ipl-logo

American Justice System Fair Essay

1275 Words6 Pages

Is the American Justice System fair? This question has caused many controversies amongst Americans. Every year, stories emerge that serve as a reminder that the American Justice system, means injustice for many. The real question is who is sent to prison and who walks free? A question that many would like to believe is properly answered by judges, jurors, and attorneys. But unfortunately, that is not the case. I will be elaborating on a specific case that will emphasize on how our justice system can truly be biased. The criminal justice system is comprised of three major institutions which process a case from inception, through trial, to punishment. A case begins with law enforcement officials, who investigate a crime and gather the evidence to identify and use against the presumed perpetrator. The case continues with the court system, which weighs the evidence to determine if the defendant is guilty beyond reasonable doubt. If so the corrections system comes into play with incarceration or probation. In addition, this brings me to Kalief Browder. Many might not know this name, but the ones that do know the horrific story that follows. In the spring of 2010, Browder an African American teenager was arrested for a robbery that he insisted he did not commit. He was sent to Riker’s Island where he …show more content…

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the majority of those being held in federal prisons are convicted of drug offenses mainly marijuana. 1 out of every one 100 Americans are serving time behind bars. Minor criminals, from drug users to petty thieves, are being handed over to corporations for lengthy prison sentences which do nothing to protect society or prevent recidivism. This is the culmination of a justice system which has characterized the United States as a justice system based upon increasing the power and wealth of a corrupt corporation instead of it being a justice system for the

Show More
Related

  • Pros And Cons Of The Prison-Industrial Complex

    833 Words  | 4 Pages

    The prison-industrial complex is a corrupt political system that consists of overpowered politicians whose sole ambition is exploiting poor, uneducated, and under-privileged Americans to make money. Although, it wasn’t initially the purpose when Rockefeller started the war on drugs, but he started something bigger than he could’ve imagined at that time. The prison system has been proven to be ineffective, and costly waste of resources. However, it probably won’t be abolished due to the cash flow that it brings to some of the largest corporations in the

    Read More

  • The Outcome Of Eroy Brown's Trial

    1493 Words  | 6 Pages

    One of the main strengths of Berryhill’s book is its toughness. The author has done extensive research into the case, and the book is packed with details about the legal proceedings and the people involved. Berryhill’s writing style is clear and engaging, and he does an excellent job of bringing the story to life for the reader. He also provides valuable historical context about the criminal justice system in Texas during the 1960’s and 1970’s, which helps the readers understand the broader implications of Brown’s case. Another strength of the book is its focus on the human aspect of the story.

    Read More

  • Mass Incarceration In The New Jim Crow By Michelle Alexander

    841 Words  | 4 Pages

    In The New Jim Crow, civil rights lawyer Michelle Alexander makes the case that the system of Jim Crow never died. It just took a new form in the shape of mass incarceration. Today, African American men are labelled “criminals” and stripped of their freedom, their voting rights, and their access to government programs. Alexander’s thesis is that we are currently living in a new Jim Crow era; the systemic oppression of slavery and segregation never actually went away, Alexander argues, but merely changed form.

    Read More

  • Casey Anthony Essay

    823 Words  | 4 Pages

    Potential flaws in the American judicial system have been highlighted by the Casey- Anthony trial. The mother of murdered Caylee Anthony has been apprehended. Many people were shocked by the 2011 decision to find Anthony not guilty. The trial brought to light issues with the American justice system, including the inability of the poor to afford legal counsel, the influence of random selection on the composition of jurors, and the effect of biased media on public charges of crime. The efforts of those in the criminal justice system saved a potentially disastrous consequence.

    Read More

  • Low Level Drug Offenders

    1272 Words  | 6 Pages

    America's prisons are overpopulated and the population is growing each year with increased drug activities. Low level drug offenders, comprised of 39 percent of the overall prison population. In the article " Department of Justice low-level drug offenders: a defense perspective" defines low-level drug offender as one who has been convicted drug trafficking offense but has no prior commitment, history of violence, known involvement of sophisticated criminal activity, significant "public risk factor," and pending detainer (Katz 28) . This group isn't hardened criminals and don't live a life of crime; rather they are motivated by profit. They are less likely to return to prison when compared to hardened criminals.

    Read More

  • Edward Lee Elmore's Injustice Case

    1508 Words  | 7 Pages

    We like to say that “Justice is blind,” but justice is decided among people, and people are not perfect or impartial. When convicted of a crime, a person is

    Read More

  • Police Brutality In To Kill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee

    1121 Words  | 5 Pages

    In spite of its purpose and promise to uphold fairness and equality, the justice system is inherently unjust as it disproportionately impacts marginalized communities, perpetuates systemic biases and discrimination,

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Rich Get Richer And The Poor Get Prison

    1586 Words  | 7 Pages

    The criminal justice system may be more corrupt than the people who fill our prisons. It is amazing to see the many ways that certain parts of society actually benefit from the current system we support. This book,The Rich Get Richer and The Poor Get Prison, by authors Jeffrey Reiman and Paul Leighton, has open my eyes to a very corrupt idealism. They are very precise in their supporting examples as well by walking the reader through each step and analogy.

    Read More

  • Race In The Prison System Essay

    965 Words  | 4 Pages

    People of all different races and ethnicities are locked behind bars because they have been convicted of committing a crime and they are paying for the consequences. When looking at the racial composition of a prison in the United States, it does not mimic the population. This is because some races and ethnicities are over represented in the correctional system in the U.S. (Walker, Spohn, & DeLone, 2018). According Walker et al. (2018), African-Americans/Blacks make up less than fifteen percent of the U.S. population, while this race has around thirty-seven percent of the population in the correctional system today.

    Read More

  • The Case Of Kalief Browder

    1157 Words  | 5 Pages

    There is no doubt that Kalief Browder needs some type of justice, especially for his family and friends. Kalief Browder was just a 16 year old in the Bronx that was wrongfully accused of a stealing a backpack while he was on probation for a previous petty crime. Therefore, he arrested and when he got the amount of bail he quickly found out that he and his family could not pay for it. After not being able to pay for bail, he was sent to a federal prison named Rikers Island for this petty crime, in which he was never charged with. He was sent to a federal juvenile correction center with a bunch of actual criminals that did more than just be accused of stealing a backpack.

    Read More

  • Mass Incarceration Literature Review

    1728 Words  | 7 Pages

    The United States has a larger percent of its population incarcerated than any other country. America is responsible for a quarter of the world’s inmates, and its incarceration rate is growing exponentially. The expense generated by these overcrowded prisons cost the country a substantial amount of money every year. While people are incarcerated for several reasons, the country’s prisons are focused on punishment rather than reform, and the result is a misguided system that fails to rehabilitate criminals or discourage crime. This literature review will discuss the ineffectiveness of the United States’ criminal justice system and how mass incarceration of non-violent offenders, racial profiling, and a high rate of recidivism has become a problem.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Incarceration In America

    874 Words  | 4 Pages

    isn’t the only thing people believe needs to change; the reasons for arrests have been criticized by many. America incarcerates more citizens for drug related crimes than any other place in the world. Of the roughly 200,000 in federal prison, 52% are being held for drug crimes and only 8% are for violent crimes, such as: murder, assault, and robbery (Waldman, 2013). Many believe that the “War on Drugs” must become less aggressive because of its large contribution to the prison population. The distribution of prisoners by race has also raised concern among Americans.

    Read More

  • Criminal Justice System Essay

    721 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the criminal justice system, the corrections component is also responsible for the rehabilitation of the convicted individual. It is their duty to attempt to make the defendant a productive member of society once again. Based on the individual’s behavior while incarcerated, the court and corrections officials may decide to place them on parole, which ensures that the individual will comply with the rules of society once they are fully released from the system. The criminal justice system is an essential role in the organizational structure of not only the United States but also in countries around the world. If there were no criminal justice system to administer punishment, the world would be unstructured, disorganized, unjustified, cruel, and not to mention a chaotic place for it citizens.

    Read More

  • Essay On Unjust Law

    1666 Words  | 7 Pages

    Men make laws to instill order in a society and prevent chaos in any shape or form. Naturally, laws will always be somewhat unjust because it is impossible to consistently construct laws that directly and equally benefit all members of a society. There will always be a majority that makes the laws and a minority that has to obey the laws. Although laws are usually the standard of morality by which we live by, they must be disobeyed in certain situations. These situations are, but not limited to, an undemocratic formation of aforementioned laws, laws that are inherently unjust according to human law which can be synonymous with God’s law.

    Read More

  • Essay On Right To Fair Trial

    5157 Words  | 21 Pages

    ABSTRACT “The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” Malcolm X

    Read More

More about American Justice System Fair Essay

Open Document