The presumption of innocence, which places the burden of proof in criminal  proceedings on the prosecution, is to be found in most declarations of human  rights and constitutional bills of rights. But it is under attack, and the purpose  of the lecture was to examine the justifications for confining the presumption,  for eroding it through exceptions, for evading it, and for side-stepping  it. How strong are the various arguments of public policy and crime control  that are often said to support these threats to the presumption of innocence?