The american judicial system is flawed and compromised, perhaps irreparably. Our culture in general is steeped in barbarism that will horrify anyone from the not-so-distant future, but let's focus on the specifics of how we mete out justice in the U.S.A. (mandatory minimums are bad, but they don't even crack the big four). In descending order...
1) CAGING SENTIENT BEINGS IS A CRIME AGAINST LIFE
...and makes convicts worse people, not better. The scientific data that bears this out is swiftly accumulating. I'd like to call this new information, but the natives of this continent had very effective judicial systems, and would have been appalled at the thought of locking someone in a cage.
2) JUSTICE FOR PROFIT IS JUSTICE BLIND (IN THE BAD WAY)
The newest entry into the big four. Making prisons independent of the state and profit-based, encourages corruption of the system and escalating inhumynity within prison walls. Capitalism has shown itself incapable of protecting the humyn rights of law-abiding citizens who are poor. How do you think it treats "less-than-citizens"?
3) WE SEEK THE WINNER, NOT THE TRUTH
The adversarial system is one in which neither side is interested in honesty. This leads to profound immorality and corruption. Imagine instead all parties focused on one goal - truth.
4) WE FOCUS ON THE OFFENDER, NOT THE VICTIM
Our system is vengeance-based, and ignores any responsibility we might have to help victims of crime. For victims who don't believe in vengeance, a punitive system only increases the suffering of all parties. Over the past two decades, New Zealand has been replacing it's retributive system with a restorative one, focused on the victim's needs.
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