The criminal justice system is crumbling, and it needs urgent revitalization to pull it out of the depths of wrongful imprisonment.
According to a survey conducted by the World Justice Program, across 101 countries around the globe, 49% of the people faced at least one legal issue. Out of this 49% only a third of them sought official legal help.
This indicates a severe lack of trust that people have in the Judicial Systems and the related apparatus that is designed to dispense justice without bias. But is an unbiased, flawless judicial system a realizable, tangible reality or is it just a figment of imagination that crumbles upon the slightest scrutiny? The truth is that Justice Systems, the world over, relies capriciously on the whims of fallible individuals.
From simple household issues and rental problems to disputes over heavily imposing loans and debts, legal problems around the world trace a similar pattern. For example, problems like rent disputes, denied insurance claims, threats from a debt collector and extortion from criminal syndicates are common problems that can be easily found on any coordinate of the globe.
What’s worth noticing is the fact that each of these disputes is a contest between entities that have an unequal share of power between them. Loan and debt disputes between multimillion corporations and individuals, extortion of defenseless laymen at the hands of organized criminals points to a critical power imbalance.
An over-the-top-of-the-head solution to the problem would be a fortified Justice System but that seems a far-fetched reality.
Upon exploring it is revealed that the simplest reason for a weak justice system is the fact that those governing it are individuals who are almost as weak morally as the victims that they adjudicate for. Add to the mix, misgovernance, lack of resources and the situation worsens in no time.
The culture of bribing people sitting in high offices is a vice that sounds contentious and unholy but is a practice that has seeped into the strongest judicial systems of the world. It is quite apparent by the sorry state many individuals go through.
Frequently, law-abiding personnel has been wrongfully convicted to suffer a gruesome fate, while at the same time individuals who were truly behind the acts, get to roam free. This is the cruel reality faced on a regular.
The financial disparity has also become quite apparent. People with influence and financial abundance tend to get swift justice, more often than naught they are dismissed with a slap on the wrist. The poor man here, like always gets the boot and is given the maximum sentencing along with fines.
The for-profit concept of the prison system is also one of the main reasons the maximum penalty is pursued. The prisons survive on the government funding provided on a federal level. Without it, they will crumble into oblivion.
The police departments are following suit and procuring gear originally targeted towards the soldiers of the military. This militarization of the police has led to an increase in encounters where shots were fired, resulting in the death of detainees.
Racism has also been cited in various arrests around the globe. This became quite apparent when individuals were punished for the same acts but there was a huge difference in the sentencing time involved. This also affected them when they were presented for parole.
An overhauling is urgently needed to revive the justice system. Fundamental safeguards are needed to be set in place to stop any kind of racism in the justice system, along with misogyny that runs deep.
If the system is fixed then the society as a whole will flourish, and rule of law will surely once again prevail.
