The Criminal Justice System in the United States -- a Broken Machine

After more than a decade of involvement in the criminal courts of the U.S. I am convinced of one thing: Our criminal justice system is a broken machine.

Oh sure, the engine fires, the crankshaft turns and the wheels roll. None of that means the machine works the way it should, though. It sputters, backfires and belches thick clouds of oily smoke. Fluids leak from cracked hoses and worn seals, and I wonder if the brakes even engage.

I'm a public defender. I represent poor people who have been thrust into the works; people molded, shaped and, all to often, crushed by the machine. I'm part of the machine; a cog in the broken engine. I leave a mark on all I represent.

This is my space to chronicle the leaks, the bare wires and the grinding gears that are the criminal justice system. It's a spot to put in words my feelings about indigent defense, the perception of the public defender and the myth that is "innocent until proven guilty."

I am a natural skeptic. Cynicism has poisoned my every cell, and the glass tends to be half empty. In other words, my view of the system is biased. I don't pretend to be objective, and my posts will reflect that. And although the glasses through which I see the system might be smudged and scratched, they don't take my view entirely out of focus.

I hope you enjoy.