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Administration of Justice: Rich vs. Poor

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Administration of Justice: Rich vs. Poor
People with money have a greater chance to win or get lower sentences compared to poor families.
In today’s society we see all kinds of unfair cases coming in and out if the courtroom. People who have enough money to go hire a top of the line lawyer to protect them from being accounted guilty. All the while in the poor community people struggle to survive just to pay their rent, and when they commit a crime it’s hard for them to afford a top of the line lawyers. Every day you turn on the TV or the radio and hear about these celebrities that constantly get in trouble for drugs, guns, and fighting but yet when the judge sentences them it’s like they get a smack on the hand or receive the minimum sentence available. This even happens in a reoccurring basis with the same people in and out like a revolving door. The lower income communities get arrested and go to court and unless they receive a plea bargain they usually are looking at the maximum amount of sentencing when it comes to chronic offenders. Even those low income first time offenders can be hit hard when it comes to sentencing unless the crime committed isn’t at high risk. I will discuss some celebrity cases as well as regular civilian cases in today’s courts. Celebrity Lindsey Lohan is considered a repeat offender in and out if the court room for cocaine possession. On July 6th 2010 she was sentenced to 90 days in jail and remained free until July 20th 2010 when she had arrived at the Beverley Hills court house to turn herself in to start serving her sentence. Upon release she had to also serve a 90 day impatient rehabilitation sentence due to violating her probation from a prior DUI case. According to the spokes person Steve Whitmore of the Sheriff’s Department stated she would only serve 23 days behind bars since it was a non-violent crime. Regularly the sentence for Recidivist is if a misdemeanor is one year it goes up to two years, if it is a felony can be increased by four additional years.

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