Marc A. Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch: similarities in PA. About criminal justice

Polarized politics has led many Pennsylvanians to dark places, could a common vision of justice shed the way to unity for everyone? A beacon of hope is a new declaration of principles that is approved by many of the most respected conservative and liberal groups in the country. It contains our joint efforts according to a criminal judicial system that meets the most valued values ​​that are shared by pennylvanians and all Americans.

This initiative was a shot in the dark. After all, only a few people could have predicted that organizations that are as ideologically different as the conservative conference for political actions and the American legislative exchange council on the right and the American Civil Liberties Union and the Board of Directors for Civil and Human Rights can agree to more than the time of day.

But they did it. Although a series of discussions made easier for the Council for Criminal Justice and Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and sponsored by just trust, a consensus about the values ​​that should not only lead the punitive justice policy as guidelines for the legislative meeting in Harrisburg were sponsored in the chapters in the whole nation and in all government levels.

So what principles have this unlikely consortium unite by groups and what are the effects? The explanation describes and defines four basic values ​​that Americans should agree to all stripes to burden our judicial system: security, fairness, dignity and accountability.

For example, the explanation insists that individuals have to be held accountable for their actions, even if they recognize the role of the family, school and community of a person in influencing the lifestyle of a life. In addition, the principles claim that society and our judicial system must be held responsible for the promotion of real opportunities for salvation and reintegration.

The document also recognizes that fairness contains two elements that are often connected to the right and the other. On the individual level, it must be ensured that in any case there is a proper procedure and a proportional sanction. At the social level, this means a system that achieves results that do not depend on who someone knows, the color of their skin, their political views or whether they can afford a good lawyer. The imperative to ensure security and justice for all Americans begins long before submitting criminal proceedings and obliges us to ensure that each municipality has the resources of law enforcement, education and social services that are required to thrive.

Ultimately, the story demonstrates the intolerability of a common commitment to the values ​​that our judicial system should lead. An agreement on these goals and the trust that the system will work towards all of them is of crucial importance for promoting public trust in the system, without which the rule of law cannot work.

Whether right or left, we know that either vigilance or authoritarianism can increase when the rule of law collapses. By complying with the values ​​of the explanation, the judicial system can help us avoid this fate by earning the trust of all Americans. The judicial system in Pennsylvania and in the whole nation can achieve this by better deciding on the values ​​of the explanations for security, fairness, dignity and accountability.