Join my Journey to Justice

I was only half way through my first year of law school when I was asked one of the toughest interview questions ever: “What is justice?” And while I knew the general meaning of justice, I knew that wasn’t what the interviewer was looking for. He wanted to know what it meant to me; why I was driven to do public interest work; and what motivations I had to sustain myself in a field where often the traditional meaning of justice is not served. And even thinking about it now as I write this, I realize I am still learning what justice means to me every day.

Justice is about more than what people are due. Yes, we are due our constitutional freedoms—the right to vote; the presumption of innocence; the right to due process; the right against cruel and unusual punishment; the right to raise a family or choose not to—the list goes on. But justice is about more than that. Justice is also about what is fair. Unfortunately, the criminal justice system today is far from fair. Not only does it target poor minority communities, but it separates families and creates a cycle of poverty. That is not justice.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t disbelieve in punishment. But I do believe in rehabilitation and I don’t think we are inherently born evil. At the core of violence, suffering, and pain is a brokenness that longs for compassion. Often, in order to get to compassion there must first be understanding. You don’t have to walk in someone else’s shoes to have compassion…you simply need to be able to see that person as a whole human being—as the complex individual that they are. As Bryan Stevenson wrote in his book Just Mercy, “we are all more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.”

That is why I am starting this blog. It is my goal to facilitate understanding about the criminal and social justice world. My hope is that we can learn together and eventually find compassion in our hearts for all, despite our differences. While I am new to this world myself, still have a lot to learn, and know that I’m not always right, I at least hope to ignite intelligent debate on important issues and to shed light onto an issue that may be uncomfortable for some. I encourage differing opinions, suggestions, and commentary throughout this process. So I hope you will join me on my journey to justice by subscribing, commenting, and emailing me at JourneytoJusticeBlog@gmail.com with topic suggestions, personal stories, and/or articles. I look forward to learning together and building a community of compassionate people for criminal and social justice reform.