Equal Justice Under Law – Theory and Practice
Posted by in Concept of justice on August 15, 2011
The concept of “Equal Justice under Law” is a firmly held American belief which has permeated our core national consciousness nearly as much as the phrase “All Men Are Created Equal” has from one of our nation’s defining original documents, the Declaration of Independence. Yet the ideal that this phrase represents – that every American citizen enjoys equal access to, and equality before our justice system – is simply not represented in practice by any standard of measurement, in today’s American judicial courts. According to the World Justice Project, based on their 2010 survey of perceptions of the fairness and strength of the civil justice system, the United States ranks last out of 11 developed countries. It also reported that only 20% of low-income Americans have access to the legal services and assistance they need.
Some of the reasons for this low perception could be from the following: during a period spanning the last two decades, national legal aid budgets have been reduced by over 30% and now represent less than 1% of legal expenditures while more restrictions have been placed on the types of cases that qualify for government funded programs. In addition, it is estimated that the legal needs of over 80% of the poor and between 40-60% of middle-class citizens in this country are not served. Yet, oddly enough, there has been little hue and cry over this issue coming from the media or from the legal profession itself. Read the rest of this entry »
Get Your Superhero Powers With a Criminal Justice Degree Online
Posted by in Criminal justice on August 15, 2011
Everywhere you look today you’re bombarded with superheroes, crime fighters, vigilantes, cop shows, shows about FBI agents solving crimes, shows about forensic anthropologists, shows about fighting crime with science and sarcasm- these shows are everywhere, and you can’t help but love watching them. These shows feed our deep down need to be a part of something incredible- we can fight crime with them as we solve these crimes and mysteries together. There are some people who were born to be the villain, but in a lot of us, there is a superhero crime fighter waiting to burst free and kick some bad guy butt.
Many people love watching the crime fighting genre of show, but they are left feeling useless once the show is over and real life sets in. You don’t have to feel this way! You too can be a crime fighting superhero if you get your criminal justice degree online! Online criminal justice courses are available through distance learning at your local college, or directly through online universities. When you’re actually ready to earn your CJ degree online, you’ll need to do some research into the degree programs offered. Not all of these schools are actually accredited which can leave you paying for a degree you cannot use after graduation. With an accredited criminal justice program, you can learn about the justice system, the different fields, the different skills needed, the different salaries, and you can even decide to go all the way and earn your PhD in criminal justice.
The FBI agents and police officers on TV aren’t really fighting crime, but you can earn your criminal justice degree online and apply to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or you can apply to your local police force. With a degree in CJ, your resume will shine like a beacon of hope over the other applicants. You can get your foot in the door to a career much faster with a BS degree in criminal justice. Read the rest of this entry »
Social Justice on Wall Street
Posted by in Social justice on August 15, 2011
I’m supposed to be on vacation at the moment, taking a few days off with friends exploring the countryside surrounding Santa Ynez before returning home to enjoy Thanksgiving.
It’s beautiful this time of year, with wisps of white clouds accenting the blue sky and the crisp fall air greeting you each morning. It’s also nice when there are relatively few travelers on the road and the pace of life is unhurried.
But rather than celebrating my good fortune, I’m snarling at The Wall Street Journal. Suddenly my coffee is acidic, my eggs are cold and I’m fit to be tied while reading one of the front page articles: Anatomy of the Morgan Stanley Panic.
“Trading records reviewed by The Wall Street Journal now provide a partial answer. It turns out that some of the biggest names on Wall Street – Merrill Lynch & Co., Citigroup Inc., Deutsche Bank and UBS AG – were placing large bets against Morgan Stanley, the records indicate. They did so using complicated financial instruments called credit-default swaps, a form of insurance against losses on loans and bonds.
“A close examination by the Journal of that trading also reveals that the swaps played a critical role in magnifying bearish sentiment about Morgan Stanley, in turn prompting traders to bet against the firm’s stock by selling it short. The interplay between swaps trading and short selling accelerated the firm’s downward spiral.”
I stop and reread the passage. While hundreds of billions were being flushed down the toilet by the icons of Wall Street, they were simultaneously placing bets, in hopes of making a big profit, that one of their own was about to go belly up. Reflecting on the fact that millions in the world are starving, millions more are in refuge camps, and the planet is under siege from the mounting effects of climate change, I began to wonder:
“Are these executives adding one single ounce of value to humanity?”
Not only had the federal government agreed to pump in $20 billion in new capital to this failing firm, they had also agreed to guarantee $306 billion in toxic assets. Maybe such numbers are rounding errors to the financial elite, but I’m guessing that for most of us such statistics are mind-numbing. Read the rest of this entry »