My Child Went to Court—and Instantly Recognized the Racism
Perhaps the biggest misconception about our criminal justice system is that we are all presumed innocent, and that this presumption is really hard for the government to overcome. One may offer justifications for why our criminal justice system is so large. One may have theories about why certain populations are disproportionately affected. Nevertheless, we believe that no person ends up convicted of a crime, and locked behind bars, without going through a process that ensures a just result. The presumption of innocence is at the heart of our democracy, as are the constitutional protections that force the government to prove that a person no longer deserves that presumption.
The reality is, our system could not be further from that ideal. People are not protected when they are charged with a crime. Instead, they are deposited onto a legal assembly line that whisks them from accusation to conviction. Rather than taking the time to understand the individual and tailoring a just outcome to the circumstances at hand, the criminal justice system views people as case files to be quickly processed and disposed of.
Criminal justice in America is a long, vast conveyor belt. Vulnerable people are dumped onto it at the beginning. By the time they reach the other end, their lives are shattered beyond recognition. The general public is taught that there are rules that govern how a person proceeds through the process. These rules are designed to slow the conveyor belt down. They create opportunities for people to get off the conveyor belt. They ensure that no one reaches the end of the conveyor belt who did not belong on it in the first place.