This misuse of statistics is routinely used in American trials to lock up sex offenders in prison-type mental hospitals for life AFTER they have completed their prison sentence for sex crimes. The public – and often the defense lawyers as well – simply do not understand the faulty basis of statistical ‘evidence’ put on by the prosecutor. Because of the nature of the underlying crimes, there is emotional antipathy to begin with toward the defendant. ‘Lock ‘em up and throw away the key’ is a knee-jerk reaction – and the use of statistics (no matter how invalid the analysis) is a voodoo-science overlay a judge or jury uses to justify a conviction and life sentence.

Fair trial? Just verdict? About as fair and just as the Salem Witch trials!