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The System is Not Broken: It Does What It Was Designed to Do
I am so tired of hearing people talk about a “broken” criminal justice system. Recent developments in Oklahoma have people once again talking about “fixing” a broken justice system.
In Oklahoma (as in many states), the primary way of paying for the justice system is by fines and fees. The state depends on the offender to pay for the so-called justice system.
While I agree with the op-ed writer that the criminal justice system in Oklahoma is unjust, it is not “broken.” It does exactly what it was designed to do.
While I am not opposed to criminal justice reform, we need much more than reform. We need a new justice system altogether.
We need a system that is actually designed to ensure justice for ALL people. Our current system was never intended to benefit all people.
Chief Justice Roger B. Taney stated more honestly than anyone the intent of the American justice system.
In March of 1857, the United States Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Taney, declared that black people were not and could never become citizens of the United States.
The case before the court was that of Dred Scott v. Sanford. Dred Scott was an enslaved black man who had lived in the free state of Illinois and the free…
