Numbers and statistics can be very interesting factors in today’s world, be they in sports, politics or any social issue. But the justice system doesn’t have the numbers looking too good for it. The USA has the largest number of people in the prison system. To put it in context, 5% of the worlds population occupy the United States while 25% of the worlds prison population are incarcerated in American prisons. One wonders why this is the case, Willie Lee Conner's story might just give insight into the issue.
Conner is a man in Alabama who was sentenced to life imprisonment for stealing a tool from a Lowe's store. He was convicted for first-degree robbery and sentenced to life. The Alabama Supreme Court also denied the man’s appeal and stuck to the sentence.
That is Just one example that makes one question the whole justice system. That man will be prison for the rest of life because he left Lowe's with a tool that was not paid for. No one says he does not deserve to be punished, but LIFE? Yet those who launder money from the “common man” run around free. Chauffeured in their black Cadillacs and Suburbans.
The rise in incarcerations has been drastic since the 1980's due to the war on drugs and petty offenses as the one above. An increase of 500% over the past 30 years leading to the total number of inmates being a jaw dropping 2.5 million people. In fact, states spend more on inmates than they do on elementary students annually. However it should be noted that a lot of stories have been reported about people being locked up for years for being found with few ounces of marijuana. That begs the question, is this a competition for what court can lock who up for longer?
The prison systems are also overwhelmed as they cannot cater adequately for the amount of prisoners that they to accommodate. Alabama happens to have the highest number of prisoners in the US, and this causes a huge headache for correctional officers. On March 12th a prisoner at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala. recorded a prison riot using a contraband phone. The riot took place after a warden was stabbed trying to stop a fight between two prisoners. The video shed some light onto the state of correctional facilities in the state.
Cases like the 'Sears case' make the courts look like a joke to the public. If Justice is to prevail then it should be given the seriousness it deserves and that begins with fair judgments on the wrong deeds committed. America is considered the land of the free, it should therefore prove that the label is a well deserved one and not just a sham.
