美國的陪審團制度

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大結局：庭審中，律師列舉了一系列證據，來證明洛杉磯警方找錯孩子卻不承認，而且在未經批準的情況下，將Mrs. Collins關入精神病院的罪行，而Jones警官卻無理絞三分，最終不僅輸了官司，還淪為眾人的笑柄……來看看這場精彩的庭審辯論吧。

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Jones: The boy, Walter Collins, was reported as missing, March 10, 1928. We then instituted a nationwide search. On August 18th, we received a cable indicating that a boy matching his description was found in DeKalb, Illinois. Upon questioning, he admitted to being Walter Collins. We then made arrangements for him to be transported back to California.

Lawyer: Where Mrs. Collins told you the boy was not her son.

Jones: Yes. She denied his identity in spite of all of the evidence pointing to the contrary.

Lawyer: But, as subsequent events have demonstrated, she was correct. So, what prompted you to send her for psychological evaluation?

Jones: Whether or not this was in fact the correct boy was not relevant to my decision. Throughout this period, she acted strangely. She was often cool and aloof and unemotional, especially when confronted with the boy we found in DeKalb and in our subsequent conversation. It was because of her disturbing behavior that I submitted her for observation to the psychopathic ward of Los Angeles County General Hospital.

Lawyer: Just like that. You snap your fingers and an innocent woman is thrown into the psycho ward!

Jones: She wasn't thrown.

Lawyer: Every family in this state is in grave danger when a police captain can take a woman into his office and five minutes later have her thrown into the psychopathic ward on his own authority!

Jones: She wasn't thrown. She wasn't thrown! She wasn't thrown!

Lawyer: What was that, Captain?

Jones: She wasn't thrown. She was escorted.

lawyer: Escorted, thrown, the verb doesn't matter, Captain. What does matter is that her incarceration was ordered without a warrant. I am holding a carbon copy of the affidavit of insanity that was issued in the case of the State of California v. Christine Collins. Who signed the affidavit?

Jones: I did.

lawyer: Well, now, let me see if I have this correct, a woman was thrown into the psychopathic ward without a warrant, because no warrant existed. And when it was finally written several days later, there was no need to sign it or to go to a judge because she was already in the asylum! Is this correct, Captain?

Jones: Technically, yes. Extraordinary steps were necessary because we were dealing... We were dealing with an extraordinary situation. Now, is it our fault that we were being deceived by a boy who claimed to be Walter Collins? No. In light of his claims and her disturbing behavior, who wouldn't begin to think that there was something the matter with her?

lawyer: Because she questioned you?

Jones: No, because she wouldn't listen! Because she insisted on being obstinate! Because she tried to take matters into her own hand, best left to qualified officers! Because once civil disobedience starts...

lawyer: Because she was fighting for the life of her son! A boy who may have still been alive while you were wasting valuable time denying you had done anything wrong! And in the end that's what happened, isn't it? At some point, while all this was going on, Walter Collins was brutally murdered, along with as many as 19 other boys at the Northcott Ranch in Wineville. Is that correct, Captain?

Jones: Yes, it is.

Man: (Whispering) It's a travesty.

lawyer: No further questions.

(people applauding)

妙語佳句 活學活用

1. aloof: 疏遠的，冷淡的。He was a cold man, aloof and distant. 他是個冷漠嚴肅的人，令人難以接近。

2. snap one's fingers: 打了一下響指。在影片中，律師一邊打響指，一邊說出了這句話，意思是說“只要警官一句話，就可以把一個無辜的女人送進精神病院”。

此外，snap one's fingers還可以表示“輕蔑、不在乎”，例如：Professional car thieves just snap their fingers at the police these days.（如今，專業的偷車老手竟不把警方放在眼里）。

3. grave: 嚴重的，重大的。Grave danger在這里的意思是“極大的危險”。例如：The police have expressed grave concern about the missing child's safety.（警方對失蹤孩子的安全深表關注）。

4. carbon copy: 復寫本，副本，指的是a copy made by using carbon paper.(用復寫紙復印的一份副本），而“原件”則用top copy來表示，例如：You receive the top copy of the receipt, and we keep the carbon.（你把這收據上面的原件收下，我們保留下面的復寫件）。

此外，carbon copy還可以表示“極相像的人；極類似的事”，例如：She is a carbon copy of her sister.（她跟她姐姐長得一模一樣）。

5. affidavit: 書面陳述，聲明。例如：Can I have a look at the Affidavit of Support? （我能看看書面擔保書嗎？）

6. in (the) light of: 按照，依據。例如：He reviewed his policy in the light of recent developments.（他根據最近的事態發展重新考慮自己的方針）。

此外，我們還常用in the cold light of day來表示“有時間冷靜考慮時，根據客觀事實來考慮”，例如：These things always look different in the cold light of day.（這些事情在冷靜地考慮后總會顯得不同）。

7. take matters into one's own hand: 自行其是，擅自行事，含有“越俎代庖”之意。在這里，警官的意思是Mrs. Collins不按警方的規矩辦事。

8. civil disobedience: the refusal by ordinary people in a country to obey laws or pay taxes, usually as a protest.不合作主義，溫和抵抗。

9. travesty: 滑稽，牽強附會。如果我們想表達“滑稽地模仿，對…進行戲弄或嘲諷），就可以用to make a travesty of來表示。

美國的陪審團制度

考考你 小試牛刀