Could Social Networking Affect The Justice System?- Click here http://bit.ly/phCjQ1 for full article

Could Social Networking Affect The Justice System?- Click here http://bit.ly/phCjQ1 for full article

After the killing of 17-year-old Kingston college student Khajeel Mais, prosecutors are fearful of the impact social networking websites could have on the case.

On July 1, Mais was shot and killed while riding a taxi by the driver of a BMW X6 after the taxi hit the SUV. After these events, police apprehended the driver of the X6 after returning from a trip to the United States. The man, who remains unnamed, surrounded to police at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston.

In Jamaica and around the world, people shrouded the family with support through websites, Facebook and Twitter. In Jamaica specifically, it is now common knowledge of the events that happened to young Mais, and this does not bode well for the justice system.

The widespread use of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are commonplace in Jamaica, much like other places around the world. But die to the size and concentration of people, news and information travels even faster. How does this affect the Khajeel Mais trail? Justice of Khajeel Facebook pages, tweets and messages are widespread across the internet, just about everyone is blood thirsty for justice, and this could potentially void the accused of the right to a fair trial.

One notable attorney weighed in on the manner, saying, "Everybody has heard about this thing and everybody, to my mind, has formed an opinion one way or the other."

But this issue is further widespread than the Khajeel Mais case. This is a critical issue that has worried prosecutors for some time. However, this case, in particular, has gotten people talking about serious cracks within the system.

After Mais’ killing, a popular topic of discussion on social forums was the search for the BMW involved in the shooting. Experts also cited social media networks as rumor mills that could potentially delay an investigation. Rumors about high-profile people that could have possibly been involved in the shooting spread like wildfire across cyberspace.

According to Kingston Police Commissioner Owen Ellington, these rumors and speculation do little to further an investigation, and could actually stifle progress.
"These rumours did little to help the police investigations and, in some instances, only created confusion.”

In coming weeks and months, it will be interesting to see how the trial of the unnamed suspect plays out. However, one thing is for sure. People will be talking.