9781422280041

Law and Order

Words to Understand

It had long been true, and prisoners knew this better than anyone, that the poorer you were the more likely you were to end up in jail. This was not just because the poor committed more crimes. In fact, they did. The rich did not have to commit crimes to get what they wanted; the laws were on their side. But when the rich did commit crimes, they oftenwere not prosecuted, and if they were they could get out on bail, hire clever lawyers, get better treatment from judges. — H oward Z inn , A P eople ’ s H istory of the U nited S tates The Imperfect Pursuit of Justice In most cases in North America, judicial systems do quite well in fulfilling their purpose. That is to say, they are usually fair and accurate. Unfortunately, nobody is perfect, and human beings run all three components of the judicial system—law enforcement, the judiciary, and correctional services. Thus none of these components is perfect either. Sometimes, the very institutions we have in place to promote justice actually produce injustice. In this book, we look at some of the ways that inequities are caused in the justice system. Hopefully, by better understanding how these inequities are caused, we can explore better and more just alternatives. Choreographed: Planned out. DNA samples: Samples of the nucleic acid molecule that is a major component of the chromosomes, carries genetic information, and can be used to establish iden- tity when matched with evidence left at a crime scene. Gladiators: Professional fighters in ancient Rome who fought in an arena as public entertainment. Prosecuting: Representing the state or the people in a criminal trial.

Lady Justice—a Roman goddess—holds a balance and a sword, representing objectivity, balance in the system, and punishment in justice.

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Unequal Justice

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