Resolved: The US Federal Government should significantly reform its Criminal Justice System (Policy)

Mandate 1: Mandatory Recording My opponents entire policy reform rests upon such a law being passed by Congress. There have been multiple attempts to pass such a law (or something similar to it) within the United States. Both H. R. 6245 [111th] and H. R. 3027, state the exact policy you want implemented it did not pass Congress, it did not pass the Committee and has not been reintroduced. Congress does not want this passed (1, 2). Proposed twice, failed twice. It would be a waste of time to try a third time. Mandate 2: Inadmissibility Why can't handwritten notes not be accepted as evidence? Even if somehow a bill magically passes Congress and the President signs it into law, there is still a video so why not have another person connected to the plaintiff, not just the defense, give a direct perspective of the video. This second mandate creates a biased trial. Mandate 3: Exceptions Once again this bill is highly unlikely to pass Congress. But, if it does. .. 1) They probably would not request this but, okay. 2) Then fix the malfunction and delay the interrogation, or have backup system. 3) What kind of classified information would be leaked? Besides either way anything classified would be censored by either a video and sound technician or the FBI agent (in the case of notes). Funding: By federal agencies. Estimated Cost: 110 million dollars I do not have a problem with the source of funding, I do have a problem with the estimated cost, since my opponent has not provided whether this is solely sound or also video I will say it is both sound and video. My opponents cost for this endeavor is seriously skewed according to Senate Bill 171, the cost of such a bill is completely unknown. You cannot estimate a cost since the cost cannot be estimated. Furthermore, I have a question, where do you propose to get these interrogation systems from? Now the advantages. Advantage 1. In order for this advantage to be valid my opponent must define what an "improper tactic" is. If they refuse this advantage is null and void. Advantage 2. Wrongful confession happen so rarely that reforming the entire practices of the Criminal Justice System is not needed. According to J. P. Blair of the University of Texas San Antonio, and John E. Reid and Associates "99.6% of convictions involving confessions are true and correct. " (3) Even that is a high estimate when "using national estimates of interrogations, arrests, convictions, and error rates, researchers have arrived at estimates of wrongful convictions resulting from false confessions that range from a low of 10 (.001% of all convictions) to a high of 840 (.04% of all convictions) per year. " (4) Why should the entire system be reform for .4%? Advantage 3 and Advantage 6. These two advantages seem to contradict each other. One says expediency meaning quicker trials the other says the jury is going to have to see an entire 12 hour interrogation in order to find inconsistencies. Which one? Advantage 4. The total cost cannot be accurately measured according to the United States Senate. You cannot claim it saves money if there is no accurate cost assessment. Advantage 5. You cannot make this claim because for some people this could be entirely untrue. I, for example, find if I'm in a long boring conversation with another person (or in class) taking notes helps me concentrate. According to you, the opposite should be true. "They no longer have to attempt to recall details about the interviews days and weeks later" is that not what the notes are for? Now I have a very important question. How is this a significant reform? Significant is defined as Sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy. Seeing as there are some places within the government which are beginning to use electronic interrogation, your own sources state this, then how is it significant it is nothing new this would just be speeding up an already existing practice. Your plan does not fit the scope of the resolution. Source: 1. . http://www.govtrack.us... 2. . http://www.govtrack.us... 3. . http://www.reid.com... 4. . http://www.policechiefmagazine.org...