WHO JUDG ES THE JUDGE? When Tyson contacted me on Instagram asking me to write for Urban Life News magazine, I was flattered. Until he told me the topic: “What is a Grand Jury?” I thanked him but declined (politely of course) because as a Canadian criminal lawyer, I could not write about a process we don’t use. Tyson then asked if there was a universal issue that motivates me. I offered to write about how the system is designed to keep people stuck because it is not a “justice” system but an economic system rooted in slavery and forced labour. We quickly scheduled a telephone call to discuss our Common Vision: spreading knowledge and fostering discussion about Social Justice. Tyson wanted to use Hip Hop culture as a vehicle for the message. I was on board immediately; excited for the opportunity.
I was introduced to hip hop when I was 10 years old playing basketball after school. Someone nearby had a small stereo blasting NWA’s Straight Outta Compton. I could feel the underlying tension and frustration laid out over the gritty beat and I loved it. I asked for a copy of the cassette tape (this was 1989 after all) and the next day I got that and Eazy-Duz-it to check out. I did not realize it at the time, but these were my introductions to the injustice of racism and poverty in America. Public Enemy and Ice T furthered my education, through music I loved hearing and a message I found intriguing. Two years later, John Singleton’s Boyz N Tha Hood let me see the lives I was hearing about. Hol-
lywood prepared me well for my teenage years, when I moved to downtown Toronto and experienced these lessons first hand. Hip hop culture, through music, movies, and magazines like this, is a vehicle of expression for those suffering through social injustice but also a means of educating people who may otherwise be ignorant. When I fell in love with hip hop, social injustice was a foreign concept. When I experienced it first hand, I understood it because I was affair of the struggle. Fast forward twenty a few decades and I get to use my position as a criminal defence lawyer to help those caught up and educate those who don’t understand what may be the biggest social injustice plaguing North America today: the Prison System.
Mass incarceration and recidivism (repeat offenders) are a product of a system that is designed to feed an economy, not seek justice, and it is working to the detriment of millions of people throughout North America. The system is designed and maintained by those who benefit from it: politicians, police, judges, prosecutors, lawyers, probation and parole officers. These people need people to enter and remain in the “justice” system. The economy of the system depends on people being there. That is why we have such harsh conditions for bail and parole, topics I will explore in future issues. The conditions are nearly impossible for any functioning human to follow, almost guaranteeing failure that results in re-incarceration and each instance of reincarceration only
helps justify the initial lockup. Its a trap for all but the most wealthy and most privileged in society. This problem is far more pronounced in America than Canada, where our prisons are government funded and not private profit-machines. I look forward to a more detailed comparison in a future issue. Real change can only happen when the reality is exposed from both inside and out. I know that my career, my title, my degrees add legitimacy to this debate for some people. Unfortunately. People are so caught up today judging others by one action, one title, one photo, one decision, that they stop looking at the big picture, stop listening to the whole story, stop considering the rest of one’s life in their assessment of worth. One conviction should not dictate an entire life nomore than one diploma. I want to use my position in the hierarchy to expose the truth and I hope my contribution to Urban Life News Magazine helps move more people to express their outrage at a system designed to keep people stuck.
Jordana H. Goldlist • JHGcriminallaw.com Contributing Writer • Lawyer
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