Is the Criminal Justice System fair?

[Snorlax]

I've always wondered what other people opinion are on our criminal justice system. Do you think it's fair? Is "justice" really ever served? In my opinion, the justice system isn't at all fair. From my personal experience, I have a friend let's call him C, who now is serving life for murder, without any possibilities of parole. But here's what gets me. When all this happened, sometime in 2010, over a drug deal, he was with someone whom he called "brother" at the time, lets call him L. Even on camera when they caught it, C wasn't the one holding the gun and wasn't the one who shot at the guy, L was. C went on the run for maybe a year and a half, and L, who got caught 3 days after the murder, snitched on him, putting the blame all on him hoping they would reduce his sentence. He also said that when all this happened C had two guns in his hands, shooting at the guy while L was just sitting on the bed not doing anything. How does that make any sense? You don't just sit on a bed while shots are being fired. But the judge still willingly took that BS testimonial, I have no idea why, and sentenced both to life. So the whole point of me telling that story is that the justice system is full of crap to me. Their sentence the majority of the time is solely passed on how they feel at the time. I really don't think its fair, even if he did shoot someone, why would he get life without parole, compared to the people who dismember a human body, with no signs of remorse and only getting 20 years or maybe even less (I watch a lot of ID - Investigation Discovery). There are people who are actually really innocent who's put away forever because they couldn't find the real person who committed the crime. So do you agree with the justice system?

[Mod]

As I don't live in the US, I'm not well versed in your criminal justice system. But telling from the news, Wiki articles on famous trials, and close parallels between the US and CDN judicial system (though Canada's is more liberal and slow), here's what I think:

The cops, politicians, government, and people want closure on things. It doesn't matter if someone likely committed a crime or not, there must be a scapegoat. This is what makes the police and their governments "accountable" to the people. It's not fair as you say, but what can you do? As a citizen of the US, you must submit to its legislation, good and bad. Perhaps let it be a deterrent to would-be criminals that they may get slammed regardless of severity of crime. If there were a bunch of open cases and no suspects on trial, case reports with the police, jails, manpower and time would be spread thin, people would complain, and thus "accountability" would be lost. That and taxes going up to pay for more investigators, or inability to tend to new cases because the last are still "open".

At the end of it all, everyone is out to protect their own jobs, their own asses. A name must be put to the case, a name must be put to trial, a name must stamp the "close". It's sociological, without this sense of security and trust, citizens would criticize and eventually revolt for an "ineffective" government.

Secondly, like you said - determined by the mood of the judge. Assuming your buddy is in Georgia (I'm aware crime rates are particularly high in that state), the judge may be lazy/jaded and just want to throw them all away. He/she's probably heard many and lost faith long ago. Racial bias, regardless of how fair one wants to be and tells him/herself, will also be factored into play. You can't stop it, only prevent being put in the situation and give it a good fight if the law does get you.

Until the US reduces its debts (not for a long time) to hire more people (and allocate more time to each case), and people's attitudes change to force changes to your legal system, fairness does not exist.

[Umbreon]

It's complete and absolute shit.

My father has been in prison since I was six (I'm now nineteen, turning twenty this year) with thirty years as his full sentence for something he didn't do, nor was ever proven to have done in any way. They went on the words of a seven year old bitch that was lying because she was mad at her friend/my sister, and wanted to get back at her by getting my dad in trouble, whatever sense that makes.
They didn't run any sort of DNA samples, any sort of tests, absolutely nothing.
She just stood on the stand and cried and got two of her friends to lie for her.

So.
And they even took three years to incarcerate him. So I was going to his house one day to visit, but oop nope, I can't because they randomly came and got him for something he didn't do.

So ~ yes. Absolute shit, with pinning crimes, and taking forever to do anything about said crimes.

[Jauris]

The system itself is fair.


However, I don't believe that we as people are fair, and that's why such a large number of mistakes are made.

[Snorlax]

It's complete and absolute shit.

My father has been in prison since I was six (I'm now nineteen, turning twenty this year) with thirty years as his full sentence for something he didn't do, nor was ever proven to have done in any way. They went on the words of a seven year old bitch that was lying because she was mad at her friend/my sister, and wanted to get back at her by getting my dad in trouble, whatever sense that makes.
They didn't run any sort of DNA samples, any sort of tests, absolutely nothing.
She just stood on the stand and cried and got two of her friends to lie for her.

So.
And they even took three years to incarcerate him. So I was going to his house one day to visit, but oop nope, I can't because they randomly came and got him for something he didn't do.

So ~ yes. Absolute shit, with pinning crimes, and taking forever to do anything about said crimes.

I'm glad someone agrees with me. As far as putting him away for something he didnt do, they tend to do that quite a lot. I guess they HAVE to put the blame on somebody, anyone that they can get their hands on, when they can't find the real culprit of the job. That's what I hate most about the system, or maybe just people working for the system. Sure there are some who do things fair, but most of the time, if they think you look suspicious or think you did something wrong, they'll drag you straight to hell without a second thought of it. People are evil like that. They'll testify anything and since most of the time, since you have a "witness" of some sort, that's all the evidence they need.

[Umbreon]

I'm glad someone agrees with me. As far as putting him away for something he didnt do, they tend to do that quite a lot. I guess they HAVE to put the blame on somebody, anyone that they can get their hands on, when they can't find the real culprit of the job. That's what I hate most about the system, or maybe just people working for the system. Sure there are some who do things fair, but most of the time, if they think you look suspicious or think you did something wrong, they'll drag you straight to hell without a second thought of it. People are evil like that. They'll testify anything and since most of the time, since you have a "witness" of some sort, that's all the evidence they need.

Yeah, it's pretty dumb. Which is why I also hate the people that are like "everyone in prison for rape, murder, etc. should be executed immediately" because there are so many innocent people in there for such things.

[Jolz]

Dear 'Mericans.

I don't mean to offend but this is how I view you justice system.

'Merican 1 "He killed someone?"

'Merican 2 "Yes, shot them!"

'Merican 1 "Well we should kill him"

'Merican 2 "Yes we should because killing is wrong"


The land of the free and the home of hypocrites

[torque]

If there is one conclusion I can make about the US criminal justice system, it is this:

The concepts of what is "fair", "right/correct", or "just" are not relevant in this system; what matters most is the comparison to the letter and wording of the law.
If you expect fairness or justice, you will be disappointed. This is not to say that achieving justice is impossible, only that justice is not a relevant concept to the legal system.

[blackgoodbye]

Im not american so i have no personal experience but the TV told me (i like to watch the CI channel) that a lot of the system over there is bang out of order.. with believing childrens stories who have been influenced by angry parents/family/friends or inmates who get deals for dobbing other people in. What does this do? gives your inmates a chance to make up and tell the coppas what they want to hear or just straight up lies and get rewarded for it.

Funny system to me

Mind you i live in a country where you can kill someone, get life (like 10 years here) and get out in 2 years or less so...

Lets be real, the 'justice' system is not at all about justice these days

[Amxs]

I don't know about the US government, but from the programs I've watched about some people in the UK, such as a woman cheating her way of �300,000, got a 8 month prison sentence?! There are hundreds and thousands more examples but that's the most recently one I can think of