And Justice for All?

Justice is one of those societal issues that will never be what everyone wants it to be. Very few people will ever feel that their situation was handled exactly the way it should have been and this is true in more venues than just the criminal justice system. Some people will say they feel like something more could have been done on they’re behalf. You will hear them say they do not feel like they were treated fairly. A decision is made and in the minds of who knows how many people those who made the decision didn’t get it right. And the mantra of such people is going to be “Justice was not served!”

It is only right that we want justice especially since justice is the practice of what is right and just. It is the quality of being just, impartial, fair, and conformity to the law, truth, fact and reason. Doing justice is to maintain what is right or to set things right. And quite frankly this is not always what we get. I’m sure that if you stop and think about it you can come up with at least one or two current events that you believe justice was not served.

I can think of many examples where someone was found guilty that should have been acquitted or was acquitted that should have been found guilty. This has always been the case and I believe it will continue to be so as long as man is running the show. I guess this is one of the reasons we have such judicial entities as the court of appeals, jury trials, and such organizations as the Innocence Project to make sure everyone gets a fair chance. And yet, a lot of people still get the opposite of what they should get.

There has recently been a case that has caused me to ask what it is that makes it impossible to see that justice is done in every situation. And of course, that case is the one against Derek Chauvin and the other officers of the Minneapolis Police Department who were involved in the George Floyd incident. After seeing the documentary on the Fall of Minneapolis, I can tell you that this particular case has troubled me on a level I have never been troubled by something like this. Everything about this case is what brought me to this question of what it is that makes it impossible to see that justice is done every time a trial court judge declares and accepts a verdict that has been rendered.

So as I have pondered this question, I believe it comes down to a few issues. And for this narrative I am specifically talking about justice that is carried out on earth and not in heaven.

One of the problems with earthly justice is that it is flawed. It is flawed to the extent that man is flawed. Plato once said, “Justice in the life and conduct of the State is possible only as first it resides in the hearts and souls of the citizens.” That pretty much sums it up. There is usually going to be something wrong with almost anything that has been established by man. This includes the whole process of bringing someone to justice.

Now don’t get me wrong. I believe in the criminal justice system. I believe that, for the most part, America’s criminal justice system works. We probably have one of the best criminal justice systems in the world. But it is not perfect and it never will be. I believe in the laws of the land which, by the way, are based on the law of God. And I have spent the better part of 8 years enforcing those laws in the hopes that justice is served on behalf of the innocent.  But as long as man is the one who is calling the shots when it comes to enforcing those laws and applying justice based on those laws it will never be done perfectly. And why is that? Simply put, man is not perfect. It doesn’t matter how much a person has his or her act together, spiritually or otherwise, that person is going to be flawed. So when it comes to seeing justice done in this world it is not going to be without some degree of human error. Certainly, our goal is to see that we get it right when it comes to seeking justice, but it will always be flawed because it is being orchestrated by man. What bothers me is when those in the criminal justice system refuse to admit it when they got it wrong even when it is so obvious even to them that they did. They would rather see someone spend a lifetime in prison than to simply admit that person did not get justice.

Another problem with earthly justice is that it is sometimes subjective. In other words, justice is often based on or influenced by a person’s feelings, opinions, prejudices, and perceptions. This means that someone’s guilt or innocence is often based on another person’s perceptions and prejudices rather than the facts of the case against that person. So what we end up with is one gigantic conflict of interest because many people think the verdict is right and just as many think entirely the opposite. Some will say they can see some valid points from both sides of the aisle and, sadly, some won’t care one way or the other.

For some people, no amount of justice will ever be enough because the justice we know on earth will rarely undo the damage that has been caused by the very act that deserves justice. And it is that dogged determine to get justice that someone has to take the fall whether that person is truly guilty or not. And this is why justice can end up being subjective. It’s almost like it is a matter of opinion rather than a matter of basing a decision on facts and not just the interpretation of those facts. This is why we get ethical dilemmas and the problem of what is right to one person is wrong to someone else. We have to stop reaching verdicts that are based on or influenced by feelings, opinions, prejudices, perceptions, politics, and, the fear of what the decision might cost us. And this has to happen regardless of the possible consequences of the decision that is made.  Politics must never, ever be allowed to exist to any degree in the process of seeing that justice is done.

As long as earthly justice is flawed and subjective I wonder if justice will ever truly be served. But things are going to be a lot different when it comes to the justice that God will render. The thing about God’s justice is that it is a fair and impartial treatment of all people. As a God of justice His actions and decisions will always be true and right. His justice will be without error and undisputed. When His justice is rendered there will be no hung juries, no appeals.  And when that time comes for each of us (and that time will come) we can rest assured that we will find ourselves in the hands of a just and merciful God.

It is said that Supreme Court Justice Horace Gray once informed a man who had appeared before him in a lower court and had escaped conviction on a technicality, “I know that you are guilty and you know it, and I wish you to remember that one day you will stand before a better and wiser Judge, and that there you will be dealt with according to justice and not according to law.” (Source Unknown)

By His grace may we all be found to be ready.