Habeas Corpus: The Legal Meaning of This Ancient Right

Habeas Corpus, "You have the body" is a directive to the state to produce the body of a person who may have been falsely imprisoned in order for that person to challenge the legality of that arrest and detention. Based on the presumption of innocence, habeas is a guarantee that a person will not be 'disappeared' into the black sites of the correctional system and to lose his or her liberty without a finding by a court that due process of the law has been afforded to the person and that probable cause has been established to detain or arrest the person and if probable cause is not established to release him or her.

Vermont Institute of Community and International Involvement presents Sara George Esq., State's Attorney and Chief Prosecutor of Chittenden County, who will lead a community discussion on the legal meaning of Habeas Corpus, an ancient right in our law to challenge unlawful detentions and the importance of that right to preserve our basic freedom from arbitrary and false imprisonments. Ms. George is a graduate of Vermont Law School. She was appointed by Governor Phil Scott to be the State’s Attorney of Chittenden County in January, 2018 and was officially elected to the post in November, 2018. Ms. George’s mission is to “do her part to overhaul a racist and classist legal system” and to “make her job unnecessary”.

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