alibi?

[gabbysmom]

I've been watching a lot of Law and Order recently. This summer I watched 5 seasons of Criminal Intent and now I'm working my way through SVU. It occurred to me that every time someone is accused of something they are asked to account for their whereabouts. I live alone, so I don't have anyone to vouch for the fact that I was home. I could teach

Comments

[krikkert]

You are not a criminal, no, but you might be framed as one.

Remember, you are presumed innocent. An alibi is meant to reinforce that innocence -- lack of an alibi in no way means guilt.

[gabbysmom]

Why would someone frame me? Now I'm worried!

A lack of an alibi doesn't mean guilt but it certainly is suspicious.

[krikkert]

Well, usually to take the fall for them.

It depends on what you mean by 'alibi'. What an alibi is is an explanation of what you did while the murder/theft/whatever took place. As such, very few people lack an alibi, and if they do, it is very suspicious. What most people mean, on the other hand, is an independently verified alibi -- that someone, or something, proves that you were there. Your computer, for instance, can verify that you edited your Master's thesis at that time. Lacking verification isn't necessarily suspicious, unless there should be SOME evidence. "I was at home all evening" is a credible alibi, even with little verification. "I was out bowling, shopping, and had a walk in the park -- paid cash everywhere", on the other hand, is very suspicious.

[gabbysmom]

Why is "home all evening" credible when no one can verify it? Any criminal can declare that they were "home all evening" and be lying.

I would sooner believe the "bowling/shopping/walking" theory since even when paying cash there is perhaps a new item that was acquired (perhaps with a receipt) and several places that might recall a particular person having indeed been there. Some of those locations may even have security cameras to be able to verify.

[krikkert]

There's follow-up questions. You would be asked to specify what you did while home alone all that time. Credibility is in the logic of the story -- if you seem a person who's normally always out on town Friday eve, it's harder to get away with suddenly sitting home with no verification.

Well, yes -- but who keeps their receipts? Paying cash all evening is very suspect in Norway, at least, because debit/credit cards are so prevalent. People who pay cash are either old, or they don't want to be tracked.