There was a time in history when the accused weren't appointed free legal counsel. That would eventually change due to the Gideon v. Wainwright case and the establishment of the Sixth Amendment.
I considered this to be a sacred constitutional right American citizens, but individuals within the justice system have found ways to disrupt the progression of our country's judicial system.
On September 1, 2008, an African American man by the name of Adrian P. Thompson was falsely accused of the death of his four-month-old and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. It took him twice to appeal his conviction based on a coercive investigation for the court to grant him a fair trial, absent of the false confession.
His counsel was obligated by the constitution to be of effective assistance, which wasn't the case for Mr. Thompson. If it wasn't for two directors who were disturbed by his videotaped confession, he would be sitting behind bars right now for a crime he never committed. It's almost 2019, yet these predicaments are surfacing in a country where the constitution promises equality to every citizen.
More cases like Thompson's will emerge in the following years.
We are in an era now where victims are speaking out and exposing things that have been ignored for the past decades. Some may categorize prisoners as criminals, but how many of them are casualties of a broken justice system?
Thousands of inmates that were convicted in mid-1900s never experienced a requisite trial because of the underfunded public defense as well as discrimination in the criminal court. The justice system has spun itself in a web of lies and manipulation.
Take the oldest inmate in a prison and compare him to the youngest prisoner. There's high chance both are victims of harsh sentencing or in prison for crimes they never committed. An ex-prisoner once said the U.S. criminal justice system exploits the war on drugs as a modern technique to repress minorities under the sanctions of the "law".
People overlook the reality that many prisoners are uneducated and misinformed on their rights to appeal a conviction.
Corrupt police officers become agent provocateurs and confuse subjects into falsely incriminating themselves. Fortunately, these type of people blinded by power are being reprimanded.
This month a Baltimore Officer, Richard Pinheiro Jr. was suspended for six months without pay. He purposefully turned off his body camera and planted drugs at a scene. The drug charges were dropped against the accused Baltimore man, but you can say he's lucky another sheriff was brave enough to expose another officer's nefarious ways.
This country is focused on prison reform, but we're forgetting the judicial system is far more corrupted.
A father with no criminal records was caught selling drugs while in possession of a firearm received a 55-year prison sentence. Most murderers only receive a 15-year sentence. It's an example of how discombobulated the system has become. The scales aren't balanced and it has strayed far from the principles our constitution was founded on.
Our constitution is being broken because defendants/prisoners aren't receiving their constitutional rights.
Congress in the process of passing a bill before the end of the year to lessen the harshness of criminal justice sentencing. Both the Democratic and Republican parties believe the bill, but Senator Tom Cotton opposes. He expressed his concerns for the public safety.
Another example, to me, of a prejudiced man whose mind is clouded by bigotry.
Prison reform should be a major concern for everyone because if the justice system unjustly persecuted those of everyday people, what's to stop them from making you the next victim?
