This book is piece that highlights the vulnerability of the justice system. The book is based on the modern society where corruption and other ills are part and parcel of our society. In the book the author is keen to note that the justice system is filled with social ills and it becomes for anyone to get justice. According to the author the jury is body where one with power or money can influence its decisions. In the modern society it is a general opinion that courts and the justice system is controlled by the mighty and powerful. The innocent and the weak do not stand a chance in the modern justice system. The plight of the poor and innocent prosecuted by fault are numerous. Who will change this notion? Is the society capable of creating a new face of the justice system? These are the questions that revolve around activists and seekers of justice. As the road to freedom from the faulty scales of justice becomes longer and tiresome, the innocent continue to languish in pain behind bars.
Apart from the plight of the innocent the author also highlights the perception of the society towards offenders. The society has a perception and assumptions towards various groups of people. These groups of people are judged on the view of the majority. For instance, if the court finds you guilty regardless the truth behind your offense the society views you as an offender. This is accompanied by stigmatization and exclusion from the social circles. From the novel Smith efficiently put the society and the justice system on the spot over their characters towards people in society.
The story of the book revolves around Kris Maharaj a man accused of the murder of his ex-business partner. Prior to his sentencing a witness had claimed that he saw the accused pull out his gun and shot the man. The accusations were false according to Kris but the courts would hear none of it. The trial was quick and within no time Kris was sentenced for murder with death penalty. It is from these tribulations that the justice thriller began. With Kris knowing that he was innocent, he tried as much as possible to get appeals for his sentence to no avail (Smith, 2012). After the jury granted him a chance to appeal the charges the results were the same. He did not give up on his efforts to get the charges withdrawn. After numerous attempts he ran out of cash and he was unable to fund his appeals. His bankruptcy complicated the matter even further since he knew he would spend his entire life in jail for a crime he did not commit. At this point it became pointless for anyone to have faith in his innocence. Every person in the society suddenly changed their perception towards him. He was almost viewed as the enemy of the people. People became more than convinced that he indeed killed his ex-business partner. The only person that believed in his innocence was his wife (Smith, 2012). His wife went to prison to visit him in all the years he was in prison; although it reached a point where his wife almost gave up in their quest for justice. At this point his wife was almost convinced that he indeed committed murder. However, the bond the two shared could not be broken by assumptions and the perception of the society. The relationship between the two was tight enough to ensure that they are not separated because of their tribulations.
As years passed, there was a limelight in his quest for justice. A crusader lawyer, Clive, is determined to free him (Smith, 2012). The lawyer did not ask for cash as he embarked in the route towards justice. To his surprise, Smith did not know whether or not to trust Clive since he was fed up with the injustice in the court system additionally, he was also convinced that the court would not withdraw the charges they set against him. His stubborn nature became the only block that stood between him and a shot towards justice. After a process on convincing from his wife and Clive he agreed to the request.
Clive requested for the files that were used in the case against Kris. The files were numerous and very indulging as it took the lawyer a long time to analyze the files before getting in track with the case. However, with the significance of the case in the community it became easier for him to gather evidence and information from people (Smith, 2012). This time was appropriate since everyone had concluded that Smith was guilty. The information Clive got from the community was very helpful to him as he was able to gather a significant amount of evidence in short period of time.
In the last chapter of the book, the reader is exposed to the reopening of a long gone case. The evidence provided to the jury is extensive and very indulging. This made the case take another significant amount of time as the jury deliberated through the sentence in regards to the fresh evidence provided. However, one could argue that the jury already knew what judgment to pass to Smith all they needed was well acted court formality that would ensure that the audience at the hearing would not detect anything faulty. The execution of the formality was superb during the hearing. The jury again found Smith guilty for the murder of his ex-business partner (Smith, 2012). After the hearing Smith knew that the case over and all left to do is to him to serve his sentence. Everyone else believed that Smith was guilty apart from his wife and Clive who now knew the truth behind the conviction of Smith.
The author of the book had an objective of highlighting the injustices people face under the court system. From the book the reader is exposed to a world where the influence of power of might is stronger than the truth. Relating the book to the real society, it is very real. The injustice Smith is undergoing is the same evil innocent people are undergoing in the real. The author of the book had an activist objective in his mind when writing this piece. The author highlighted the need for people to fight for justice in society. In the book it is also evident that the views of the majority are based on the truth on paper rather than the truth in reality. The society could easily be termed as the agents of injustice in society. Generally, the aim of the author was to highlight how corrupted the justice system is: how easy it is for a person to influence the decision of the jury. From the book one could also argue that the fight a person puts up towards achievement of justice is very important in their quest. Regardless of the court injustices one should not shy off from championing for their rights and justice.
Reference
Smith, C. (2012). "The Injustice System: A Murder In Miami and a Trial Gone Wrong". New York: Penguin Group
