Dear Future President of the United States of America,

As I’m sure you are aware, America is facing many issues, some more serious than others. I hope that in your presidency, you work to make changes regarding the justice system of our nation. Many judges these days are giving harsher or more lenient sentences based on the race, gender, sexuality, religion, or social class of the offender. America needs equality in the application of sentencing. There is no reason that one person should commit the same crime as another and receive a lesser or harsher sentence based on a factor not relevant to the crime itself. To clarify, a person being charged with one DUI should not receive the same punishment as someone who is being charged with his or her third DUI. However, if two people are being charged with their third DUI, both parties should receive the same sentence, regardless of their personal qualities.

An example of the corrupted justice system is the sentencing of Brock Turner. Turner was convicted of three felony counts of sexual assault. Prior to his conviction, Turner was a student and star swimmer at Stanford University. On these charges, Turner faced up to ten years behind bars. Prosecutors argued for six years, but he was sentenced to just six months of jail, 3 years of probation, and had to register as a sex offender. Of those six months, Turner only served three after being released for good behavior. Judge Persky claims the reasoning behind this light sentence is Turner’s clean criminal record and anything harsher would leave “severe impact” on him. Soon after, a petition on Change.com was launched to recall Judge Persky due to his quite lenient sentence on Turner. The page states, “Judge Persky failed to see that the fact that Brock Turner is a white male star athlete at a prestigious university does not entitle him to leniency. He also failed to send the message that sexual assault is against the law regardless of social class, race, gender or other factors.”

This message should apply to all crimes and yet, sometimes it still doesn’t. America should not have judges like Judge Persky deciding the fate of hundreds of people. It is people like him who give citizens good reason to doubt the justice system. This is a problem that needs to be fixed. America needs equality in within its justice systems. It is my hope that you will take action to find a solution and send a message against discrimination.

Sincerely,

Jessica Jewett