The Unjust System

A couple days ago in Kalgoorlie a 14-year-old aboriginal boy named Elijah killed by a 55-year-old man who hit the young boy off his bike and then ran him over on Monday then leaving him to die. The man is now getting charged with manslaughter which has left the aboriginal community anger and upset as they want the charges to be charged to murder. The Aboriginal community has been protesting which has led to the police arresting as the protest turned violent, as people say the protest weren’t just about Elijah that things have been brewing for a while now.

The American justice system is divided between the wealthy and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds. A system that has been systematically built to favor wealthy Americans and punish poor Americans, as suggested in Matt Taibbi’s book “The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealthy Gap”. Meanwhile, poor Americans, specifically people of color, face punishment far beyond crime allegedly committed. In the following paragraphs, we will explore the root causes behind systematic forces that oppress and criminalize poverty, but also perpetuate white collar crimes among the wealthy.

America prides itself in the freedom offered to her citizens, the promise of prosperity, protection, and justice. She has laws in place for the common good, police to ensure that her people are safe and not hurting each other. There are courts for those that are accused of breaking the law, and justice is served here. Or is it? Some of society believes that the criminal justice system is unjust towards men of African decent.

Individuals with a criminal record re-offend mostly because of status discrimination which in turn leads to high unemployment rates. Having a criminal record in today’s society is damning when trying to find employment. Opportunities for an education are slim due to this, leaving them only their shot to gain entry into the workforce. A slew of jobs requiring specific things like licenses are barred from the formerly incarcerated. When released back into society prisoners have to once again try to adapt to a society that has been changing in their absence. Put back into the world with only their clothes and little money they might have had. Often at times with little education or employment prospects it seems that they would just end up back in jail. They head somewhere familiar ensuring that they will be accepted and taken in. Back to their neighborhood and back to old friends they haven’t seen in years. Convicts return back to those bad influences. In order to combat this drug treatments, housing, job training, classes and peer groups are established to assist them. Once released, convicts have many tools at their disposal for getting the help they need but it depends on what state they’re in and on the person. Will they seek help though? Will they themselves willingly avoid what got them into trouble in the first place; from returning home only hoping for the best without trying? With the fear of constant failure and

One of the most interesting things I learned from doing my research on community corrections in my jurisdiction is how the criminal justice system is committed to being fair and balanced. I have observed in a court arraignment how a judge briefed everyone in the court about proper protocols during the hearings .The judge said he could not start court hearings unless a prosecutor was present, and that he cautions the inmate the right to remain silent, and also discussed to the inmate his rights. Community-based corrections developed as a result of dissatisfaction with institutional confinement and in recognition of the problems encountered by inmates reentering society after prolonged incarceration. Belinda R. McCarthy, Bernard J. McCarthy, Jr,& Matthew C. Leone (4th edu.). (2001) Community-Based Corrections. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Group. In writing this paper I will inform and discuss the various programs and rules applied to handle offenders who have violated state laws according to the criminal justice system in NC. I will write about the following subjects in the following order: 1) Parole and probation, 2) Community and drug courts, 3) Pretrial release, 4) Victim aid, and 5) Community service (as a function of service of sentence).

The American justice system is sometimes faulty and often time repeat offenders slips through the cracks and commit the same or some of the most horrific crimes. The system failed to be proactive with some of its laws and put regular citizens’ lives at risk. Unfortunately, this system proved ineffective for the Kanka family, when an unregistered repeat sex offender moved into their neighborhood and enticed seven- year old Megan to his home where he raped and killed her. Numerous petition was signed, and the Megan Law was born is currently in effect statewide. Therefore, all sex offenders should be public because this will promote an informed neighborhood and accountability.

less often unjustly inflicted than others" (192). Statistics reveal that there is far less number of death sentences than life imprisonment sentences without parole given out every year. According to Federal Justice Statistics, in 1998, there were approximately 5000 criminals sentenced to life imprisonment as opposed to 74 criminals sentenced to death (Internet). This shows that judicial system itself is very careful with death sentences. Even if we assume that there are chances that an innocent person is executed, it is the problem with the trial, not the punishment. "It is not the penalty - whether death or prison - which is unjust when inflicted on the innocent, but its imposition on the innocent", writes Haag (192). When an innocent person

The question of fairness and equality in the criminal justice system has its original roots dating back to the Magna Carta in 1215 AD. The latest document to define the criminal justice is the United States Constitution which specifically in the 14th amendment which states ”no state can make or enforce laws on its citizens, nor shall they deprive a person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor will they deny equal protection of the laws”. Section one of the fourteenth amendment means that the states cannot make any laws or enforce them on any person without due process and makes it illegal to deny equal protection. The founding fathers envisioned a justice system that is blind as evidenced by the

Without a job, without a source of income, without a way to provide oneself with the necessities, how would one survive in life? It is stated in Henry David Thoreau’s book, “Resistance to Civil Government,” that the appropriate reaction to an unjust government is to remove oneself from office if the government violates the moral human law and rebel/revolutionize against that government. This is clear in the following quote, “All machines have their friction; …But when the friction comes to have its machine, and oppression and robbery are organized, I say, let us not have such a machine any longer. In other words, when …a nation which has undertaken to be the refuge of liberty are slaves, and a whole country is unjustly overrun and conquered by a foreign army, …, I think that it is not too soon for honest men to rebel and revolutionize” (Thoreau 12). However, rebelling could result in losing a position occupation and leads to serious consequences for the person involved.

There have been numerous vigilante attacks on innocent people because inaccurate information posted on the registry list. “In St. Louis, Missouri, more than 700 registered sex offenders, or approximately 46 percent, do not live at the addresses posted on the sex offender registry, and many sex offenders (approximately 285 sex offenders released from prison as of May 1999) never get put on the list” (Freeman-Longo, 2000, p. 8).

For example, Megan’s law, named after a 7 year old named Megan Kanka who was raped and murdered by her neighbor who was a convicted sex offender, is being questioned by civil liberties advocates whether or not the law is constitutional. Megan’s law requires that convicted sex offenders register with authorities and communities be thoroughly informed and notified when an offender moves into a neighborhood. Online registries provide information about the sex offender, including names, addresses, photographs, and a description of the offense. The prime objective of this law is to spread awareness of when a sex offender is in their community so civilians can take safety measures and precautions to reduce the danger that they will re-offend. However, according to a study done by the U.S Justice Department found that Megan’s law had no effect on averting the risk of first time offenders being arrested for a second offense. The authors of the study wrote, “Despite widespread community support for these laws, there is virtually no evidence to their

There is a lot of importance placed on the idea of our legal systems being fair. I think that they do a great job dealing with what they can control. It just so happens that this is starting to spiral out of control, and not in a good way. We make sure that everyone has someone to defend them. It is a right that every person has. If it gets far enough, the case is presented in front of a jury. It does not get much more fair than that.

The dictionary says that fairness is the definition of justice while many disagree as well as I that is not true. I recently wrote a poem about justice and one stanza said “Why is the justice system so unfair? Most of us believe because it just-is you know it just-is (justice)” .Cicero raises many questions and I am going to answer a few of them Is justice made up? Is justice seen in nature and is justice rare?

My respondents vary across the boundaries of race and social class. All but one respondent, are Indian. The other is identifies as a White American. The ratio of social class is more proportionate with my father and I identifying as middle class and my mother and friend identifying as part of the poor and working class.

The article, The myth of Justice, by Michael Dorris is intriguing and insightful because he provides his stance on justice and how he thinks we have come to the point of thinking life is supposed to be fair. He believes that justice is something that isn’t achievable. He even goes a step farther and says in his thesis that “justice is one of those palliative myths...” and that it isn’t even something that exists. It’s just something that we, as a human race, have developed and created over time. His thoughts are really intriguing because he has a point and he backs it up with things most people could probably relate too. However, I noticed that he never discussed when we actually think justice is achieved or gained. This has led me to disagree with his thought that justice is only a myth and it can’t be achieved.