Justice

Within our society, there is continuous debate about what is just, what is a just punishment, what just conduct is and how people should be treated fairly. We all have distinctive opinions and morals and react differently when presented with a situation causing us to have slightly varied views on what is ‘just’. However, society generally agrees on what is fair and equal, but when we disagree with a punishment, sentence or even when people are acquitted, we feel vulnerable, angry and possibly scared; believing our rights, the way we could be treated and our own justice is diminished. Society determines what is just or fair through the use of laws and rules governing our behaviour and our actions. Society is made safe through laws and rules so we can live in peace and harmony, within our rights. When people suffer, are discriminated or abused, society expects the justice system to provide a ‘fair’ punishment for the person responsible for causing this harm. Society believes in the consequences for dreadful, unjust crimes. But when our justice is breached, our rights as humans are breached; we are restricted and weakened until fairness and equality are restored. Presently, the community fear going into Melbourne’s CBD at night after the recent and reoccurring, alcohol fuelled bashings. People are restricted as they feel their right to travel in the city at night is violated, believing it is unsafe and risky due to the irresponsible actions of others. Until safety is established in the city by authorities and one’s rights slowly return, justice will remain diminished and many will continue to pollute the streets with violence. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson is wrongly accused and convicted of raping Mayella Ewell. Tom is denied justice in the highly racist and prejudiced time of the 1930’s because of the colour of his skin. The prejudiced community of Maycomb desire the punishment of a black man who has committed a crime. This shows that society can influence the law and the severity of punishment as a community and deny justice through law to certain individuals. When justice is served, society either feels satisfied or believes more needs to be done. Many in our society receive justice whilst others concurrently are denied justice. Those that are denied justice lose confidence and are unable to trust in and depend on the justice system. A person who is denied justice even though he is innocent, no longer has faith in it. Members in the community who also believe that this person is innocent also begin to lose faith showing that justice diminishes those around us even though justice is served. During the time of the Jewish Holocaust, many members of the German Nazi reign believed massacring mass numbers of Jews to expand their own race was just. However, Jewish people hearing about and being affected by these traumatic and disastrous events were robbed of their justice, freedom and rights. They lost faith in their own existence due to the massacre of their justice and equality. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout and Jem lose faith in justice and what is right after Tom Robinson is convicted. Justice diminishes the children. They distrust the justice system and the people of the community who betrayed equality and condemned an innocent man, crying in innocence. When justice is not served or parity is lost, society feels vulnerable, scared and angry as every man should be brought to equality and fairness. Everyday, people are discriminated based on their race, religion, wealth and even gender, thus, diminishing their justice and right to live in equality. The recent violent attacks on Indian students based on race shows that people still strive to diminish others. Indians say they have been violated and forced to the edge of society, unable to do anything as they are powerless with their human rights violated. They are helpless and frightened as nothing is being done to stop these horrible crimes and restore justice, thus, the whole Indian community’s faith in justice and equality is diminished. The Ewells and the Cunninghams are equally banished to the outskirts of society in To Kill a Mockingbird as they are poor and living in poverty. Likewise, the Negro community are ignored because of the colour of their skin. These people are powerless as no one is able to help them. They must live in these harsh conditions with no trust in society, unable to believe in justice or fairness as they haven’t been given a chance. When justice is granted, justice is equally denied to another. Our different morals and ethics cause us to have slightly opposing views on what is just and therefore make it impossible to eliminate all injustice. By denying justice to one person, justice is diminished in that person and many other people who believed in that person, thinking, that they were right. People begin to distrust the system and feel isolated as they have different views or opinions on certain issues. Society will always be denied justice causing justice elsewhere to be diminished.