Social Injustice In The Criminal Justice System
Jack Small
Ms. Weed
ELA Hour 3
2 March 2016
Social injustice to those with a low socioeconomic status
In a court of law there are many factors that would go into social injustice. Examples would be race, ethnicity, age, gender, ETC. One of the most prominent however, is socioeconomic status. The rich will always have an advantage in the justice system in comparison to people with low socioeconomic status. This is mostly due to three key factors; corrections, courts, and poor defense attorneys. The United States government needs to reform the criminal justice system in order to ensure that every case is equal to one another.
First off, the corrections system is completely unfair to those who can not afford it. They might not be able to afford bail, or they might need access to physical help that they can’t pay for. But they can’t obtain these privileges due to their lack of funds. Also when we incarcerate these people, we leave them just as poor when they get out, as they did when they were convicted. What is a poor, ill-educated and low skilled ex-convict supposed to do in society? People won’t want to hire them, so then they have to turn back to crime in order to make an income. Then the cycle starts all over again. If the government doesn’t do something about the corrections system, the cycle will continue on and on.
Even worse than the unjust the corrections system, the courts of the criminal justice system possess unfair fees, and punishments for those who can’t pay those fees. “Court costs” are the costs of handling a case, and can sometimes surpass the actual monetary worth of a case. More specifically, the fees are for; public defense, room …show more content…
"Sequestration's Biggest Victim: The Public Defender System." N.p., 22 July 2013. Web. Boyle, Jason, and An Honors Thesis Project. "Gideon in the Garden State: New Jersey’s Support for Public Defenders." Gideon in the Garden State: (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 6 Mar.
Ms. Weed
ELA Hour 3
2 March 2016
Social injustice to those with a low socioeconomic status
In a court of law there are many factors that would go into social injustice. Examples would be race, ethnicity, age, gender, ETC. One of the most prominent however, is socioeconomic status. The rich will always have an advantage in the justice system in comparison to people with low socioeconomic status. This is mostly due to three key factors; corrections, courts, and poor defense attorneys. The United States government needs to reform the criminal justice system in order to ensure that every case is equal to one another.
First off, the corrections system is completely unfair to those who can not afford it. They might not be able to afford bail, or they might need access to physical help that they can’t pay for. But they can’t obtain these privileges due to their lack of funds. Also when we incarcerate these people, we leave them just as poor when they get out, as they did when they were convicted. What is a poor, ill-educated and low skilled ex-convict supposed to do in society? People won’t want to hire them, so then they have to turn back to crime in order to make an income. Then the cycle starts all over again. If the government doesn’t do something about the corrections system, the cycle will continue on and on.
Even worse than the unjust the corrections system, the courts of the criminal justice system possess unfair fees, and punishments for those who can’t pay those fees. “Court costs” are the costs of handling a case, and can sometimes surpass the actual monetary worth of a case. More specifically, the fees are for; public defense, room …show more content…
"Sequestration's Biggest Victim: The Public Defender System." N.p., 22 July 2013. Web. Boyle, Jason, and An Honors Thesis Project. "Gideon in the Garden State: New Jersey’s Support for Public Defenders." Gideon in the Garden State: (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 6 Mar.