Dear Friend,
I made a mistake that I believe is common to those who are new to the justice system; that mistake is to think that you will get justice in the legal system. Very few get justice when dealing with the legal system, especially when you don’t have a lot of money. I have a saying: “The only thing Just about the Justice System is to Just stay out of it.”
Recently, I saw a news report that showed during a specified period of time 80 cops were indicted for crimes against individuals. Of these 80 cops, 5 were convicted of a crime. On appeal, 4 of these 5 convictions were overturned. Meaning that only 1 of the 80 cops was convicted of a crime. Some of these cases had video evidence and yet the video evidence wasn’t enough to convict the cop.
Soldiers many times are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), because of the stress and mental anguish their profession has on them. Like soldiers, I believe those that have had major dealing with the legal system may suffer from (PTCD)- Post Traumatic Court Disorder; or for those in prison, (PTPD)- Post Traumatic Prison Disorder. Many have heard the story of Kalief Browder, an innocent New York teen who spent years in jail without a trial and who committed suicide after his release, because of the physiological trauma he faced during incarceration. He, like many that have gone through the legal and prison systems, needed some serious counseling.
As parents and loved ones of the incarcerated, please seek help if you are dealing with grief from the way you or your loved one are or were being treated in the court or prison systems. Revelation 21:1 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” We live in an unjust world and there will never truly be Life, Liberty and Justice for all until God’s kingdom come.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Frank M. Bafford Sr.