The Courtroom Drama

The United States Justice system is constantly having problems! In this article, I will give some known problems and possible solutions. The courtroom has turned into a drama theater. And because of that, a lot of taxpayer money is wasted and the prison system has turned into a revolving door and not a one-way trip. Let’s look at the four parts of the trial and their problems and possible solutions:

1) The Hard Criminal! The criminal is there because they have been accused of wrong and if they are guilty, the criminal wants to do the least time possible, which is understandable because even criminals like freedom. Quite a few criminals are very crafty and so their purpose in the courtroom is to use their craftiness for their own gain. A person who steals a pack of gum has not yet earned the title of a hard criminal, but someone who has murdered, with the exception of proven, justifiable self-defense, and someone who has repeated felonies, is hard criminals. There are others that fall into that category but that can be argued in another article, so this article will just refer to the two categories of hard criminals listed above. The hard criminal is simply that: hard! They may have had a good family life or a horrible childhood, but I will never agree that justifies being a hard criminal. They may have remorse and they may claim they are insane but the reality is that someone lost their life or someone was affected in a bad way. The criminal is hard and may at some point change into a good person, but that in no way removes the damage that was done. Solution: Don’t become a hard criminal; any criminal for that matter.

2) The Duped Lawyer! Sometimes, this applies to the State’s attorney and his staff, but most of the time, this is relevant to the defense attorney. I used to go to courtroom trials as a hobby if I could get in and I would hear defense attorneys say “if you only knew what kind of person he is.” That statement is comical considering the attorney has only probably known him a few months and if they have known them longer, that doesn’t mean they have lived with them. Maybe some attorneys aren’t duped, but just defending these sick individuals. In that case, their job is mind boggling to me as to how they could represent people like that. Solution: Wake up and realize that you are advocating putting a hard criminal back into our society. Study your case and if you genuinely find your client is valuable to society through many credible references, then taking the case may not be a bad idea. However, there is no qualified credible witness for a hard criminal except the victim and they would not give you a good report, so don’t try to be a hero for your reputation and put someone else’s life in danger!

3) The Emotional Jury! Juries vary! They are made up of humans and not robots so their emotions regarding the verdict and sentencing recommendations are hard to tell before the trial is over. Too many jurors listen to a drama unfold and forget the raw facts: is there evidence to convict. Ignore your feelings when the lawyers talk pretty! Listen for facts and if there is enough evidence to convict and possibly give the death sentence, then do it! We play too much on how we feel and not how the victim felt. Solution: During every minute of the trial, if the facts are there to convict, think about the victim and forget the fact that if you said guilty, that person will spend a long time in jail or even get executed. Emotions only count if they are from the victim’s family and the victim themselves, if they are able to have emotions.

4) The Soft Judge! Many times in a trial, a judge gets to make the decision concerning the sentence. The trial is based on facts and courtroom procedure that should never be altered, but when it comes down to the time for the judge to sentence the convicted, the judge will listen to a sweet sob story from someone that is everything but sweet. Solution: It would be good if we could check to see how the judge disciplined their children before we set them in a position to discipline criminals.

We do a lot of playing and catering to groups that are against the death penalty, and we forget the victim and their family. That is injustice in the justice system. The courtroom has turned into a drama play and the real hard facts are ignored. Lets stop playing and be strict ad eliminate some of this madness from our great country.