Friday, October 23, 2020

Exploring the Concept of Justice-One or Two Systems?

We have a huge debate as a nation whether we have one or two justice systems at work. We know that we have a system in play and that the system needs changes but why people from different backgrounds see different systems at work. Going forward as a nation we will want to ensure people trust that there is one system of justice at work and that people believe in the ability of the system to deliver on its stated and unstated contracts. 

Minorities often view the justice system differently. For much of the country's existence there have been two different societies that move beyond wealth and into the essence of people. Slavery, segregation, and human bias created those differences in perceptions and lives. Every century or so people challenge the system to push it to stronger footing and with effort "the system" eventually reacts and moves the dial a little closer to universal justice (...and freeing of human spirt. Think philosophically here.).

Our viewpoints creep into all of our decisions and sometimes create barriers of understanding between peoples. It makes no difference if we are talking about people at work, our personal lives, the community or within the justice system itself. The difference lays more in the ability of people to see themselves in others and are open to the possibility of collaboration and mutual understanding. 

 People can be very destructive when their world view is challenged. Matching that with deep seated anger leads to hate based behavior. I have done some research on this topic and while I don't consider myself an "expert" I will say you can sort of see the shaky self-perception and life anger that is common within these groups. In collaboration they lose their ability to self correct and become destructive.

If we plan on being one nation we must have a single set of universal principles that determines our national identity and filtrate into the justice system (Moral conscious and justice are tied together to create "validity".). When injustice occurs it is saying we create different status of Americans with those who look/act are similar to ourselves being of higher status/importance and those who look/act different then us as being lower of status/importance. None of those beliefs have anything to do with being an American. 

So we have to think about a single unified justice system....or universal justice. It means that we have single principles by which Americans are judged based on their individual actions and not on superficial factors we invented in our heads (non factual bias). One of our goals as a nation is to ensure justice in our dealings with people and continue to work on pushing out perversions of thinking that have made its way into our system. 

Ideally we want people to trust that there is one system at work and it seeks justice regardless of one's ethnic, racial, religions, and political viewpoints. It is a system that is people focused on cross cultural truths and values we all share in common (i.e. American). We can have a system that people of different backgrounds can trust will do the right thing and supports its search as an institution towards the highest forms of universal justice. 

There is a lot of research that supports that a fair and transparent justice system impacts our economic system as people believe and trust that each person is a valued member of society based on these universal truths. Matching that belief with natural human performance that comes from self-efficacy, we may find ourselves on an economic upswing if each demographic of society trusts in basic American principles that guide all of our lives (We are either rowing together toward a shared sense of destination or we are tearing it apart.). 

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