Unfortunately,, "Equal justice for all" is an ideal. It is seldom, if ever, managed in reality. A well-off defendant will purchase the services of the finest lawyers. If the accused is poor or not from a highly placed family, you can expect prison.
Cases in point: OJ Simpson, Casey Anthony, a couple of "no-names" from out west, one in England,, Trayvon Martin and the recent Ferguson battle. And you can add the Jon-Benet Ramsey case, too!
OJ had a fine legal team. Maybe I was entranced, too; I believed in his innocence. Perhaps his celebrity status coated him in "Teflon". You know the result. OJ is in prison, now, for armed robbery.
Casey Anthony: Did she, or didn't she? Evidence points one way, but enough doubt was cast to the jurors -- the "reasonable doubt" clause -- to warrant an acquittal.. Did she or didn't she? My own personal opinion matters not.
In England, a writer was convicted of being a sexual predator; a pedophile. He got off with a slap on the wrist. What's the news? He's been arrested again, on a recent charge of molestation. Justice? HARDLY!
The "No-name cases" -- a homeless woman left her child in her car while she had an interview for a job. Arrested, lost her child. Another woman, "high" on drugs, left her baby on top of the car drove recklessly until child fell off. Result? Slap on wrist, probation. Kept her child. Differences? First case, homeless black. Second? White.
Maybe a solution is professional jurors.
Our system, though, isn't perfect. We all have our biases. And until we can put them aside, we lose: Justice is unequally distributed.
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