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We claim they’re culpable. They, on the other hand, eternally claim they’re innocent.
Anderton says these words to Witwer as he explains the philosophy behind Precrime, which states that it’s better to imprison people who have done nothing than to risk a murder occurring. This philosophy holds that the safety of society at large matters more than a citizen’s individual rights. Therefore, Precrime endeavors to imprison possible murderers before they have murdered anyone, holding them liable for their potential to commit violence. From the perspective of those arrested, they are innocent, and yet the government strips them of all rights over the possibility that they might commit a crime.
If the system can survive only by imprisoning innocent people, then it deserves to be destroyed. My personal safety is important because I’m a human being.
Anderton makes this bold declaration to Lisa when she begs him not to bring the minority report to Kaplan. This quotation shows how Anderton feels the full weight of losing his individual freedom for the sake of the system, and his horror at the idea that this feeling is what he has put others through. Although Anderton eventually chooses to uphold Precrime, this objection lingers as a powerful counterpoint in the story, a doubt of Precrime’s validity that is never fully allayed.
