Justice for whom?

I'm sure we're all too familiar with the inconsistencies and injustices produced by our "justice" system, but recent events should push us toward an important question. Who is getting justice from our justice system? Answer: Next to nobody. The current state of our system defies even the most distorted notion of what justice is.

Let's look at just a couple cases and try not to vomit in response to sad facts of them and the ultimate conclusion.

This is an excerpt from an article regarding "sentencing" for the mother of the starved Jackson boys that most of us are all too familar with. Take notice of the bold print sections. (excerpt from philly.com - Phila. Inqirer article)

CAMDEN, N.J. - A woman accused of systematically starving her four adopted sons pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of child endangerment, admitting she did not provide the children with proper food or medical care.
Prosecutors who signed off on the plea deal for Vanessa Jackson are recommending she serve a seven-year sentence in state prison. She could be eligible for parole in less than two years.
Under the deal, though, a three-judge panel could put Jackson in a program that could reduce her prison time even further. Sentencing is set for Feb. 10.
Jackson, 50, and her husband, Raymond Jackson, were thrust into the national spotlight in October 2003 when their adopted son, Bruce, was found scavenging for food in a neighbor's trash can. He was 19, but from his size - just 45 pounds - police figured him for about 7-years old.
Three younger boys in the home were equally gaunt.
Jackson and her husband were each charged with 28 counts of aggravated assault and child endangerment. Raymond Jackson died of a stroke last year. The criminal case against his wife continued, and she could have faced a sentence of hundreds of years in prison.

Let's keep those sentence figures in mind as we review the facts of this next case (excerpt from cnn.com):

GOLDEN, Colorado (AP) -- A woman who authorities said had sex with high school boys during alcohol- and drug-fueled parties has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, officials said.
Silvia Johnson, 41, described herself to investigators as a "cool mom" who "was never popular with classmates in high school" and who was beginning to feel like one of the group.
She pleaded guilty in July to two misdemeanor counts of sexual assault and nine felony counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. (Watch the judge's scolding -- 1:20)
She also was sentenced for additional charges of third-degree assault, violation of a restraining order and harassment for unrelated cases involving her husband and children, prosecution spokesman Carl Blesch said.
Authorities said Johnson held parties for the boys almost weekly between October 2003 and October 2004. They said Johnson provided drugs and alcohol to eight boys and had sex with five of them.
Johnson was to be sentenced on September 26, but the hearing was postponed after she was injured the day before while riding in an SUV that veered off an interstate.

Ok, let's do some math here. 30 years and 7 years - that's a difference of 23 years and that doesn't take parole info consideration. The woman being sentenced to 30 years did some pretty immoral things, yes, but the fact is that the young men she banged and drugged probably didn't suffer a whole lot compared to the boys who starved and endured God knows what else at the hands of their own guardians.

I could go on stating other ridiculous cases, but we're too familiar with them, so let's skip to what it all means. We don't have a f---in justice system. We have a system of controls that punishes only so far as it is expedient for the state to do so and punishes more according to the plaintiff and defendant's social status and the nature of the crime versus the severity of the crime and ultimate rammifications. The Jackson boys will probably never be completely healthy individuals, neither phyisically and sure as hell not psychologically. Yet, their guardian (I dare not call that scumbag bitch a mother) will probably get to go on with her life, scamming and stealing all the way, in another couple years after she makes parole because everyone will have forgotten by then. The party boys, on the other hand, will go off to college and probably brag about the parties they had and how they had their way sexually with this desparate 40-something housewife.

Another major factor prohibiting justice is the inability of the state to proficiently pursue and collect evidence that can actually make a real case. As a result, the states are held hostage to defense lawyers who rake in the dough at the end of the day.

Oh, and by the way, John Lennon's killer is up for parole - again. This is parole hearing #3 for him. John, on the other hand, doesn't get a hearing to get his life back.

With justice like this, anarchy is inevitable.