The criminal justice system is the set of agencies and processes established by governments to control crime and impose penalties on those who violate laws, as defined by The National Center for Victims of Crime. In America, the justice system has proven countless of times that it does not uphold high standards.
In July of 2014, Kraigen Grooms was arrested during a child pornography investigation, where his original sentence was ten years in prison. Grooms pleaded guilty, and was required to register as a sex offender, which in my opinion, was still an ameatur sentencing because he would have the ability to be released from prison by 2024, just shy of his 30th birthday. On Monday September 19th, The Washington Post posted an article, discussing the aftermath his court case. It was revealed that Groom was caught on video, engaging in a sexual act with a one-year-old girl, and after being in jail since 2014, was sentenced to five years of probation. Yes, you read correctly, a mere five years of probation.
Grooms was relieved from a ten year sentence, but to make matters worse, the his family spoke on his behalf, communicating their wishes that Grooms does not receive a prison sentence, as stated in the article. It also goes to say that the Grooms family's thoughts and opinions significantly influenced the judge's sentencing, which angered not only myself, but many others, whether they were personally involved in the case, or not. Grooms assaulted an innocent little girl; he assaulted a toddler, and somehow, both his family and the judge believe that his actions warrant less than prison time because the victim is "too young to be aware of what was happening," and "suffered no ill effects as a result of his actions." Why does any of that matter? Why does anyone believe that because this child was unaware and unharmed, mean that it is okay to let this criminal go? Grooms is eighteen years older than this child. There was/is no chance of consent, and because the child in still in early stages of development, she does not have a strong sense of trust, meaning her lack of communication and know-how, was taken advantage of.
Society has joined together, and petitioned to remove the judge from the bench because they believe he is a "sympathizer for a "toddler rapist," which has earned more than 7,000 signatures.
Both this case, and the justice system is failing miserably. There are people receiving almost life-long sentences for simple misdemeanors such as possession of marijuana, burglary, or even car theft-- when rapists, in some cases murderers, are being let off. Now, I am not saying that misdemeanors are not crimes that do not require recognition, because they do. However, time and time again, men AND women guilty of sexual assault and/or rape, are getting off with a simple slap on the wrist. How is that okay? Why is the criminal justice system afraid of letting drug dealers and those who use drugs recreationally back on the streets, yet show little to no hesitation in putting a rapist back into family friendly neighborhoods? Something needs to be done about this. RAINN --Rape Abuse & Incest National Network-- kindly shared statistics on victims of all kinds. There are 228,820 victims of rape and sexual assault per year, 1 out of 6 women are victims of attempted or successful sexual assault or rape, and 1 out of 10 rape victims are male. On the Bureau of Justice Statistics website, they stated that over 60% of rape and sexual assault victimizations go unreported. This is more than likely because the justice system is failing at their job of keeping civilians safe. Giving levels of sentencing ranging from moderate to none at all, places a strong sense of terror within each victim because their assailiant(s) are being tossed back into the real world, possibly with vengeance in their minds.
If America wants to become the once "safe place" it was once considered, it needs to get the "hard" criminals off the streets first and foremost, then work on the others. The justice system needs to place the safety and comfortability of civilians at the top of their concerns, before showing concern for criminals and their families.
