01/12/2008: "Justice Is Not Blind"

As I drove home this evening my eyes had trouble adjusting to all of the bright lights of the streets, the stores, and other cars. It got me thinking about Justice and how so many people would like to believe that it truly is blind and that the system of law always works in crime & punishment. Many a lawyer if asked the question, do you believe in the law, would most likely answer yes. However most of them are also answering from the perspective of the money that their career grants them, rather than actually believing in the system of law in the land.

Regardless of country many innocent men and women have been held for crimes they haven't even committed, had to appeal to get themselves freed of crimes they were innocent of, and the worst case those that have died wrongfully through the death penalty for a crime that later they were found to be not guilty of. While acknowledging imperfection of our own species it goes well beyond that when dealing with the question of justice being blind or not and is the justice system fair.

Can a celebrity get a lighter sentence or have most crimes dismissed because they are celebrities?

Can someone with money get away with many crimes that a poor person could not by not having the same wealth to hire a more qualified attorney?

The answer to those questions and many more are probably and unfortunately yes. We the public like celebrities and those who live in capitalist countries have a mentality that people work for the money they have made. With that fact established, a celebrity most likely will get off with an easier sentence, and the wealthy get away with more than the poor. Easily the scales of justice are lopsided in favor of the well-to-do.

Even worse is the case of image and crime. Many state the cliche that Justice is blind, but I ask how is that possible? Is anyone going to try and argue the fact that people have been convicted just because one or a few of the jurors didn't like the look or race of the accused? It's a losing argument because it simply isn't true. If justice and the system was truly impartial there would be walls in front of the accused, the families of the victim if any or audience, and the jury itself. That way the jury could hear testimony given and would not make a judgement off of the way someone looks, the clothes they wear, or the suspected wealth they have by there grooming, shoes, or clothes.

The fact has to be stated that the system is bent on however horrendous a crime was, how guilty the accused looks, and how much drama can be put into the court. It isn't about truth or the law any more, it's about making it as dramatic as possible just like a tv court drama. However none of that equates to good judgement or a legitimate case, and therefore Justice is not blind. Justice or the act shown forth by humans is one where we decide where someone is guilty before we even look at the evidence, or even hear the trial. It's one where if you don't have a good lawyer your chances of winning the case regardless of your innocence or guilt is slim to none. It's one where if you look guilty, you are guilty.

That is not justice, that is the absence of.