Improving Justice

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate October 2001

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Every person in the United States has the basic right of liberty, as stated in the Constitution"¦ that is until they are convicted of committing a crime. Our penal and judicial systems function with the best of intentions, but still felons walk free while the innocent waste away in cement rooms. The blame for wrongful convictions lies on the shoulders of many people, namely the lawyers.

By law, all lawyers must try their hardest to win a case, but if everyone followed the laws there would be no need for them. As an incentive for them to stay honest there should be a stipulation in their contracts that say they will only get paid if and when they win a case.

If it should become common law for the entire country it would level the playing field, so to speak. If somebody wanted a paycheck so they could eat that night, they'd have to win a case.

In order to win they'd try harder because you've added a new element, personal interest.

Also, it would make representation more equal. If, say after a year, a lawyer isn't making any money they will quit, leaving only the talented ones behind. Therefore, a poor woman will have effectively the same chance at being acquitted of murder as a rich man would.

Prosecution attorneys would be paid nearly at an equivalent level to a defense lawyer because the state wouldn't have to pay them for every case they tried. This could lead to a higher readiness to convict than to defend criminals.

There are many ways to fix the judicial system. However we must realize that there will be flaws with every system, regardless of what actions are taken to correct them. But the goal is not to be perfect"¦ that would be to boring once achieved"¦ but rather to iron out major glitches, like unmotivated attorneys, and try to live our lives.