This principle isn't just a matter of protecting the innocent. It's about protecting democracy. The power of the judiciary is potent, and millennia of history can show us how corrupt governments can abuse false accusations to oppress the populace. A society that gives up due process and the presumption of innocence is one that is giving the keys over to oppressors.
"It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstone%27s_formulation
This principle isn't just a matter of protecting the innocent. It's about protecting democracy. The power of the judiciary is potent, and millennia of history can show us how corrupt governments can abuse false accusations to oppress the populace. A society that gives up due process and the presumption of innocence is one that is giving the keys over to oppressors.