Just and Unjust

There needs to be some kind of change for the American Civil Court system.  I feel that it is quite an understatement to describe our society and its legal system as controversial and unfair. Even though it does not seem to happen very often, there are several instances where the access and testing of DNA in criminal court cases such as murder or rape, where someone who was found guilty 20 years ago turns out to be innocent. Yes, they no longer remain in prison, but 20 years of their life is lost. They miss out on their families growing up and there is no compensation for time lost; no amount of money can buy back those years. Their reputations are also ruined, because newspapers and other forms of media have labeled them as a monster. Even worse, some are given the death penalty and are nervously awaiting their turn, and some could be completely innocent.

The punishment for a drug offender is much harsher than that for a child molester. Drug offenders have often been sentenced to a minimum of 10 years to be spent in prison for violation, whereas I have seen that that first time child offenders are forced into some class to rectify their behavior and placed on a list. There is something about that that has always made my stomach turn, and now being a mother, I realize why. I agree that drugs are horrible and lead to other crime, but to me, I feel much safer having a drug trafficker roaming the streets than a child molester.

Fear of lawsuits permeates all aspects of American life.  Currently the most significant aspect is health care.  Because there are no caps on malpractice lawsuits, doctors are forced to practice extremely defensive medicine.  The more tests the doctors have to run the more the insurance companies have to pay, in turn driving up premiums. Because it is so risky to insure a doctor some end up paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in malpractice insurance.  One lawsuit could make a doctor uninsurable and put him or her out of business. 

Something that could lower costs and help unclog the system with frivolous lawsuits would be to institute a British style civil court system. Over there if you bring a lawsuit against someone and you lose the case; you are the one who is responsible for paying the court costs and the legal fees for the defendant.  I love this system. I have also heard of countries where someone is guilty until proven innocent, instead of innocent until proven guilty. This is not exactly the most ideal circumstance, but it makes attorneys work harder to get their client out of hot water. To me this is true justice.