Justice

Justice.

“The administering of a deserved punishment or conduct.” 

How can one word mean so much, yet so little? 

I began pondering the meaning of this word after I received an upset phone call from my mother today.  She was telling me of how my friend Ashley, who is 15 right now, has to have court extended yet again.  When Ashley was 14, she met this guy who was 26 and dated him.  Jimmy didn’t care that she was 14, and that it was wrong and continued on his merry little way and did things with her.  She was naïve and believed he was actually in love with her, because that’s what he said.  Obviously, without going into a ridiculously detailed synopsis, it’s obvious that Jimmy is guilty.  Yet why does the Justice system continue to prolong the trial?  At first, he was sticking with the statement that he truly believed he was not guilty and that he was in love with her.  Several months pass, he changes his mind and pleads guilty and admits to doing everything in detail that they did.  Now, after all of the evidence they have, plus the fact that he admitted to being guilty… the justice system would automatically declare him guilty and let the child move on with her life?  WRONG!  Not only did they not declare him guilty then and there, but they allowed him to change his mind once again and say he is innocent.  The fact that the defendant is protected over the victim, especially since it’s considered a statutory rape case is absolutely beyond belief to me.  So now Ashley, her entire family, and my family (we’re close) has to wait till at least January for the next hearing.