Drug busts, plea deals, high profile cases that make headlines. The media covers those but the daily grind of following a case from start to finish is not something that entices a reporter or reader. Usually.
The human face of the criminal justice system are the addicts, the mentally ill, the abused, the poor, the ones who do not have the support of family or friends yet survive and succeed.
This last week, there have been at least two success stories that were very heartwarming. This happened in two courtrooms this week, as I waited for yet another case to be called. The case I was covering was grinding its way through the painstaking slow criminal justice procedures; dates being reset, resolutions being discussed.
I like to follow the life of the case. It is one of the reasons I do this regular court beat. It gives a view into the reality of the criminal justice system.
One of the Judges said that people end up in the criminal justice system for many reasons. For some it is a wake up call and they turn their life around. Others find themselves back time after time.
The Judge commended the man who stood silently and had successfully met all the requirements asked of him. He thanked the Judge, the prosecutor and his attorney for giving him a chance and believing in him. They smiled, genuinely happy for him.
Over and over again, you see people in custody not taking seriously the consequences of their actions, just nodding their head to a plea deal so they can get out, showing no remorse.
There are individuals who chose to walk away from the past, take responsibility and succeed against all odds.
"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome". --Booker T. Washington
That is awesome!
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