--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A criminal trial is never about seeking…" description: "\"A criminal trial is never about seeking justice for the victim. If it were, there could be only one verdict: guilty.\" — Alan Dershowitz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/147/alan-dershowitz-2194_criminals_a-criminal-trial-is-never-about-seeking_15510.png" --- # A criminal trial is never about seeking justice for the… ![“A criminal trial is never about seeking justice for the victim. If it were, there could be only one verdict: guilty.” quote by Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/147/alan-dershowitz-2194_criminals_a-criminal-trial-is-never-about-seeking_15510.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/147/alan-dershowitz-2194_criminals_a-criminal-trial-is-never-about-seeking_15510.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/147/alan-dershowitz-2194_criminals_a-criminal-trial-is-never-about-seeking_15510.png) > “A criminal trial is never about seeking justice for the victim. If it were, there could be only one verdict: guilty.” [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that criminal trials prioritize procedural fairness over delivering a singular notion of justice for the victim, implying that the legal system must accommodate doubt and due process. **In simple terms:** Trials balance fairness and victim justice. Key Takeaway Legal outcomes must respect due process. Themes Justice Legal Process Victim Rights Procedural Fairness Trial Ethics Mood Reflective Critical Serious Type Observation Critique When to use this quote - Criminal courtroom - Appeal hearings - Victim impact statements - Jury deliberations Key Concepts Burden of Proof Presumption of Innocence Legal Standards Practical Applications - Legal education - Judicial reform Questions to Reflect On - How does due process protect both society and individuals? - Can a trial ever fully satisfy a victim's sense of justice? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Guilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Trial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trial/) [Trials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trials/) [Verdict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verdict/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/) ## Related quotes > [Your verdict will be "Guilty" or "Not Guilty." Your job is not to find innocence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-r-leggett/your-verdict-will-be-guilty-or-not-guilty-your-job-is-not-to-find/) Russell R Leggett > [By his own verdict no guilty man was ever acquitted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/by-his-own-verdict-no-guilty-man-was-ever-acquitted/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [He exists and we have four people who identified him and I know who he is, where he is, what his phone number is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-pepper/he-exists-and-we-have-four-people-who-identified-him-and-i-know-who/) William Pepper > [My involvement in the Simpson criminal trial was a personal matter and did not involve Movie Tunes, its distributors or exhibitors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kardashian/my-involvement-in-the-simpson-criminal-trial-was-a-personal-matter/) [Robert Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kardashian/) > [A criminal trial is like a Russian novel: it starts with exasperating slowness as the characters are introduced to a jury, then there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-irving/a-criminal-trial-is-like-a-russian-novel-it-starts-with-exasperating/) [Clifford Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-irving/) > [A criminal trial is like a cultural in-flight test in which society projects its own history, fears, impatience, insolence, clemency, insecurities, dreams and nightmares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-franscell/a-criminal-trial-is-like-a-cultural-in-flight-test-in-which-society/) [Ron Franscell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-franscell/) > [One of the risks of a public trial is a public verdict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-estrich/one-of-the-risks-of-a-public-trial-is-a-public-verdict/) [Susan Estrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-estrich/) > [“Make a change of your steps when necessary. “Status quo” is the court room where change is kept on trial for long, delaying the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/make-a-change-of-your-steps-when-necessary-status-quo-is-the-court/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Those who think the information brought out at a criminal trial is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth are fools.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-lee-bailey/those-who-think-the-information-brought-out-at-a-criminal-trial-is/) [F. 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In business, for people who want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-menaker/do-you-want-justice-do-you-want-to-show-them-or-do-you-want-to/) [Daniel Menaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-menaker/) > [We've got fifty people at Gitmo that are too dangerous to be let go that will never go through a normal criminal trial. Let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/we-ve-got-fifty-people-at-gitmo-that-are-too-dangerous-to-be-let-go/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) > [“if the people involved in seeking justice are not reconciled to God, justice can never be fully executed on their behalf.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-greaves/if-the-people-involved-in-seeking-justice-are-not-reconciled-to-god/) [Stuart Greaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-greaves/) > [“For Callie, the journey was about seeking justice in a society where there was no justice. 'It required a certain somnambulism to get through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-aikman/for-callie-the-journey-was-about-seeking-justice-in-a-society-where/) [Becky Aikman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-aikman/) ## More by Alan Dershowitz > [I am a peace supporting Jew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-am-a-peace-supporting-jew/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. 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