By Madison Trent

As an eighth grader in a civics room atmosphere I am not well educated on the problems and misinterpretations of how our Criminal Justice System works in real life and not just how the book explains it. Through limited research I was able to form an opinion about our Criminal Justice System and was also able to hear the views of others on the Criminal Justice System today. I really wanted to say that our system does work, but the more I  learned, the more I became convinced that it does not and here’s why.

In April 2014 a study was conducted by the Bureau Justice statistics that showed that out of 405,000 prisoners, about 68% were rearrested within three years. Within five years about 77% were arrested again.(Percent) This goes to show that  for the majority of the prisoners the Criminal Justice System did not work for them. They were simply arrested again just as they got out of prison or rehabilitation. The study also showed that about 50% of prisoners who had parole or got out early from prison had a probation violation or new arrest within three years that led to imprisonment. In five years, about 55% of prisoners who had parole also were arrested for a new crime or had a probation violation that again led to more time in prison.(Percent)

Lindsay Lohan, a famous actor and singer,(Lindsay Lohan - ) is an example of these statistics. She is also part of either the 50% or 55% who were arrested again with a probation violation.(Percent)(Lindsay Lohan’s) She has struggled many times with alcohol and drugs that ended up putting her in rehab facilities. Along with these struggles, she has gone to jail six times, but has not been in for over two weeks. She has also appeared in court before judges many times. To be exact, she has been to court twenty times before four judges. These judges have found her guilty of violating her probation four times and because of this she is sentenced to imprisonment for six months.(Lindsay Lohan’s) This is one person of many that the Criminal Justice System has not worked for. If it did work, Lindsay Lohan would not have appeared in court twenty times, usually for the same things, drugs! (Lindsay Lohan’s)

Lindsay Lohan is an example of someone wealthy who has been taken to prison, but having money means she can afford bail. So, what about the people who can’t afford bail? What happens to them? Let me give you an example. Barronelle Stutzman, a flower shop owner, refused to sell flowers to a same-sex couple for a wedding ceremony, because it was against her belief, as a christian, that marriage is between a man and woman only. Although she was found guilty of violating her state law, the Alliance Defending Freedom saids that the “government has started to use laws that were meant for good to hurt people.” Not only that, but to “punish them for their beliefs.” (It’s) I believe that our Criminal Justice System is getting too far off track of the documents that the United States are based on and revising them to suit certain political ideas.

I agree that the Criminal Justice System works in some ways, but my opinion stays the same. I believe that this may be too broad of a question to answer with a stern “yes” or “no.”  However, both of these examples show that people make mistakes and obviously we as humans are not perfect. This includes police, judges, and the staff that make up the Criminal Justice System. I highly believe that unless our selfish ways are changed, our Criminal Justice System will remain the same. In spite of all that takes place today I hope that in the future our country can realize this and that our Criminal Justice System can change for the good of all.