I have to admit, I turned on CNN as soon as I received the newsflash on my phone.
The jury in the Casey Anthony trial was coming in with a verdict!
Moments later, millions of us watched as Ms. Anthony was found not guilty of all of the felony charges against her. The four misdemeanors are largely insignificant at this point. With time already served, she will probably be free on probation immediately after her sentencing hearing.
Now I’m not writing to give my opinion on whether or not the jury was right. I honestly don’t know. In fact, I have an aversion to following cases that the media hypes to a frenzy and don’t know enough about the case to form an opinion.
What I am wanting to highlight is the feeling we all get when we watch justice in action.
If you believed Casey Anthony was innocent in the murder of her two year old daughter, Caylee, then you’re feeling pretty good about justice today. However, if you’re one of the hundreds or thousands who have shared their opinion that Ms. Anthony is guilty, you may be thinking that this is a case of injustice. You point to a flawed system, a bad judge, biased jurors, a brilliant defense, or an inept prosecution team.
Justice prevailed in that court room in Orlando. Justice is a system that requires clear winners and losers. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the verdict, justice was done. Unless you were one of the jurors, your opinion doesn’t count.
The judge and the lawyers watched the system closely and followed very technical rules so that justice would be done. Jurors were watched closely and their lives were controlled and disrupted for weeks so that justice would be done. The laws that govern criminal trials were carefully crafted so that justice would be done.
My point is this:
A society that relies only on a system of justice to make things right
is rarely satisfied.
A justice system is a necessary element for order in our lives. The tools of justice must be employed to guarantee our personal rights and for our personal protection.
But justice isn’t enough.
We must model and teach personal responsibility. We must build a desire in our hearts to love others and do right things. We must not lose sight of our hope that this world can be a better place.
There has to be more than justice for those moments when we believe that justice has failed. For while justice is a great tool, it cannot ultimately satisfy all of our needs.
What fills the gap?
In the coming weeks, I’ll be writing more on this topic.
It is nice hear a wise voice on this topic. Thank you so much for this post. I look forward to the coming weeks.
Thanks for the kind words, Caryn! And thanks for reading!
Justice is a construct that is constructed and can change. What is justice today or in one case, may not be justice in another. Furthermore, justice “facts” can be built to suit different scenarios. I wonder about Mercy?
That’s a great question, Michelle. My thought is that the underlying elements of mercy remain constant. In other words, mercy has an eternal consistency. However, the stream that carries mercy must be continually rediscovered. Would love to hear other thoughts.
I appreciated reading your thoughts on justice. I think when it comes to the death of a child, the idea of justice isn’t big enough. There is no justice to be found, even when the guilty party is convicted, it can feel as if justice can never be done.
Pamela, so true! There must be more than justice.
Finally a voice of sanity. Thanks for putting it out so clearly. If she is innocent then the right thing has been done. If she is guilty, she has to live with what she did and she knows that God knows what she did. There will be consequences.