This was going to be my little soapbox piece – it was originally titled reimagining crime and punishment, probably only part one. It has however turned form soapbox to platform; hence we have moved probably to definitely. I welcome considered opinions – and am open to comments. I will not publish attacks, polarized opinions without reasoned suggestions to move the needle in a positive way. I am a firm believer in if you can’t offer a suggestion for change you are part of the problem.
So without further ado part one the introduction to my treatice
What is justice? I remember a time when it seemed black and white, Right was right and wrong was wrong there were no gray areas. Mom was justice , the police were safe people, guardians of our safety and security. The church was our moral authority. The bible written in stone. Courts, judges and lawyers were wise men. Their judgement was beyond reproach. Defense attorneys were sober second thought fact checkers who ensured the whole story was told, and capable of protecting the wrongfully accused. The media gave us the facts. Just the facts. Oh to live in that rose coloured world where bad things only happened to other people. Justice was fair and punishment changed things.
As someone who has had a front row seat to most sides of the farce known as crime and punishment; what is achingly clear is- Justice is for sale to the highest bidder,or the person or corporation with the deepest pockets. It’s cheaper and softer if you are WASPM (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant Man). The wrongly accused or convicted never receive an apology as loud as the accusation, they remain not only tainted but significantly poorer for the fight, traumatized and deeply disillusioned. Reform and rehabilitation are other words code for the home of master classes in how to be bad better. They are Institutions of soul crushing, dehumanization. They strip the incarcerated of their pride, dignity and hope that they can ever be seen as anything but criminal.
Taking a hard and objective look at our system of law, enforcement and rehabilitation leaves one making some unfortunate and over used comparisons to militaristic regimes. Local law enforcement is dressed up and made spectacle to assure the general public they are there to protect the local citizenry. They issue traffic tickets, take the occasional report and are meant to be seen. They are the PR team. Generally they get top marks for being seen. When the rubber hits the road and it comes time to investigate, that is a task above the paygrade of a beat cop, who actually knows the community.
I have had a number of interactions with the legal system, I have never been in jail, I have been wrongfully accused. I have been privy to its ins and outs and manipulations as accused, victim, family, parent, girlfriend, employer, and friend. I know people who work in the system, I know people incarcerated. The system is not designed to help people find their way back
Less than 40% of crimes reported are actually solved the number drops to under 5% when it comes to property crimes our jails are full to overflowing with soldiers in criminal networks dealers, pimps, car thieves, petty thieves, indigenous people, minorities and new immigrants, a handful of murderers and serial killers and of course the innocent. Where are the heads of networks, the Puppet Masters of all the moving people? If our jails are full, why does the crime rate remain fairly steady? Why is the recidivism rate so high? Why are people with the same charges facing such different sentences? Why do our prison populations not mirror our demographics? Why does having more melanin mean you are more likely to be in prison?
Shouting into the Abyss 
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