What are the main challenges of achieving justice in American society today?
In the US, the main means of realizing justice is through the dependence of the court system to come up with choices that are practical for the people. This implies that Americans seeking justice have to rely heavily on these institutions to implement the law and see that justice is done in a wide range of cases and disputes (Jefferson, 2010). Despite the best efforts of those who administer justice, several challenges of achieving justice in American society still exist to date.
Many variables, including politics, have been the major challenges since they influence judicial decision-making. Even though judicial prognostication is dangerous, the weight of politics in the judicial decision is common. More often, when adjudicators leave the bench they are swapped by the politically driven executive branch through appointment or election. This undermines the quality of decisions dispensed by our courts.
Another major challenge of achieving justice in American society is the increased diversity in terms of the volume of cases and the issues to be solved. Currently, changes in the demographics of the population have resulted in lifestyle changes. Because of this, patterns and responsibilities in society have forced the courts to play an increasing role in arbitrating disputes. Equally, rising issues about crime, overcrowded prison systems, frustration with court delay, and overcrowded court dockets contribute to the challenges of achieving justice in American society today. These issues have compromised the course of achieving justice in that they have resurfaced at a time when the judicial systems are facing harsh financial restraints.
How does the American republican government allow the country to address those challenges better than either the Platonic and/or Aristotelian forms of government would?
The American republican government will address the above challenges using different approaches compared to the Platonic and the Aristotelian forms of governments. Given the fact that the challenges of achieving justice in these governments are unique to each government, different solutions would be needed. Based on the above, it is worth noting that there are plans to address these challenges. The American republican government plans to reduce the impact of variables that influence judicial decision-making. For instance, criteria for court decisions must always be explained to the public. By doing so, the reasoning behind each decision is scrutinized. Through such measures, it would be easy for the public to identify political-minded decisions. To solve the increase in the backlog of cases, the government plans to adopt modern techniques that will enable them to monitor cases’ progress and automate tools to aid in document processing.
The above plans to reduce the challenges are better than the plans Plato would have instituted. Based on the article The Republic, Plato would advise the people to be contented with the current judicial system because he thought that a just civilization was one that individuals believed in a specific position and never dared to resist (Plato, 2002). Equally, Aristotelian governments’ plans to solve the above challenges to achieving justice in American society today would be less compared to the republican government’s plans. Aristotle believed that the elite should have different rights compared to the rest of the members in the society (Aristotle, 2002). It is obvious that in the current society Aristotle’s theory will attract heated debates.
References
Aristotle. (2002). Politics of Aristotle. libertyfund.org. Web.
Jefferson, T. (2010). Declaration of Independence. nationalhumanitiescenter.org. Web.
Plato. (2002). The Republic. aprendendoingles.com. Web.