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>Help! I am trying to find out if Thomas Jefferson said something like "It >is better for one hundred guilty men to go free than one innocent man to go >to jail" if you know the answer to this please let me know and tell me >where I can find the exact quote on the internet. Thanks. I suspect that someone else besides Thomas Jefferson made the above statement, however he did say something that is the equivalent (though in a sense, this is the mirror image of the idea expressed above): "It [is] more dangerous that even a guilty person should be punished without the forms of law, than that he should escape." --Thomas Jefferson to William Carmichael, 1788. #4510 ME 7:30 This quote can be found in the Jeffersonian Cyclopedia, entry #4510, or in the Memorial Edition of Jefferson's Writings (Lipscomb and Bergh, editors), Vol. 7, Pg. 30. Both of those works can be found in any large university library. It is possible, of course, that Jefferson made the statement about which you ask, and that I am unaware of it and its source -- but I don't think so. I feel rather certain it is not the kind of thing he would have said. It is too theoretical, and if you will compare the two statements carefully, you will see that the authentic one has more substance -- it tells us more about what the justice system *should* be than does the other quote. The other quote merely expresses a sentiment that has no practical application. . Jefferson always emphasized the "rule of law" above particular outcomes. Without the rule of law, justice is not possible. I hope that helps. Best wishes, Eyler Coates ================== Thank you for your help. I went to the library and found that it was Thomas Blackstone who said "It is better that ten guilty men escape than one innocent suffer." Thanks again.