# Would you defend the guilty? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 2, 2005, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-defend-the-guilty/315328 "2005-08-02T17:27:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-defend-the-guilty/315328/21 "2005-08-04T02:05:51Z")
And separating a rich drunk from his money is not a good thing? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-defend-the-guilty/315328/22 "2005-08-04T02:37:59Z")
There’s nothing wrong with taking money to do a job. Mr high priced lawyer claimed that he is protecting my civil rights by keeping rich drunk drivers out of jail for buckets of money. I don’t recall a house painter claiming that his high priced work for rich clients was for my benefit. You want to claim that your work is for the benefit of society, you can’t just work for the highest bidder. In that case, your work benefits the rich, you are only ensuring the police are fair to rich folks. You are only ensuring the rich aren’t wrongly prosecuted. There is nothing inherently wrong with that scenario, however don’t act like you’re riding in to town on a white horse to protect us all, when all you’re really doing is making yourself rich. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-defend-the-guilty/315328/23 "2005-08-04T02:47:13Z")
> [@Campion](#): > > **Cheesesteak** , I’m not really sure when it became morally reprehensible to take money to do a job. If the better house painter charges more than some other guy to paint my house, is that wrong? Even if it means that only rich people will have nice houses? No, it’s not wrong. But if he does that, and then brags about the service that his house-painting performs for all homeowners, then i reserve the right to roll my eyes at him. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-defend-the-guilty/315328/24 "2005-08-04T02:48:06Z")
No, I wouldn’t. I mean, I can understand about “testing the system” and all that, but I couldn’t live with myself if I defended a guilty person. Even watching that Practice episode about the lawyer who defended a person who they thought to be innocent but who confessed after the trial gave me morality hives. So I don’t think I could be a lawyer at all, but I especially couldn’t defend the probably guilty. I would lie awake at night thinking about the people they killed, and the comfort of knowing I was keeping the system honest wouldn’t be enough to balance it out. I guess lawyers sleep okay, though, what with sleeping on big piles of money. ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-defend-the-guilty/315328/25 "2005-08-04T03:27:10Z")
> [@continuity eror](#): > > I guess lawyers sleep okay, though, what with sleeping on big piles of money. Listen: I am sick and tired of this malarkey. For the last time, lawyers don’t sleep “on big piles of money.” A fair amount goes for the hookers and the blow, which leaves a pretty thin mattress o’ cash, let me tell you. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-defend-the-guilty/315328/26 "2005-08-04T03:41:47Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > I personally would not defend the guilty. Right is right, and wrong is wrong - if they did wrong, the police missing a small bit of procedure doesn’t cancel out the wrong that they did. Did I read to fast, or did nobody else respond to this? **GUILTY /= WRONG**. Were I a lawyer, I would have no qualms about defending someone who was technically guilty if he’d committed a crime as an act of civil disobedience. I would have no qualms about defending someone who broke a law I felt was unjust or was being treated unfairly. And yes, ‘technicalities’ in the law do matter. Knocking down all the laws to get at the Devil and all that… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-defend-the-guilty/315328.md?page=1)