Injustice in the Justice Department
Naomi Wolf once said: “It is human nature to abuse power, no matter who you are.” Judicial corruption is dishonest or unethical conduct by a person entrusted with a position of authority in the judicial system, often to acquire personal benefit. Although abuse of judicial power still occurs in our society today, there are safeguards in place to prevent the kind of abuse that occurred during the Victorian Era.
The reason judicial corruption today is similar to that of the Victorian Era, is because when people have power, they often abuse it. In Oliver Twist, a book from the Victorian Era, a judge named Mr. Fang nearly sentenced Oliver Twist to 3 months hard labor with only the evidence that Oliver ran …show more content…
One example is a courtroom jury. The jurors determine whether the person accused is guilty or innocent. This prevents the judge from becoming too powerful in court. When the jurors are in the court, “the judge is the one who interprets the law, assesses the evidence presented, and controls how hearings and trials unfold in their courtrooms.” Also, in today’s courtroom, there are multiple jurors and the vote determining a person’s guilt or innocence has to be unanimous. This prevents one jury member from being bribed or badgered into making a decision and then having the power to control the decision made (McArdle, 2005). Another way in which today’s judicial system differs from the Victorian Era and therefore prevents judicial corruption is the presence of social media. Today, there are countless ways in which the average citizen can report injustice and draw attention to it. If someone posts a report claiming judicial corruption has occured, others will see it and word will get out. Today, over 81% of the US uses social media (“Percentage of U.S. population who currently use any social media from 2008 to 2017” ND)! In the Victorian Era, the only way word spread was through gossip, a single newspaper and the mail system. Much of this was controlled by corrupt officials. In present day, we can air grievances through multiple social media outlets and this often leads to
Naomi Wolf once said: “It is human nature to abuse power, no matter who you are.” Judicial corruption is dishonest or unethical conduct by a person entrusted with a position of authority in the judicial system, often to acquire personal benefit. Although abuse of judicial power still occurs in our society today, there are safeguards in place to prevent the kind of abuse that occurred during the Victorian Era.
The reason judicial corruption today is similar to that of the Victorian Era, is because when people have power, they often abuse it. In Oliver Twist, a book from the Victorian Era, a judge named Mr. Fang nearly sentenced Oliver Twist to 3 months hard labor with only the evidence that Oliver ran …show more content…
One example is a courtroom jury. The jurors determine whether the person accused is guilty or innocent. This prevents the judge from becoming too powerful in court. When the jurors are in the court, “the judge is the one who interprets the law, assesses the evidence presented, and controls how hearings and trials unfold in their courtrooms.” Also, in today’s courtroom, there are multiple jurors and the vote determining a person’s guilt or innocence has to be unanimous. This prevents one jury member from being bribed or badgered into making a decision and then having the power to control the decision made (McArdle, 2005). Another way in which today’s judicial system differs from the Victorian Era and therefore prevents judicial corruption is the presence of social media. Today, there are countless ways in which the average citizen can report injustice and draw attention to it. If someone posts a report claiming judicial corruption has occured, others will see it and word will get out. Today, over 81% of the US uses social media (“Percentage of U.S. population who currently use any social media from 2008 to 2017” ND)! In the Victorian Era, the only way word spread was through gossip, a single newspaper and the mail system. Much of this was controlled by corrupt officials. In present day, we can air grievances through multiple social media outlets and this often leads to