Before we had a modern court system, people found other ways of deciding who was guilty or not guilty; right or wrong. One way to decide this was the trial by combat. The two opposing parties would fight--or if elderly, children, or female, have a "champion" take the field, or fight, for them. The winner was right, the loser wrong--it was that simple.
Another way to decide a person's guilt or innocence was the trial by ordeal. The accused was tortured--by having his or her hand scalded, for example. If the hand turned red, the accused was guilty. Another form of ordeal was to throw people in the water. If they drowned, they might be presumed innocent. If they swam to safety, they might be accused of having the help of Satan, and executed.
So, if you consider the last 1500 years or so, our court system has certainly improved.
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