotlight on us

a judge reads over piles of paperwork while a bunch of criminals crawl freely all over the judge’s office, manga style — by DALL·E

The main suspect in a murder is kept in preemptive prison while the police build a stronger case. The evidence is already mounting: motive, opportunity and even a bullet found in one of his pockets. However, a flawed judicial system means the trial might be years away. One of the reasons he is imprisoned is a past conviction he escaped by leaving the country ten years before the current case. In a display of competence, his defence argues that he left the country eleven years ago, not ten. The overly zealous and meticulous judge determines that this is enough to declare the preemptive prison instruction unlawful and void and thus release the only suspect the police had. What does he do? I am sure you will be surprised: indeed, he flees the country and is never judged.

This article isn’t about crime or law enforcement, but I must admit these fields provide a seemingly infinite source of food for thought. I have friends who are lawyers. I also have met people who have become judges. I know one must be extraordinarily intelligent to reach such positions. Yet, we all have witnessed inefficient and sometimes even disastrous applications of intelligence.

We would need much knowledge, aptitude and training to develop a time machine that could send two people back to the 17th…