Michael Morton Case has triggered many questions among people regarding the justice in Texas courts. Morton was wrongly prosecuted and sentenced to life imprisonment, despite him being innocent. From Morton Case, the criminal justice system has a long way to go for fair justice. Despite significant steps towards rectifying mistakes in the criminal justice system, there is still some gap in reliable, fair and effective justice that the people deserve. There is need of justice system that has proper checks and transparency in ensuring that all relevant facts that are based on the evidence are kept on the light for everyone to see.
Texas justice system is trying to put in place adequate procedural safeguards to ensure that the verdict is dependable. This will help reduce, if not prevent, the risks of convicting innocent people, while leaving the criminals out there roaming freely, thus undermining the safety of the public. Texas is the leading state on convicting people wrongly, most people in Texas end up in prisons for mistakes they did not commit. As a result, one can conclude that Texas does not treat people fairly and equally, and thus, it is not a guarantee that justice will prevail in their courts.
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Texas is among the seven states that are known for electing their judges by voting them in just like politicians. The judges are expected to pick a political party and use its manifesto to convince the voters why he/she is the best candidate. This practice happens at all levels of judicially, starting from the county courts, to the supreme court of the state. The practice is probably not the most efficient since it is politically influenced, and it is one of the old practice. Incompetent individuals might have the advantage of being voted in, leaving out potential individuals with credentials who picked the wrong political party.
The practice of voting in judges is not an efficient method because it turns judges to politicians, making them lose their perceived credibility as neutral arbiters of controversies and cases, which is what they are supposed to prize most. The courts are the one place where money is not supposed to make the difference; it is the place where justice is supposed to be upheld equally at all. However, in Texas this is not the case, money and politics make all the difference, thus making judgments in courts to be Partisan.
The practice of voting in judges is not an efficient method because it turns judges to politicians, making them lose their perceived credibility as neutral arbiters of controversies and cases, which is what they are supposed to prize most. The courts are the one place where money is not supposed to make the difference; it is the place where justice is supposed to be upheld equally at all. However, in Texas this is not the case, money and politics make all the difference, thus making judgments in courts to be Partisan.
The legal system of Texas is based on the principle that a competent, fair and independent judiciary will apply and interpret the laws that govern the people. This role of the judiciary applies to all judicial systems in America. Judges, collectively and individually, are all governed by this code of honor and must all respect it. They must honor the office of judicially since they are entitled to the public trust, and thus should strive to maintain and enhance confidence in the legal system ( Neubauer & Fradella, 2015 ). The judge can be described as an arbiter of law and facts for disputes resolution and a government symbol that is highly visible under the rule of law.
Changing the way judges are selected does not necessarily guarantee honest and integrity prosecution among the judicial officials. A judge is a normal human being, thinking and living as humans do. Therefore, if he has an obligation to do what is right, whether selected by people or by the judiciary. In our society, an honorable and independent judge is motivated by justice in his society. A judge has the moral obligation of maintaining, enforcing and establishing high standards of conduct, by doing observing these standards, the judge ensures that the independence and integrity of the judicially are preserved.
Despite the rules, a judge is primarily supposed to be fair in all situation. However, due to personal interests, they tend to rule in favor of the wrong side. This is what causes injustice in the Texas courts, as such, the only way the judges can give honest ruling is by educating them on the importance of integrity in their profession at the college level. The government should also ensure that it is putting the right measures in place to fight corruption in all arms of the government, as such, the judges will lack room for corruption ( Neubauer & Fradella, 2015 ). Changing the way judges are chosen will not have an impact on their ruling.
Normally, I can say that dishonest problem is linked to human nature. The reason for this conclusion is because dishonest has closer links to being selfish. In a situation where a person has to be honest or dishonest, the person will either like the outcome or may not like it. All human beings are classified as being selfish based on their priorities which are self-centered, but self-actualization mostly is driven by magnanimity.
It to fully do away with dishonesty in judicially. Thus, it can be said that dishonest is inevitable for human beings, no matter how hard we try to be honest, we will be faced with certain situations that will force us to be dishonest. Just like stated earlier, judges are human beings and are also wants to favor themselves ( Neubauer & Fradella, 2015 ). Thus, they find themselves in situations where they would have to consider their self-interest. Thus, despite the measures taken in Texas, some judges and some officers of law enforcement will tend to be corrupt and dishonest. Hence, Texans will not be provided with just and fair treatment as they would wish.
In conclusion, the case of Michael Morton Case is a clear indication of how our judicial systems can be unreliable, thus subjecting honest citizens into imprisonment, whereas criminals are left free, with space of conducting their criminal acts. Judges in Texas should ensure they use all the evidence presented well; they should double check it to ensure they are not making any mistakes. Strict laws should be put in place for judges who are careless and ignorant in their rulings. There should be a hard punishment for any judge subjecting innocent human to unfair torture.
References
Neubauer, D. W., & Fradella, H. F. (2015). America's courts and the criminal justice system . Cengage Learning.
