A Netflix original documentary, "Making a Murderer," draws our nation's attention to fatal flaws in the United States criminal justice system since it first aired in 2015. More specifically, is it the police corruption, the failure to bring justice to Steven Avery, or manipulation of the court system that is the problem? I would argue all three — this deep rooted problem stems from much more than a trending documentary on Netflix. This film targets a biased criminal justice system that affects marginalized people all over the country.
As much as I like to hope that Steven Avery's story is original, the truth is, it's not. Not only can our criminal justice system be warped, corrupted and manipulated, but sadly, many people similar to Steven Avery are affected and reap the consequences because of this corruption.
Ex-offenders and ex-convicts being released from prison or jail have a hard time finding housing or jobs after being released, and a number of them find themselves back in jail within a few weeks or months after being out. Incarceration is an issue nationally, and according to the The Department of Justice as of 2012, "there were still over 2 million people incarcerated in prisons and jails across the country." Where is the federal government involved in all of this injustice you may ask? What about re-entry programs into their respective communities, grants and scholarship aid for education or housing help? However, "only a handful of grant programs in the federal government are designed explicitly for offender reentry purposes." We lock up people for X amount of years and expect them to come out of confinement and adapt normally to the social changes that have occurred while they were imprisoned? That task is proven unmanageable without the desperately needed programs and assistance from the federal government.
The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics has estimated that nearly "three-quarters of all released prisoners will be rearrested within five years of their release and about 6 in 10 will be reconnected." This striking statistic means that change needs to occur in our criminal justice system, because the few programs, grants and aid that are in place now are not enough resources for the large number of people incarcerated each year.
Through research and studies, The Department of Justice found that "reentry initiatives that combine work training and placement with counseling and housing assistance can reduce recidivism rates." So what are we waiting for? Why is fixing this issue of scarce resources and aid for ex-convicts not a top priority for the federal government? Well, money is a main reason, but with increasing numbers as shown above, I think this social change is demanded.
According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, "after the wide deinstitutionalization of state hospitals, jails and prisons have seen an increase in the number and percentage of individuals with mental health and substance use conditions who come through their doors." This statistic has nearly tripled in the past three decades, with more and more mental institutions being defunded, prisons and jails have increased inmates with mental health disorders. Deinstitutionalizing these mental facilities for those who desperately need the programs and treatment centers has been "one of the most well-meaning but poorly planned social changes ever carried out in the United States."
Is there any perfect answer for how we can change our criminal justice system? Probably not. Changes that are made for one group of people still means that a different group of people are left in the margins or in the center. The truth is that there is no perfect answer to create a fair system for everyone, but that should not stop our government from trying to create equal conditions and actively work to fix the inequality that exists, and separate crime from mental health disorders.
I don't think there will ever be a perfect answer for this issue, but failing to address this corruption, manipulation and lack of help, resources, and aid that people face will further be detrimental to the United States as a whole.
