Latest update April 18th, 2025 8:12 AM
Where are the many foreign Human Rights groups on this issue?
DEAR EDITOR,
I refer to Freddie Kissoon’s Sunday, October 21, 2018 article regarding the concerns of inequality in the justice system.
Firstly, justice in this day and age does seem to support those who have wealth, privilege and connections to “high-powered lawyers”.
This might seem farfetched to those who view developed countries as the beacon of equality, but similar issues occur in the ABC (America, Britain and Canada) countries, where those of European middle & upper class background are less likely to be imprisoned, compared to working class and low-income ethnic backgrounds, for the same offence.
Furthermore, it’s common knowledge that the United States has a disproportionate number of African-American and Hispanic men serving long times in prison because of misdemeanour offences such as smoking weed or not paying a traffic ticket that they can’t afford.
It can be stated that sending young teens and young people into prison for misdemeanour offences only perpetuates the cycle of poverty and crime in any country.
This is evident in how many unemployed young men in developed European countries have resorted to joining extremist Far Right groups which act violently on immigrants. Likewise, in poorer countries located in Africa and the Middle East, young people who have become disenfranchised have become easy recruits for para-military groups.
Conversely, many upper class social activist groups have petitioned their governments to abolish prison sentences for certain demographics, citing it as inhumane for the members of their social group. However, these social activist groups have remained silent when many working class single mothers have continued to face inequality in policing and the justice system.
Therefore, while we must maintain law and order, unfairly targeting marginalised groups by jailing them for long periods of time for trivial offences, while the wealthy and privileged only have to pay a fine worth pocket change, only exacerbates inequality, poverty, and eventually, crime.
However, I wonder where are the many foreign Human Rights groups to voice their agenda, when countless number of working class people and marginalised youth end up facing harsh treatment under the law for misdemeanors.
R. Hamid,
Toronto, Canada
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