system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: An accusation of the left I hear is that they try to protect criminals. This isn't a bad thing.

Protecting criminals is vitally important regardless of their crime for a few clear reasons.  First let me describe ways in which I hear this accusation used.  Most commonly it refers to liberals standing up for people who committed crimes but were then wronged by police, or, more importantly, it can refer to terrorists or suspected terrorists.  The 3 main reasons why protecting these people is so important are 1.  You have no idea if they are truly guilty, and most of the time liberals are trying to protect them is before they've been convicted of any actual crimes.  2.  Hive mind and group think run wild when people think a crime has been committed, therefore someone needs to stand up for someone who may be innocent, regardless of who that person is and what they've been accused of.  3.  Even if the person is found guilty, many people believe they should still be treated with humane punishment.  Standing up for the Boston Bomber to not receive the death penalty is important to showing that situations don't change your view of the punishment.
gpt
Like with everything, it matters exactly what you're talking about.

Yes, the Right's attacks on the Left for "protecting criminals" is often a strawman. But your view of what they are actually objecting to is *also* a strawman.

Few people disagree with strong legal protections for the accused, including the Right (and some on both sides call for reduced requirements of proof for crimes... in the case of the left this often takes the form of lower standards of evidence for DUI and rape... though yes, this is often strawmanned too).

Most of what they are complaining about is a call for softer punishments *after* a criminal is convicted. Or that their punishment shouldn't be so high because they are poor/minority/female/whatever, as though this has any bearing on why we try to follow the Rule of Law, or should be an exception thereto. 

This doesn't mean that the Right insists on "inhumane" punishments... that's a strawman too. If a year in prison isn't "inhumane" then 2 years in prison isn't, either.