Is the United States Court System Broken?

There are many reasons to love America. No country or political system is perfect, but we are fortunate to live in a nation which takes the principles and values of liberty, freedom, and justice seriously. The United States constitution is one of the finest documents ever produced, it lays out the unassailable freedoms that every US citizen is entitled to and has served as the strongest barrier between the American people and government encroachment upon our rights and our lives.

In theory, it is the constitution that should guide the decisions made by the courts system, but unfortunately this isn’t always the case. No human devised system is ever going to be perfect, and there will always be those who actively seek to undermine it for their own ends. However, in some ways our courts system is simply failing, not just failing its own purposes, but specifically failing those that it most needs to protect.

Evolving Technology

Our understanding of science is always expanding and improving and, as a result, sometimes things which we are certain of are disproved within a couple of years. This means that sometimes we draw conclusions based on our best understanding of science at the time, which later turn out to be wrong. Forensic science is not immune to this effect, although the consequences can be particularly severe.

In a nation which still practices the death penalty, the stakes can be particularly high when it comes to the outcome of criminal trials. If the outcome is based on flawed evidence and science, then innocent people will end up being executed.

Inaccurate Forensics

Sometimes when our understanding of science develops, we find out that what we thought wasn’t just inaccurate, it was flat-out wrong. Sometimes, when defence or prosecution teams introduce their own experts to argue a scientific point, they choose individuals who subscribe to beliefs and theories that have been rejected by mainstream science. The introduction of this junk-science into the courts process taints the entire system.

The Appeals Process

Appeals usually focus on the issue of what occurred at trial and rarely reconsider the guilt or innocence of the defendant. There have been cases where individuals who have been convicted and sentenced to death have later been exonerated by new evidence, but such evidence has been withheld from the court on a technicality. Many people argue for those on death row to be brought to justice more speedily but given the room for error, this seems unwise.

If you would like to work within the courts system, with a view to making a difference, then check out qualityeducationandjobs.com for some job suggestions.

Police Abuse

We trust our police forces to keep us safe, but unfortunately they sometimes use their power maliciously. Sometimes police will formulate a theory about a crime and will then seek out evidence that fits that theory rather than maintaining an objective view. This can lead to trials which are based on false assumptions, and because a police officer’s opinion carries so much waste, this can threaten the impartiality of the process.

The US court system is far from perfect, but it is not beyond repair. As long as citizens remain vigilant and demand the highest standard from the legal process, improvements are sure to be made.