Habeas Corpus and GITMO prison
Kirsten Nix
POL 201 American National Government
Instructor Jamie Smith
March 17, 2013

Habeas Corpus and GITMO Prison When a terrorist decides to end the lives of many innocent citizens of the United States, do they deserve the right to be treated as a citizen of the United States? Do they deserve the right to a fair hearing? Some of you may say yes they do. While I can understand your point of view, even the justice system is not perfect. Innocent people have been falsely persecuted, just as guilty people have been mistakenly deemed innocent and let go. Are the repercussions of a mistrial of a terrorist worth it? They will be set free only to kill more innocent American citizens. I do not believe this is what the Framers of the United States Constitution had in mind when they put the Writ of Habeas Corpus into the Constitution. After reading this, I hope you will get a better idea of the benefit of Habeas Corpus to American citizens and why it should not apply to terrorists. The Writ of Habeas Corpus is a legal phrase that is originated in Latin. The phrase means “that you have the body”. Another name used for the Writ of Habeas Corpus is “great writ”. This writ is for anyone who is illegally detained against their will. The writ is directed toward the captors and demands them to bring forth the prisoner at a set time and place. Hence the meaning “that you have the body”. This Latin phrase was lost in history. The earliest trace of it is dated back to the 13th Century. In its origin, it can be traced back to King John when he signed the Magna Carta on June 15, 1215. In Article 39 of the Magna Carta, it states that no one will be refuted of legal judgment nor shall that judgment be loitered. From Article 39 of the Magna Carta is where we, the United States get