I'm a Judge and I Think Criminal Court Is Horrifying
Several years ago, I was arrested on a hacking charge and got to see first hand the appalling nature of our legal system in criminal courts.<p>Normally, after your arrest, you have to have a hearing within 24-48 hours, but if they arrest you on a Friday as they did me, they are allowed to detain you for an extra day because it&#x27;s the weekend. I&#x27;m sure this is a tactic used often to frighten and goad people. My hearing was exactly as the judge in this article describes. There were lots of minor, non violent offenders in the court room with me, most minorities, and many couldn&#x27;t speak English well at all. The judge would openly mock them and condescend. One man obviously had no idea what he was even pleading to because his English was so poor.<p>Once I got to higher court for my actual sentencing, it was no different. The judge didn&#x27;t even read my case and the clerk forgot to have it presented and available for the judge to review. My lawyer had to give him her own copy which he briefly skimmed without adjournment. I later discovered that the prosecuting attorney was good friends with the plaintiff and the investigating FBI officer assigned to my case.<p>The courts in America are a joke, the legal system is in bad need of an overhaul. I couldn&#x27;t believe the level of incompetence, racism, bias and prejudice existed there.