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| Lady Justice Courtesy of clipart-library.com |
Many in our nation have known for some time that our country has two criminal justice systems: one for the rich and the other for the poor.
This fact was not only highlighted, but also underscored when
Paul Manafort was sentenced to 47 months in prison this week – well below the federal
guidelines that ranged from 19 to 24 years.
If there were ever a case of sentencing disparity, this is
it! How do you give someone life in prison for stealing a slice of pizza or
for selling or smoking marijuana (which has happened), and give Manafort less
than four years in prison for being convicted on eight counts of bank and tax
fraud?
The scales of justice are skewed.
The scales of justice are skewed.
Sen. Cory Booker decried
the sentence saying, “One of my friends says we have a criminal justice system
that treats you better if you’re rich and guilty than if you’re poor and
innocent.”
In justifying the light sentence that he handed to Manafort,
Virginia Judge T.S. Ellis III said that Manafort had lived “a blameless life,”
before committing his crimes.
When you consider some of Manafort’s experiences and how he
made his fortune, this was quite a statement (See the East Palo Alto Today editorial – Lessons
we can learn from the career of Paul Manafort, on page 4 of the September 2018 issue.).
Harvard law professor Lawrence Tribe tweeted, Judge Ellis’s assessment that Manafort
led an “otherwise blameless life” was proof that he’s unfit to serve on the
federal bench. I’ve rarely been more disgusted by a judge’s transparently
preferential treatment to a rich white guy who betrayed the law and the nation.
Given the sentence, Sen. Kamala Harris declared, ‘The
justice system is broken in America.”
Through all of this, one important question stands out: If
our justice system is broken, what are we doing to fix it?
Whatever we’re doing, Manafort’s sentence shows that we aren’t
doing enough!
But all, who are disappointed or distressed by Ellis’
decision, can still take heart. Manafort still faces charges for a different set of
crimes. He will soon be sentenced for these crimes by District of Columbia
Judge Amy Berman Jackson and he could get another ten years, which is the maximum
time to be given, added to his current sentence.
We’ll see on this coming Wednesday, March 13, Manafort’s
next court date, the type of sentence he gets from Jackson.
Lady Justice is, obviously, not blind, but how do we enable
her to see more clearly?
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