Legal representation and social class

Legal representation and social class

Master’s

1 page

Discipline:     – Social Issues

Type of service:      Coursework

Spacing:        Double spacing

Paper format:         Not applicable

Number of sources:           3 sources

Legal Representation and Social Class

 

Listen to this

http://www.kpbs.org/audioclips/13308/

in 275 words (roughly), Answer the 6 questions thoroughly using at least 1 additional scholarly resource

  1. What role does geographic location play a role in the quality of representation provided by the public defender?
  2. How does the overburdened public defense system contribute to issues of wrongful conviction?
  3. Contrast the legal representation described by Bright to the level of representation available to white-collar, corporate, and environmental crimes.
  4. Considering the “war on drugs,” discuss what role the “war on drugs” might play in contributing to an overburdened public defense system?
  5. What relationship exists between race, the war on drugs, and the overburdened public defender system?
  6. How can we solve the problems of an overburdened public defense system and racial discrimination in the criminal justice system?

 

References

Collica, K. & Furst, G. (2012). Crime & society 

Chapter 3: Social Class and Crime

Chapter 4: Crime, Race, and Ethnicity

Cavanaugh, M. & Lane, P. (2012, January 16). The quality of a legal defense: Does it matter if you’re rich or poor?. [Audio clip]. On KPBS Midday Edition. Retrieved from http://www.kpbs.org/audioclips/13308/

 

Additionally, “questions like the ways in which the quality of legal representation is also weakened in some locations due to economic forces, for example regions where the economies are not doing well, with less revenue and thus less money for public services, with higher crime rates, with more people in poverty and thus more who need legal defense but can’t afford to pay for it (so the public defender is the only alternative option).

Regarding wrongful conviction, there are programs that take on cases which they believe to have ended in a wrongful conviction.  Of concern for many working on wrongful conviction, issues are wrongful convictions that are accompanied by a sentence of life in prison or the death penalty.  But, this takes dedicated organizing and people who are passionate about this issue.

The “war on drugs” has cost the U.S. too much money with little positive to show in return.  It has focused mainly on curbing supplies coming into the U.S. from outside our borders, most notably from Mexico and more recently Central and South American countries.  The reality is that the U.S. is one of the biggest demand countries, and if there is high demand for a product or service, there will continue to be a supply.

Drug policy and immigration policy impact each other, with the result that efforts to carry out the war on drugs have led to more intense scrutiny and investigation of immigrants (or people thought to be here illegally) for any sign of criminal activity, including drug involvement. “