Injustices in the Criminal Justice System
Prepared By: Stephen Wandro and Julian Thomas
CST #1 Life and Dignity of the Human Person
All humans have natural rights, and these natural rights should be protected, and the right to life. To have dignity is to be treated with respect as a human being, and this is something that should be guaranteed for all people. If a person is more likely to be sent to prison because of how much money he or she has, then that person is not being with fairness or respect. The criminal justice system is meant to protect the citizens of the United States, and to unfairly treat the poor is an affront to that goal and to the dignity of those humans who must now spend years of their life in prison.
Man in Prison Cell
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CST #2 Call to Family, Community, and Participation
It is the duty of everyone to participate in all levels of society, to live in happiness with one’s family, to help one’s own community, and to participate in the larger community. It is the duty of all free people to help those who have been unjustly seized in there community. We can no longer simply watch as those in our communities are victimized by the high costs and complications that come with the current legal and prison system. Everyone needs to help ease the suffering of those who have been victimized, and to help each other. Towns with prisons are not unaffected, they feel the prisons effect and it changes each town. Each community needs to band together to help keep its sense of community. They need to help each other to not lose their sense of community.
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Prisoners in a Crowded Room
CST #3 Rights and Responsibilities
Humans have fundamental natural rights that must be protected. When these rights are threatened for some, it is the responsibility of all to protect those rights from violation. To be treated unfairly by the criminal justice system is to have one's natural rights violated. It is the responsibility of all members of a society to ensure that the criminal justice system that defends them is not abusing its power and violating rights. The criminal justice system that is supposed to be fair is unfair toward those of a lower socioeconomic status, and that is a violation of natural rights that must be stopped.
Conditions of a Prison Cell
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/27/41624538_344fb169d2.jpgCST #4 Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
A poor lower class is a sad fact of society, and those poor are the most vulnerable to being taken advantage of. We should be aware of the needs of the poor and ensure that they are taken care of. In the criminal justice system, it is often the poor that end up as a disadvantage. This is an injustice in that having more money can buy shorter prison sentences because of better representation. Because of this, society sees the poor as more dangerous, and even more of the poor end up in prison. It is a vicious cycle that can only be stopped if the system is changed to take care of the poor and ensure that they have all the advantages in the criminal justice system as someone of a higher socioeconomic status.
Homeless Woman Living on the Street
CST #5 The Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers
Every man has the right to support a family and to lead an honest life with an honest job. Everyone was a right, and deserves the dignity of, working in part of a larger social community to support themselves, their loved ones, and their community. Within in the Justice system people go above and beyond that basic right to work and work to not only provide for themselves but to help create safer communities and help change society for the better. However when these very workers who are supposed to be trying to help make society better are the ones committing injustice, degrading society, then they tarnishing the respect that the men and women who perform there jobs with dignity have earned.
Prison Laborers
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CST #6 Solidarity
In our world it has become harder to achieve real change, to meet the tough challenges by ones self, in our world we must show solidarity and work with one another to achieve our end. We must learn that we live in a very diverse world, with many different races, ethnicities, beliefs, and we must learn to accept those differences and work together to strive for the greater good. Those in the justice system need the help of all those on the outside to help them back into society. Working together to help those who been incarcerated to feel welcomed back into society so that they can get past there mistakes and create a better life for themselves and their communities.
A Chaplain Prays with Inmates
CST #7 Care for God's Creation
God has created all life, and so we should respect god and his creations as we would like to be respected by others. Not just life but god has also created our world which we are increasingly taking advantage of. We must strive to live with respect for all of gods creations, both man and material. We cannot house men like barn animals to be herded and caged like cattle, despite their wrongful actions those who are within the criminal system still deserve the respect that comes with being one of God’s creations. Not just the people the but prisons themselves can become a blight upon the land, some contributing up to 150,000 gallons of water daily. Not to mention all the waste that is produced. We need to make sure that we take care of our planet. Prisons need to pay attention to their waste and deal with it accordingly instead of pushing the problems into the hands of the local communities.
Unsightly Outside of a Prison
McKenna, Kevin E. A Concise Guide to Catholic Social Teaching. Notre Dame, Ind.: Ave Maria, 2002. Print.
