Just wait till the criminal justice system shows concern for you or a loved one if you don’t care about it. One in three Americans, or between 70 and 100 million, are thought to have a criminal record. Many of them, like the former president Donald Trump, are subject to harsh legal proceedings.
Any police officer or prosecutor may look up a person, look through the books that contain thousands upon thousands of crimes, and find a few of those charges to accuse them with. Combine that with a dishonest judge, and any of us could be found guilty of a crime.
I hold New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan accountable, as there are many prosecutors just as wicked as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, but he didn’t just put his thumb.
Throughout my more than 25 years in the criminal justice system as an attorney, I have seen firsthand how our flawed system makes mistakes. Indeed, a guilty conviction does not always imply that the person found guilty is a criminal, even when all participants examine their prejudices and act honestly in their capacities as judge, jury, and prosecutor.
Exonerations after conviction indicate that more than 4–10% of convictions were incorrect. Additionally, punishments issued may increase dramatically if a defendant exercises his constitutional right to a jury trial because of the prosecutor’s discretion and the judges’ retaliatory nature.
