Quotation for Today: A Legal System Wanting Justice

"I know this is not me. I don't know what else to do. God help me."

Phillip Reed

On the other side of the break, you can read more about Mr. Reed's story and the accounts of others with experiences like his.



The story of Mr. Reed is one that may be familiar to many Americans who have been mistreated by the "best" justice system in the world.  The Los Angeles Times article, "ID errors put hundreds in L.A. County jails," offers us several stories from the 1,480 people wrongfully incarcerated in LA County jails during the past five years.

In addition to the LA Times story, the related article links will take you to editorials that focus our attention on how poorly the United States "system of justice" treats its citizens who cannot afford high-priced lawyering.  


Should you decide to read The New York Times editorial, "Injustice in Murder Cases," please keep in mind federal government expenditure data reported by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis.  In the BEA's latest report, federal real non-defense expenditures decreased 3.8 percent and 7.6 percent in the third and second quarters of 2011, respectively.  Meanwhile, real defense expenditures increased 5 percent and 7 percent respectively for the same time periods.  "Real" spending estimates are annualized in 2005-chained dollars.


Faturechi, Robert and Jack Leonard. "ID errors put hundreds in L.A. County jails."  Los Angeles Times 25 December, 2011: online edition.


Related articles:


"Injustice in Murder Cases." Editorial. The New York Times 24 December, 2011, online edition.


"Deportation Without Representation." Editorial. The New York Times 24 December, 2011, online edition.


BEA GDP report, 22 December, 2011.