Leila Ettachfini
"A judge reversed Gregory Fields' six-month sentence on Monday, but his lawyer says similarly disproportionate sentences are nothing unusual."
Vice, December 9, 2019
The criminal justice system in America has long been a topic of debate, with the civil rights era only pushing it further into the spotlight. Leila Ettachfini takes a look at a more peculiar case from earlier this year, one that involved a man of color and his unjust sentence. While most critics of the racial inequities of the justice system might look towards police brutality or other, clearer examples of a violent or oppressive nature, Ettachfini instead uses a case that involves rather trivial circumstances but a profound message. The aforementioned defendant, a man of color undergoing rehabilitation, was charged with a crime so petty that it is questionable whether or not it should have gone to the courts in the first place. However, the verdict came out to be a prison sentence of six months, which he and his lawyer declared ridiculous, disproportionate, and unjust. While the author fails to give much more context than this, she notes that the judge overturned the ruling, which would suggest that the fault more likely lies with the courts in this situation. Ettachfini primarily highlights the defendant's grievances and his struggle to resist his prosecution, adding to the empathetic strength of her argument. By looking instead to a nonviolent criminal case involving a minority, the author attempts to expose the injustices of the system by revealing a case that points to the universal oppression of certain groups in the American justice system, as the evidence presented suggests that minorities are disadvantaged even in petty cases. However, the lack of specific context and the absence of an acknowledgment of alternative stances or perspectives constitute this piece's primary flaws, as the author fails to consider any speculations regarding a similar case involving different racial groups.
This is certainly one of the more interesting cases I've seen in a long time. I've read about seemingly ridiculous verdicts before, but they had never been as drastic as this. However, I would like to point out that the reader is not given much information regarding the actual events that took place that led to these accusations, and there is little evidence to suggest that race played any significant part in the verdict. Regardless, though, this was a thoroughly entertaining to read.
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