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November 24, 2010

Fair or Unfair?

There are ten "commandments," three golden "rules," one "magic word" and thirty "articles" all teaching us how to play fair and not be mean.  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is nothing but a piece of paper with suggestions without a means by which to enforce the concepts of human dignity, freedoms and justice. 

When we are being bullied in the schoolyard, we turn to the teacher or principal, and when we our rights are being violated, we turn to the justice system.  Do you have confidence in our government's judicial structure, our court and legal systems?  There are rules, and when they are broken, there are consequences.  Do you have any issues with the way our system of justice is run?  Is it fair?  Think about both sides: being the accused and being the victim.  Would you feel comfortable standing trial in our country?  What is broken that needs to be fixed?

We rely heavily on judges, juries, evidence, police, lawyers and witnesses to convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent.  If your life depended on  any or all of the above, I wonder if you would feel protected by those 30 articles.

"A good man would prefer to be defeated than to defeat injustice by evil means." - Sallust

31 comments:

Cesar Presa said...

I personally do not have confidence in our governments justice system. There have been many times where people who are innocent or not proven guilty are punished. An example of this would be the West Memphis Three. This trial involves three African American teenagers in 1993 who were tried for killing three boys. They were locked up because the prosecution team said that the three boys listened to heavy metal and preformed the killings for satanic reasons. There is no proof that the African American teens did any of the killings and in fact, there is proof that none of them were at the sight of the homicide.

It's hard trust a government that can fairly judge whether or not people are responsible for a crime. My biggest problem with the way our justice system is wrong is that unjust people are in charge of it. I think that if this problem were fixed then the other problems that are present in the justice system would go away. Prejudice against race, religion or sexual preference would be gone if fair and just people were in charge of the American justice system. If I were to ever stand trial in this country I would be genuinely concerned over whether or not I would be found guilty, even if I was innocent.

Ashley Roxas said...

I for one am not interested in politics nor am I educated on the anatomy of how the system works. All I know is that when someone commits a crime, they are put on trial and if they are guilty, they are put in jail. I am assuming that since the government's judicial structure is always under scrutiny that the system is not exactly perfect, but what is? I feel like the system is as fair as it can get, for both the accused and the victim...but there have been some cases where an innocent man has been sent to jail.

Cesar said, "If I were to ever stand trial in this country I would be genuinely concerned over whether or not I would be found guilty, even if I was innocent." I feel that way as well because the outcome of a trial all depends on the amount of evidence you have to support you and how well your lawyer argues for your innocence.

Raechel Ritzer said...

I do have confidence in our government or justice system, most of the time. Sometimes we cannot have total confidence in our government since we often do not agree with how a case plays out. For example, in To Kill a Mockingbird, when Tom looses the case, most of the town looses respect, and confidence in their justice system, while Mr. Ewell gains that confidence since he won the case, essentially.
Sometimes like Cesar said, “There have been many times where people who are innocent or not proven guilty are punished.” Sometimes I think we convict people to fast , without looking at all the evidence, just what we want to see, or to happen. Also as Ashley said, “nor am I educated on the anatomy of how the system works,” I am not an expert on this, so my opinion cannot be truly accurate. It is not just the justice system you ned to have confidence, as you also need to have confidence and trust your lawyer, or anyone else handling your case.

Raechel Ritzer said...

raech629@verizon.net

Kristie Varghese said...

Just like Ashley, I have no idea on how the judicial government works. All I know about the judicial system in America is that if the police believe you have done somrthing wrong, they will put you on trial, and if you are proven guilty you'll be sent to jail. I believe that after the police suspect you for a crime, they will go out of their way to prove themselves right. The police and the judiciary officials can do that by twisting the evidence, giving bribes, or just for political reasons.

So, I do not have confidence in our country's court and legal systems. I completely agree with Cesar, that our system is run by dishonest and corrupt politicians. These people do whatever they want sometimes for their own benefits. In the play, Inherit the Wind, the judge is asked to please both sides because there was an election coming up or something, so the judge finds Bert guilty but only gives him a small fine. These days we see that the people who run our government are very corrupt and consumed with so much power and greed that they can't seem to do what is right. It isn't fair at all to the person who is accused if he/she is found guilty when he/she is really innocent and there should be some way to fix that. Basically people part of our legal and court systems can get and do whatever they want and since they have such a high position in our overall government, there isn't too much we can do right now to change things. kristie.varghese@gmail.com

Efe Osemeha said...

Honestly speaking, I completely agree with Caesar. Our, or the country’s, justice system is not fair and is under much scrutiny. I have no type of faith in it. Because this country was built for the white man, our justice system is therefore biased. Our country was built on lies that no one seems to see today. For example, when the Declaration of Independence was written, it said that all men are given self-evident “natural” rights. However, no one wanted to mention the natural rights that slaves had. Our system is deemed fair by the race that made it up. The politicians who believe in the constitution never put themselves in somebody else’s shoes. Instead they take and take from the “inferior” race, gender, or sexuality without defending them and acknowledging their God-given rights.

If I were to standing on trial with this so called “just” system, I would be petrified. Why; because I have two things that work against me: I am an African American female. Women in this country are not treated equally like men, but African Americans are treated worse than white women. So where does that leave me?

Our trial system consists of the victim and the Perpetrator, but sometimes it does not matter whether or not the accused actually did the crime. To me, their race plays a huge role in everything. Have you ever noticed that when a white man and a black man do the exact same crime, the black man gets in more trouble? Have you ever noticed how the “justice” system always defends the superior race EVEN if they committed the crime?! Have you noticed that when a crime is done against the superior race, they get more sympathy?

What needs to be fixed in the system is the racial bias. The justice system as a whole needs to focus on the crime, who committed the crime, and to figuring out a just punishment that fits the crime.

Efe Osemeha said...

eo95@ymail.com

....joe.... said...

I think that our government system should do a better job to actually prove if somebody is guilty. When unjust people are in charge of it like Cesar says, the judicial system is pointless. In addition, trials are unfair for those who are poor, and who cannot afford a good lawyer and the lawyer that is provided is inexperienced, lower level, port appointed attorney. That is something that should be fixed. Instead of everybody is in right to a trial, it should also be in right to a good lawyer who actually cares about his or her client.
On the contrary, there are millions of trials that the judicial system takes care of, and they are probably wrong once every year, like in the trial that Cesar mentioned. I do not think this is enough to condemn them to say that they are not fair. If we did not have the judicial system, who would be able to say what is fair. America needs something to say what is fair and what is not.
The punishments that they give are also unfair. I think that it should be an “eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth” The punishment should fit the crime. If somebody’s takes somebody’s life his/hers life should be taken as well. A murderer should not be able to live. Although there are many minor problems with the judicial system and reformed needed, personally I think that it is the fairest judicial system in the world.


joepedo@ymail.com

liz butler said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
liz butler said...

Rules and regulations are necessary in civilized society. Generally speaking, I do have confidence in our government’s judicial system. There are, however, certain factors that often influence the courts in a manner that tilt the scales of justice to a particular side.

One of the basic realities of our legal system is that the wealthier the person, the greater the likelihood that they will win in court. The main failing of our courts at both state and federal levels is that those individuals unable to afford competent legal counsel often find themselves being wrongfully convicted or are unable to stand up for their rights against a more powerful opponent.

Another factor that leads to unjust outcomes is that politicians write the statutes by which people are judged. In many cases, special interests persuade elected representatives to gain favorable treatment under the law. Because a court or jury is dependent on the terms of a statute to render a verdict, the nature of the law can significantly affect the outcome of a case.

As for getting a fair trial, cable television shows like Court TV and countless celebrity trials have introduced sensationalism into the justice system. To an alarming extent, public opinion is shaped not by the evidence, but by the spin performed by lawyers. Ideally, a jury should enter the fact-finding process without a preconceived notion of guilt or innocence. Lately, an unbiased position has become impossible given the 24/7 news and endless commentary on news channels. So, the better your public relations’ spin, the better your chances are in court. Also, judges, juries, and witnesses sometimes are victimized by bribery or tampering. In addition, a case may take years to come to trial.

These shortcomings in our judicial process can be addressed at several levels. There must be a more effective system in place to provide poor people with competent counsel. There also needs to be better policing of cases where representation by counsel is inadequate. In terms of the political process, there must be campaign finance reform to reduce the influence of special interests in the lawmaking process. And, there must be a concerted effort on the part of judges and bar associations to minimize the impact that the media makes on judicial proceedings.

Ultimately, no matter how appealing the intentions of justice may seem and how fair a court system appears, there is a huge gap between theory and practice. I am confident that I would receive fair and just treatment by the law based on my personal rights and social class. It is those less fortunate people who need assistance to ensure that the protections given by the United States Constitution and civil rights laws apply to everyone. Until the day that we all stand equal before the law, we can never truly say that our system of justice is blind and without prejudice.

I agree somewhat with Joe’s statement: “The punishments that they give are also unfair. I think that it should be an “eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth” The punishment should fit the crime. If somebody takes somebody’s life his/hers life should be taken as well. A murderer should not be able to live.” When people are convicted of certain crimes, they should be punished accordingly. Everyone is extended privileges, but in certain cases, like murder, his/her privileges should be cancelled.
e.e.butler@comcast.net

Nick Couper said...

Unfortunately, I can concur with Liz that being rich helps you avoid the justice of the courts. The influence of money can be applied in various ways. One way is to get yourself an amazing lawyer you can convince anyone to think any way given enough incentive. Another way is to pay off the jury to sympathize for your disposition. The best way to find a man's heart is to find his wallet. This worthless green paper some how motivates humans to to do just about anything and it will never satisfy themselves or true justice.
Idea of having a jury of the public originating from direct democracy and our past government near the time of the American Revolution. However, this sentimentality must be discarded. We live in a corrupt society with veil inhabitants. To draw the best citizens from a cut throat community will still provide a spoiled decision. As time move along the social order of America is being broken down, attracting maggots to feed upon our eroding governing structure and national morals.
These evil people have come up with a standard way to judge the accused. This system is known as the Constitution of the United States. Vast in its judgement for various scenarios of criminal activity, it enables fiends built by this society to ravage it. The failures who attempt to cling to power put on their idealist masks and developed this lax system which is filled with loop holes. The gray areas allows selfish individuals to get away with unacceptable and terrible acts.
To deny such a problem exists would be ignorance or a personal issue of seeing what occurs. The only reason I feel so strongly about this topic is the fact I know I have already been corrupted myself. I have seen myself make those tough calls that questions your personal beliefs and it takes a disappointingly amount of time to come to right decision. Even the right decisions are sometimes screwed up. If you could see some of the ideas I have produced for certain problems; you would be nothing short of shocked and horrified.
Most people know the difference between right and wrong. Most people know when someone is done wrong and that something should be done about it. Justice should get done right, screw the mass produced setting for right and wrong. When a person commits to a crime he deserves to get what is coming to him or her. The "idealists" think that criminal that walks along and shows an intimidation of remorse should be let free. NO, "OFF WITH HER HEAD"

Nick Couper said...

NICK COUPER E-MAIL: nicocoup@msn.com

Charlotte Miller said...

Our Justice system has no real Justice. Sometimes the criminal gets aways with a robbery or murder. Sometimes the system is bias to one side. I am not confident in the system, they say there are consequences however they are not always enforced or the punishment is not seveve enough.

I do not want to say this but, the US should be like more countries and give out a more painful death row sentence if the crime is severe enough. Some prisons treat prisoners like everyday people. Even scum who do not deserve it.
In court the judge can be bias by your race, religon, or Gender. Accused or victim, your are not safe from an unfair trial. Tom Robinson was clearly susposed to win the case, but because he was black, the jury said he was guilty.

I saw on Oprah. A woman planned with about 3 men (my memory is a little faint) to kill her husband for cheating on her. They suceeded, but they were caught. The Judge gave the men 25 years but gave the women LIFE in prison. She did not kill him and she regeted it, but she should have been given 25 years like the men. Apparently this was covered by the news and the women's sentence caused an uproar.
I would hate to stand trial in our country. Trial has been unfair since the colonial times. If British soldiers were put on trial win or lose, they would be tarred and feathered by colonists. The British goverment had to put in one of its "intolerable acts" That all British put on trial will be tried in England instead of America.

If you were bullied in this High school you would get beat up for:
A)telling a teacher
B)fighting back
C)not fighting back
D) Having your parents deal with the bully, and the bully is dumb enough to still bother you
E) calling your friends to help you fight back 4 to 1

It is almost a no win situation, even if you do win.


And the UDHR, its a document that is not enforced by anyone. Thats why North Korea is the way it is, and Africa has so many genocides. My sister thinks the UN is a joke. Since they do not do any thing about any of this.

Tiffany Smith said...

I completely don't believe in the justice system in place right now. In many cases and trials innocent men and women have been put in jail wrongfully like Cesar said. I find it unfair that in a lot of cases 12 people that you don't even know basically have your life in their hands. That these people who don't actually know you are the difference between you being a free man or spending the rest of your life in jail. There are so many flaws that go on with the jury system, the jury may be bias. Alot of times there might be things that make the jury want the accused in jail een if they find reasonable doubt.
I would hate to be on trial withour justice system. I feel that the case would really be based upon chance more then cold hard evidence. Does the jury feel bad for me? Is the person I'm accusing a well known person in town? Many things could affect the outcome of a trial these days, and I 'm not talking about evidence.

Unknown said...

As an individual we think that the world can come to us. When we have a problem the officials and the government shall come running to us. So that makes us believe that we can trust in them. What really is going on is that they are just people that citizens go to when they have a problem. They dont think of anyone besides themselves and there bosses as people they care about. So when people like us ask them for help they cant help because they dont consider us any more special then any other person in the world. This makes it hard for people like us to trust in the federal justice system.

I would feel perfectly fine standing trial in a trial that would be considered fair. If there was a mixed jury a mixed judge a completely fair trial would make me happy for the time. Becuase when the trial is byist then it will be completely unfair and then I would be uncomfortable.

vathomas921@gmail.com

Emma Rodriguez said...

The people who make up the justice system are not perfect. This is why I agree with Ashley's statement: "the system is not exactly perfect, but what is?". And so, it is safe to assume that our system may never be perfect. People have biases and use those biases in an unfair way to put certain people at a disadvantage. However, I believe that the best way to "perfect" our justice system is to educate the people on these things. Everyone needs to be taught to value every human life as an equal to him/herself. No one is born into racism or certain biases; they are taught. I believe that the media needs to stop promoting whites as a dominant race and that children should be taught to accept everyone as equals.

I think that were I to be on trial for a crime that I did not commit, I would be more nervous than necessary because there's always a possibility that evidence will coincidentally go against my side. However, I do have some faith in our system simply because I have to. There has to be faith in the system in order for it to work at all, and I believe that people are capable of good. Therefore (in this day in age) many people are capable of looking past their biases and rightly making a verdict in the court. But (obviously), there is always going to be room for improvement in regards to this particular issue.

Sabrina Tan said...

To be honest, I agree with both Ashley and Kristie. I have absolutely no clue what goes on in how our government processes. Because I was never educated on politics, I show no interest towards this topic whatsoever. Sometimes during dinner, my mom is watching the news when President Obama is making speeches about something that I just don't really understand.

Although I do not greatly understand our government, I do know the basic, common sense knowledge. Like some of my classmates, I also don't find our government fair to those who are actually the innocent ones. The ones that are put on trial basically depend on how good their lawyers fight the case they are in. Some lawyers do an outstanding job and others don't. Unfortunately, there are times when the "not so good lawyers" are the lawyers for the innocent. The innocent ones are found guilty and is then punished by whatever the judge says.

I personally do not think I would be comfortable standing trial in our country. I already don't feel comfortable when I make oral presentations in the front of the class, what makes you think I'll be comfortable standing in trial being accused of something?

sabrina.tan@verizon.net

Danny Gardner said...

Our court system is not always entirely correct. I am not an expert on politics and law but I have heard stories about people who were given a light sentence or were found innocent for a first degree crime. If this continues to happen the courts will continue to let guilty men carry on their devious work. It may also work against the defendent and they may be found guilty for something they did not do while the real culprit walks the streets a free man/woman.
The only problem I have with the justice system is that like Tiffany said it is almost like a game of chance. You never know if someone in the jury will believe the evidence provided or not.
I would not want to stand in front of a jury because hopefully I will never be arrested for doing something illegal. However if I had to I would not feel comfortable. All the evidence may not necessarily be correct and if the jury is biased than the odds are not in my favor and I would not stand a chance. I am not certain about how trials work but hopefull I will never have to endure one as a defendent, witness, or member of the jury.

Christian Pineda said...

Sorry, I accidentally put myself an anonymous. I'm such an idiot. Anyways my email:christian.pineda@rocketmail.com

Bianca said...

Personally I do not know too much about the government judicial structural, but I do have some knowledge about courts and how our legal systems work. From what I know I do have confidence in our systems, and judicial structure. I do disagree with the idea that there are some men and women convicted with a crime that they did not commit, it can be a case where the jury was prejudice. I believe that is one thing that needs to be fixed. When someone is on stand and convicted with a crime and is plead guilty because they are black or Hispanic that is wrong. Just like in the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird Tom was convicted guilty because he was black, he did no crime and is a innocent mand.

Overall I do think our system is fair, the lawyers get to pick the juries so if they have any slight of idea that the jury might convict their client they can take him or her off. Everyone who is on trial has the right to a lawyer therefore they have the equal rights of representation. Every client is given a fair chance in court when it comes to all the regulations.

I do not agree with Cesar; I disagree with him because when a court is prejudice there is not much you can do. A fair trial is the rights that are given at the trial such as a lawyer and them picking the juries, because no matter if the system is to change, prejudice people would always exist in this world. There would always be prejudice people in the court systems and legal systems, because it is hard to stop a person of being prejudice. Even if the system changes and becomes fairer or even remain the same, I would still be scared to be on trial because you still won’t know what the outcome would be

Angelo Kolaitis said...

Today our government is not fair but then again, people say that life is not fair. However, the way certain things are determined today are not fair and the saying "life is not fair so deal with it" does not apply. I do not have faith in our government and I believe that it all links to racism. Even today people are still racist. Today I believe that whites have more rights than blacks even if we are all granted the rights by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I was watching a show and it was about the rights and stereotypes of whites versus blacks. There were four white boys that were vandalizing a car in the park and only one person called and complained to the police. Then, there were four black boys in a car in the parking lot sleeping and they got five complaints to the police. They were said to be suspicious. This just shows how people today would rule against blacks if they were against whites. This is why I do not trust our government because today people are based and judged on who they are. Once racism is completely abolished in the world, only then I will have 100% faith in our National Government.

Grlzluvemplaya1@aim.com

Christian Pineda said...

There is no such thing as total confidence when it comes to the law. No matter what the case may be, people have a sense of insecurity when they are placed in a situation like a courtroom case. Somewhere deep inside your mind, you have a thought of doubt whether or not you will have justice in your case. I don't think people should drop their guard down and just leave it all to the law, because we, as humans, make mistakes. It's one of our many flaws, but we should not let the law intimidate us with it's unpredictable decisions. First of all, I don't think anyone, this country in particular, should even do anything "illegal". That way, they wouldn't be going through court in the first place. Yeah, yeah, it's okay for us to point the finger to someone who committed an act that was "wrong" but it's not okay to point the finger to someone you BELIEVE should not go to prison or whatever punishment they receive. That is one of the many errors that our judicial system has. Some people who run the law and court do not look at things from all directions. They just follow the "evidence" and nothing but the "evidence". I, for one do not find anything wrong with the judicial system in particular but I don't fully believe that the courts of this country delivers pure sanguine justice and truth. People make mistakes, it's a part of life. But at the same time people argue that a person's mistake is not something that should be taken lightly. This could probably be the mindset of people in the jury or judges.

Abijah Minton said...

I do not have confidence in our government's court and legal systems. I agree with Cesar that many people are sent to prison for crimes that they did not commit. A lot of people who go to court are given lawyers. These lawyers have to try and make a point to the jury that the defendent is not guilty. The lawyers given to defendents may not be as good as lawyers that people with money can afford. This is not fair for people that do not have the money for a good lawyer. Juries can also be unfair. Some people assume a person is guilty before they even hear the evidence and may have made up their mind about the case.
If I had to go to court, I would not feel comfortable. I think that being a minority in court puts me at a disadvantage already. The media shows a lot of young African Americans going to juvie or prison. People on the jury may make their decisions without considering the evidence. My mother was chosen for jury duty and I asked her how they chose who was fit to serve on the jury. She told me she was asked questions to find out if she would bring prejudice to the court. Some people may think that a person is guilty just because they are sitting in the court room. There is no way to make fix our legal system. The principals of it are fair. People who run it have their own opinions that stop it from being as effective as it should be.

Nancy P said...

As Ashley stated before, I also am not familiar with the political side of the world. I do not pay attention to the way the government works, but lately since the government has been worsening as the years pass by, I have started to pay closer attention to the enconomical side of things. The basic information I know is that when a person is charged on being guilty they are put in jail or forced to pay a bail. I for one think that the judical structure is pretty much fair. But on the other hand there is never a %100. There have been some cases in which the victim is innocent, but is charged of being guilty. This part shows that there is indeed a percentage of the judical structure that is not completely fair.
I agree with Sabrina when she states that she would not feel comfortable standing on trial in this country. I feel this way for the simple fact that the results of someones case is mostly based on the lawyers reasonings. If the lawyer is not "good" then the trail is bound to go in the opposite direction I would want it to go in. I for one am also not comfortable making oral presentations in front of a class so taking this into consideration, I would not be comfortable standing in trial in this country.
The main aspect in the government's system that is broken is the trust in the jury. There may be some cases where the jury believes the wrong side causing the innocent to become guilty in the eyes of the government. The way this problem can be fixed is to start having the jury take lie detector tests in order to see if they have indeed made the fair opinion without being baias against anyone in the case.

ecanancy@hotmail.com

Jasmine Thompson said...

I do have confidence in both our government's judicial structure and our court and legal systems but at times I find the way America runs its legal system to be unjust. I do have faith that one day America will find a correct way to deal with crimes and the law but I am currently doubting the system that is in place. Recently over the weekend I have learned from my cousin that of the people imprisoned throughout the world, one fourth of them are Americans. This shows that the United States are very strict when it comes to the law. Our country currently has the largest population of people imprisoned in the world. I agree with Joe when he says that "our government system should do a better job to actually prove if somebody is guilty". This country needs to have a better way to deal with the enforcement of the law. If I were the victim being accused of committing a crime, I would not feel comfortable standing trial in this country. This is because there is no way of knowing if the jury will vote you innocent or guilty. The jury decides your verdict and I would not feel completely secure of being voted innocent. Just the thought of having to rely on judges, juries, evidence, police, lawyers, and witnesses for my freedom would not sit well with me. Even though I do not believe that America has the best judicial system currently, I do have confidence in the system and believe that it will one day become better.

jazzyjass@verizon.net

Sai M said...

Now, I know very little about how law and our government actually work, but I believe that if you cannot feel comfortable standing trial in America, there is no place on Earth where you could feel comfortable. Our country was built upon the virtues of truth and justice, and our government goes through rigorous steps to maintain as fair a trial as possible for any citizen, regardless of the severity of his or her crime.

My mom got called in for jury duty once and she described to me the process. Basically, they gather a bunch of different people and ask them several questions vaguely related to the case. They see which people are more biased towards either side based on their answers to the questions. Finally, they only choose the people who are most neutral to the case. This being said, there is obviously no possible way to find people who are completely, 100 percent unbiased, but the government does its best. Compared to other countries, where one person decides the fate of the accused, or where there is no law at all, I think America's judicial system is the greatest one on the planet. Our judicial system also deals out fair punishments based on the immensity of your crime. If you vandalize property, you get a fair punishment, and if you kill someone, you still get a fair punishment. So until some device is invented that shows exactly what happened when the crime was committed and who committed the crime, I would feel perfectly comfortable standing trial in the United States.

saimandalapu@yahoo.com

Austyn rosa said...

Personally I feel that if my life depended on it i could not trust our legal system. I feel that the legal system is as corrupt as corrupt can be. When you watch the news you always see the rich, famous, and successful beating the justice system by using their money and connectons to get shorter sentences. When i was little i thought to myself that you could get away with any crime if you have money.
Then i think about all of the average joes who dont have millions of dollars who are getting unfaiir sentences. I dont feel that this makes sense! We cannot stand for a injust system that pick and chooses when it should be fairly biased. So therefore i do not feel that I would be able to trust my life with this system because money talks and everything depends on who you no and how much you pay.

dapo said...

I agree with Abijah and Cesar when they said they do not have confidence in the justice system. Many people in the justice system are corrupt. Numerous people bribe and or blackmail people to get others to do what they want. That in itself is unfair and unjust, and it puts people who actually are innocent at a huge disadvantage because the chances of them getting a fair trial of some sort has been dramatically reduced. Another reason why I do not believe in the justice system is because people make mistakes. No one is perfect, but because people make mistakes, the justice system will not always make the right decision. For example the O.J. Simpson trial. It was quite obvious that he committed the crimes he was accused for, but because the prosecution made such terrible mistakes, he was found inoocent. The justice system is not fair to a certain extent. Because part of it relies on "he said she said", one could never actually be sure if what is said is true. Even though I do not completely trust the justice system, I still would be comfortable standing trial in court today. Just like what Sai said, it is hard to tell exactly what happened, and when it happened. And, people also get fair punishments for the crimes they commit. So as long as I know that I am innocent, I feel as if the truth will always find its way out.

Julian Stello said...

In today's government most people don't put much trust into it. Being a young adult I don't even have much confidence with our government and legal system. I agree with Angelo with the whole racism idea, if we like it or not our nation won't be truly tolerable until racism is completely gone. Growing up i remember my mom getting in a car accident. She hit into a lady with a mercedes and the lady decided to take my mom to court. The lady being wealthy and all hired a better lawyer and got my mom to pay all of the expenses and above. This isn't racism but it is prejudice. The way our government is run today I feel there needs to be a number of changes before it is finally "fair".

Sydney Gilbert said...

The government we follow as Americans is very flawed. When we have a problem, we go to the justice system and those in violation are punished. What happens when post punishment they carry out with that violation again? It is fair in the sense that those who do wrong are punished, but what happens when one can make bail? This is stating that if you, as a person, have more money it is alright to be "let off the hook". If I were in the situation I would enjoy the fact that making bail is a possibility, but at the same time it is not always fair. Thats like saying you are more of a felon if you cannot afford your case. Also, if you are part of the crime and do not know, then why is it okay for you to be held just as accountable for what happened. I am comfortable with the way the country is run because I have been raised to learn how to fight and follow it correctly. I agree with Julian when he says he feels that nothing is "broken" but changes could be make to improve our justice system greatly. Nothing in today's world is "fair" but to live you must adapt to it.




(and i know this is late)
sydney_ox@yahoo.com

Salomon Exume said...

I lack confidence in our judicial system because it is unfair. One example of unfairness within the judicial system is a personal case. Once I had a fight with my dad and I had walked to main street to the police station and expected them to help me. Obviously I knew I did commit some wrong by breaking the window to our house. When I asked for detective Mingoune (like the chinese food) I had expected to be helped, but instead the officer that was bringing me to him told me I was going to be taken in to custody on the charge of vandalism. I had thought that running to the police would help me but it did not. Another case is last year. Last year I was accused, by a stupid freshman named Darren Valley, that I was going to blow up the school. Obviously it was a false charge because thats stupid, and if it were true I wouldn't still be in school now. And I had sat there in the interrogation room for 5 hours telling them that I did not say or felt like doing anything of the sort, while they were telling me that I did want to do this and I did say it, and would not let up until I said that I did. There may be a few just police officers but from my experiences I have yet to see them. So no, I do not believe our judicial system is fair, it is very unjust and corrupt.


SalomonEx@live.com