Ch. 43 Establishing Justice
"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." -Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice, in its truest form, means ensuring equal treatment under law for all people, regardless of their differences. Yet in practice, this ideal often falls short, particularly when wealth enters the equation. Consider Michael Steinhardt, a hedge-fund billionaire found with approximately $70 million in illegally obtained art and antiquities. His punishment? The items were returned, and he was barred from collecting art. No charges were filed. Then there's Kalief Browder, a sixteen-year-old accused of stealing a backpack. Despite never being convicted or pleading guilty, he spent nearly three years in jail, 800 days in solitary confinement. Prolonged isolation like solitary confinement causes severe mental and physical damage. Beyond ...