Due Process Inequality

The five most critical social issues facing our society today are The War on Drugs, Mass Incarceration, Due Process Inequality, Lack of Punishment towards individuals of higher social, economic classes, and inequality in criminal law when comparing crack and powder cocaine sentencing. As a result of all these societal problems today millions of our fellow Americans have had their livelihoods ruined, and these issues have been a result of bad public policy and has led to unintended racial outcomes.

(1) The War on Drugs. Starting in the 1960’s with President Nixon the US Federal Government began an all-out institutional assault to combat the societal outcry surrounding drug usage and started increasing the penalties for drug usage, possession, and distribution. These federal laws outlawed marijuana and many other drugs and

“The Process is the Punishment” by Malcolm Feely describes the expensive process individuals have to encounter during the lower court trials on their way to court rulings. Some of the costs during the pre-trial process are spending time in jail. If one is rich, they can afford to miss work and wait for their court hearing, but if the induvial is of a lower socio-economic class, he or she might not be able to afford to miss work and can lose their job. Other costs are setting bail, and attorney fees. Public appointed attorneys are often incompetent or lack the resources of a private attorney. One advantage private attorneys have over public attorneys is the ability to meet with their defendant ahead of the trial to prepare accordingly. Public lawyers often handle many cases, and they are unable to focus and give attention to each one fairly. Many defendants often time do not know it is their right to be appointed a public attorney during their holding and enter the trial without public defendants. Due process is a constitutional right to every American but seems to only apply to those with wealth according to