Reforming_the_Justice_System

Reforming the Justice System A person can say without a shadow of doubt that there is something wrong with the United States Criminal Justice System. Many people are serving lengthy prison sentences, some even on death row for crimes they did not commit. While these people are doing unjust time, others that are actual criminals, are rotting away, not truly being rehabilitated especially teens who have been sentence to life with no possibility of parole. The justice system is an issue that needs close attention paid to it; ultimately, if its problems are not dealt with, time, money and other resources will continually be wasted. Young adolescents and teens are capable of very violent, horrific acts. Many too young to drive, or purchase an “R” rated movie ticket are sentenced to imprisonment for life, without the chance of ever reentering society again. These young people are subjected to must cruelest punishment possible, besides death. Despite the court system know that many young youth tend to be incapable of making mature choices, that they are vulnerable to negative influences and peer pressure, and that they are powerless to protect themselves from broken home environments, they still received a life sentence. Even if the youth is rehabilitated, it does them no good, henceforth the justice system has failed. In the essay “No Remorse”, Dakotah Eliason received a life sentence for a crime he committed at age fourteen. Was incarceration necessary, yes, life, no. In his case, a lot of psychiatric help was in order, not locking him away for life. Its seems this is the justice system answer to many youthful offenders who commit similar crimes. Incarceration should be a tool for help, not the answer for a solution. There are some that should be locked away for life, those that are mentally sane, and are of adult age who commits some of the most heinous crimes in society such as, child molesters, rapists, murderers (with no good cause), constant repeat drug dealers, and so on. In these situations, life in prison may be warranted, if without a shadow of doubt the individual on trial committed the crime. Across the U.S. there are hundreds, if not thousands of people incarcerated for crimes they didn’t commit. According to the “Statistics on Prison Population Rates” the U.S. has the highest population of incarcerated persons throughout the world. There is a great need for reforms to produce a more accurate justice system. With these reforms the system can better ensure that the right person is being punished for the crime committed. Witness misidentification has been the cause of wrongful convictions in some court cases. Sequential lineups and photo arrays should be used, in which a victim is shown one suspect at a time, rather than viewing everybody at once. The victim should be told that the suspect may or may not be present, to prevent the witness or victim from having undue confidence that the suspect is there, leading to a wrong identification. A convicted criminal should not be incentivized to testify again someone else. When desperate criminals have been caught red-handed committing a crime and they have no truthful information to trade on, they falsely implicate others. A standardized system should be developed to ensure all evidence is preserved and available for inspection and testing for. Without the evidence, a wrongly convicted person may remain incarcerated with no way to prove their innocence. Lastly, all accused individuals should be provided a fully qualified attorney, not a substandard performing public defender. If these reforms was the case for Cameron Willingham in the essay “Trial By Fire”, just maybe he wouldn’t never been on death row, or even in prison for the murder of his children. There are many more reforms that should be implemented with the justice system, reforms that would not create an over populated prison system. “Ending sentencing for drug misdemeanors, decriminalizing marijuana, leaving judges free to use common sense (and, where possible, getting judges who are judges rather than politicians)-many small acts are possible that will help end the epidemic of imprisonment as they helped end the plague of crime” (Gopnik 77). No one should serve a lengthy prison sentence for a petty crime, it a waste of resources and the taxpayers money. Instead of locking someone up and having them spend years behind barbwires, why not give them a less than a year sentence, with an intense work detail couple with some therapy sessions. New thought and new ways of doing business must be incorporated in the way criminals are sentence and punished. If not the prison populated and recidivism rate will continue to skyrocket. From the way the justice system prosecute cases to the way criminals are rehabilitated a change must take place. The criminal justice system is supposed to be about justice for victims, for those rightly and even wrongly accused and convicted of crimes. A system that automatically locks people up for life, regardless of age or circumstances, or wrongfully convicted provides justice for no one. Some recommended reforms ranging from change in interrogations to ensuring adequate defense counsel, and better programs for petty offenders is in need to decrease the population of the prison system. Unless a major reform takes place within the justices systems, money, times, and resources will continually be wasted. Aviv, Rachel. "No Remorse." The New Yorker 12 January 2012: 54-65. Print. Gopnik, Adam. "The Caging Of America." The New Yorker 30 January 2012: 72-77. Print. Grann, David. "Trail By Fire." 7 September 2009. The New Yorker. Article. 15 March 2012. . Statistics on Prison Population Rates. n.d. Tables. 2 January 2013. .