> I don't know about New Jersey, but the rest of the USA doesn't do it that way for criminal law.
Do you not read the newspaper? People plea out to drug possession when there is video evidence of police planting it, because they can't afford bail and will lose their job and home if they spend 3 months in jail fighting the charge.
I agree with you that there's a huge gap between the intended legal system and the actual legal system, but even those officers who plant evidence will give at least lip service to the "innocent until proven guilty" framework.
That said, I completely agree that defending yourself against a criminal charge in the USA is far too expensive.