What Justice Means to Me

Justice has several definitions according to the Merriam Webster dictionary.

1. The maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited awards or punishments. 2. The administration of law; especially: the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity The quality of being just, impartial, or fair. (justice.2009)

Now what was listed above is not all of the definitions, however, as I am simply explaining what I believe justice is or what it means to me they will do for my belief set. Being a student of American history, our Founding Fathers and the Constitution, I have concluded that justice should mean what is best for all parties, as well as the country as a whole.

The field I wish to enter is involved in writing, teaching, and working directly with police departments and Judicial Courts systems nationwide in the implementation of better programs concerning juvenile offenders. I truly feel that juvenile offenders generally, can be rehabilitated and that as a society we have let ourselves down by continuing the current methods of incarceration and punishment of juvenile offenders without a longer look into the surroundings of the offenders themselves. While I do not believe that a person should be able to blame their past for the actions of today, I do strongly feel that by addressing the potential problems of today we can change the future for the better. To this end, my idea of justice revolves around simply utilizing current understanding of the law and the way juveniles and their legal guardians are approached to create more awareness and benefit the juveniles as well as society as a whole.

Justice in my opinion is the equitable treatment of the offenders and by this definition if we ascribe to the notion that there is an age of consent or a legal age the legal guardians must be held responsible for their actions in the matter as well. We as a society tend to approach juvenile offenders from the standpoint of you do the crime you do the time, little realizing that in many cases these juvenile offenders may be committing these actions as a way of calling out for help. By not helping them and indeed showing them that being a parent is not necessarily binding nor is it necessary- or by punishing them as adults in many cases, we show the rest of the juveniles that they do not matter as juveniles. As a result, we have children having children and not raising them or even trying or caring. We also have lifetime criminals that get started at relatively young ages when they could potentially have been helped.

True justice in this dismal situation would mean that we hold the parents or guardians responsible either monetarily or physically for the continuing crimes of their children. I do not wish to see parent going to prison based on the first offense of a child, however, if the child is a repeat offender and the guardian is not committing the necessary time to adjust or assist the juvenile and is by default allowing the juvenile to commit these crimes than the adults involved should face penalties as well. I do not feel that removing the juvenile from the home is a legitimate answer either. In some cases it may be necessary, however, it is a common kneejerk action taken by a large percentage of Juvenile Courts in this country today. Nothing can be worse for the situation than this in many cases. Instead, we in the Justice System should be expecting the parents, guardians to step up to the plate so to speak and take responsibility for their actions.

I feel that to mete out an equitable justice solution in many cases we, as a nation must enforce more personal responsibility. In our modern day and age, you hear common defenses such as the following. My childhood this, or temporary insanity that, instead of insisting on personal responsibility for the actions they have taken. Many of us in this class may find my views somewhat cold and unfeeling, yet as a parent, and someone who has seen serious crime and the results of it firsthand more than I care to remember I can only say, our decisions of today guide our results of tomorrow.

So in conclusion, my idea of justice is simple, the ones meting the justice out be they Law Enforcement Officers, or Judges must maintain an equitable dispersal of justice in the form of law and the interpretation of it. Those on the other side should re-think their approach to life, their personal responsibility concerning the decisions they make daily. Justice is only as good as the society and the laws of that society.

Citations

Justice. (2009). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

Retrieved May 18, 2009, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justice

© Jesse Mathewson

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Originally posted at Is the World ready for this?

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Tags: justice, law

Category: Society