[user104658]

I can see what you're saying but I would point out that you're taking the 1000:1 ratio too literally, assuming that it's an actual statistic. It isn't, it's just rhetoric designed to illustrate a point. In reality, there's probably more than one innocent person in prison per thousand prisoners already... And changing the status quo would vastly increase that number. Unacceptably large numbers of innocent people would face prison and even more would face the threat of prison (false crime reports would increase). There would also be a corresponding increase in pressure on the police and justice systems.

All they're saying is that, in *theory*, they believe it's BETTER for 1000 criminals to go free than one innocent man be punished. It has no meaning beyond that; it's not based on actual figures.