So the cops in Louisiana that beat that defenseless guy bloody are pleading not guilty, despite all the video evidence.

This just makes me sick. I can totally understand issues regarding extenuating circumstances (insane overwork, high stress, etc.)... all of which might reasonably serve to mitigate punishments.

But to actually claim, in the face of overwhelming evidence, that you're not guilty? For crying out loud, I want to live in a society in which people freely offer the following:

"Yep, I'm guilty. I did what I'm charged with doing." plus one or more of the following:
- "And I'd like to sincerely offer apologies to the following people..."
- "And here's why I respectfully ask for leniency."
- "And here's what I plan on doing to insure this never happens again."
- "And here is how I propose to compensate my victim(s) / society..."I suppose there are many societal issues that contribute to this lack of responsibility-taking / lack of forthrightedness.

1) Our legal system's horrid bias against any person or entity that simply says "I'm sorry."
2) Insanely out-of-whack punishments (e.g., admit to smoking an ounce of marijuana, go to jail, especially if you're black).

I wonder if the legal systems in countries outside of America lend themselves to less-frequent asinine "not-quilty" pleas or more frequent apologies from offenders. Anyone know?

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Related entry:
When your lawyer won't let you say "I'm sorry"

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