5 Things I've Learned From Casey Anthony's Trail

1. We're ruthless to people we don't like

I'm literally shocked at some of the comments I've heard from people on Facebook and Twitter. These are decent people who are speaking as if they work for the mob:"I hope she gets hit in the head by a brick." / "Don't worry, someone will right this wrong...”  It's made me realize that we're just as close to murder as we think Casey is.

2. We're willing to break the law if we don't like the way the law works

Areas of the law that were meant to protect the innocent (proof beyond a reasonable doubt, for example) are easily traded in when we don't like the verdict. I've heard plenty of discussions this week about changing the requirements for the death penalty and convictions. I am glad that it takes a while to pass legislation, because I'd hate for a decision like that to be made in a moment of passion and regretted later.

3. We think we know more than anyone who doesn't agree with us

If you weren't actually on the jury, don't assume that you could have made a better decision than they did. We got to see the sound byte version of this trial with commentators and professional analysts giving us their assessments. The jury only had the evidence that was presented to them in court. If we had been sequestered as they were, we might be making the same decision they did.

4. Juries are very unpredictable

You just never know, do you? Sometimes juries make a decision that's expected and sometimes they don't. That's the beauty of humanity; you never can predict with certainty exactly how each decision will turn out.

5. CSI and Bones are not good examples of how the justice system works

There aren't really teams of people out there who can dig up a body that's been buried for months (or years) and be able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt exactly what happened, when it happened, and who did it- all in the span of 44 minutes (or 22 minutes for shorter shows). Real science isn't always exact and can be interpreted different ways.