Justice System….Is It Really Just?
“Day after day, year after year, anyone following the US criminal justice system will see the hardest punishments hit the very people who are least able to defend themselves.”
The article above questions the integrity of the US legal system. A man was executed for a crime; however, there was a possibility that he was innocent. Those involved in the case lacked the courage to consider evidence of his innocence after he’d been sentenced for execution.
Something that I feel very passionate about is the so-called “fairness” exerted by the judicial system. We all watch crime shows (i.e. Criminal Minds, Law & Order, CSI) where we are taught that those who commit crimes are horrendous people and should be locked away. But do people actually try to understand the criminal? The United States is known for its motto “innocent until proven guilty,” but does society really think that way?
One thing that I challenge is if prisons are right for all people found guilty of a crime. A lot of the time, a person may have made one bad judgement call that resulted in breaking the law, thus affecting the rest of his/her life negatively. Does this mean we should lock them away with hardened criminals? Or should we as a society try to understand and help? And what about when they are released from incarceration? Will being in prison actually stop someone from committing a crime if they are placed in the same environment upon being released?
From first-hand experience I have learned that “justice” is only for those who can afford it. By that, I mean people in urban areas and/or from low-income families have limited power when it comes to defending themselves. They get stuck with public defense attorneys, who are court-appointed and make little money, so they do little work. Is that fair?
The purpose of me writing this blog post is to get you all to consider looking from a different perspective. (I am not trying to make generalizations of all lawyers, judges, etc., involved in the court system. I do believe that it helps more than it harms. I further believe it harms more than it should.)