The Legal System
I would like to share something from my book, Imprisoned at 13. I chose the topic, “The Legal System,” largely because I’ve been in the jaws of it for almost 60 years! I understand that society will always need laws to protect itself against violent people. Even then, imprisonment should still allow prisoners to maintain their human dignity and self-respect.
Our legal system is so outdated and out of tune that it is getting worse instead of better. The old adage still holds true: the system protects the rich and destroys the poor. If you were born poor and in poverty, you are more likely going to end up in one of these human zoos.
Getting back to the prison system, we need justice brought to these prisons and courthouses. What drives prisoners crazy is the injustice that is done on a daily basis. Our system gets what it wants by using force, which is called violence.
When a prisoner is first arrested, he is told to shut up until spoken to. He is given a court-appointed lawyer who tells him what time he is facing. Then he either tries to make him a rat, or cop a plea so he doesn’t have to go to a jury trial. He wants to save the state money, so he tells his client he will get a softer sentence.
Most of today’s prisoners are illiterate and have no knowledge of the criminal justice system. It is so strange how a person can spend a lifetime in trouble and know very little about the system he’s rebelling against. And, like I said earlier, if he’s poor, he doesn’t have a chance. He will likely go to prison sooner or later. Most prisoners, through the advice of their court-appointed lawyers, plead guilty out of fear of longer sentences, or out of just plain ignorance. By this act, he never really learns anything about the judicial system.
When the poor and uneducated person enters the world of prison, he is placed into the jaws of violence and pure hatred and the self-destruction that comes with it. This is the start of the criminal who eventually makes a career of it.
When you enter a world where every day is a threat to your existence, eventually your mindset is not healthy at all. Prison is hell after death, only you are really alive. The system we have now has more than just leaks in it; it has holes. Large, gaping holes. Everyone is subject to being a victim of the system. Most people don’t think they can ever be a victim of the system, but it happens every day. Until you or your loved ones are bitten by it, you’ll never even give it a thought.
Being locked away in jail is tough. Just ponder all this for a moment. I know I’m not the only person who feels the injustice. People who read this don’t have to agree with my thoughts, but not everyone has been locked up their entire life; I and others have been. I know society thinks we all live in wall-to-wall luxury. But I’m here to dispel that myth.
I’ve said all I can convey about the justice system. All evidence points to its failure. It is a system that needs to be revamped for our sake and society’s sake. We are torn by the system. After over 50 years in prison, the sun never really sets or rises in the joint.