The judicial system is at one of its lowest points. I had encountered problems with the judicial system which led me to lose my faith in it. Punishments are not fitting crimes and officers breaking laws are only a couple problems. It saddens me at what the judicial system actually is once I opened my eyes. The very people I used to look up to in society are now the ones doing the wrong. We are expected to look to these figures to help, protect, and serve justice in times of need, yet they are failing us.

I was going to the local grocery store to pick up some lunch. During my expedition I was driving down a road called Eagles Landing Parkway. There was a motorcycle cop parked in the opposite lane's turn lane engaged in a speed trap. I was clocked going 78 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone, that's 33 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Now, there are some things I need to set straight. First, I will be the first person to admit I was breaking the law. Also, everyone who travels that road, including the police who set up speed traps there, knows it should have a speed limit of 55 miles per hour. Continuing, the officer gave me my ticket, and I had my court date July 31, 2013. I brought with me to the court my certificates of achievements, such as my multiple national JROTC championships, Governor's Honors Program state level plague, All-state orchestra awards, and my transcript with a 3.68 GPA. I brought these awards in to show I'm not a bad kid, I just made a mistake. When reviewing the awards the judge, Judge Bartle, said," I should actually treat you harsher since you're a smart kid." I'm not sure if he was serious or not, but my sentence was a $500 dollar fine, ordered to take two driving classes, 24 hours of community service, license suspension of one year, one month of house arrest, and a year of probation. For those who are unfamiliar with the circumstances of house arrest and probation, house arrest you can only go to school and places with your parents, that includes weekends. Probation is similar, but a curfew is in place which is 8 o'clock Sunday through Thursday and 9 o'clock Friday and Saturday; this is also in effect during school breaks and summer. I am susceptible to random drug testing and my house, person, and car can be searched for anything while on probation. The fourth amendment states no unreasonable searches without probable cause; I don't feel like speeding is a probable cause for drug and weapon searches. No weapons whatsoever are allowed to be in your possession. This last requirement is especially a pain because I am an avid fisher, and what I consider a tool, a knife, is a weapon, so I have to carry scissors instead. Also, you are not allowed to miss school unless you have a doctor's note. To further clarify about the probation, I am not allowed to sleep at any of my friend's houses for a year.

At the time of my ticket, I was 16 years old. If I was a couple months older, I would have only received a fine. Those couple months difference decided how I will live the next year of my life. This whole situation was for speeding; another crime committed in my area is bringing alcohol to school while intoxicated. The person who committed this crime got 3 months probation and kicked out of school. That is only a quarter of my probation term and no house arrest was ordered. Another instance, a person brought a 500 mg ADHD pill to school with intent to sell. This person got 6 months of probation. Once again, no house arrest was ordered and only half of my sentence. Did my punishment fit the crime? Is speeding, something everyone has done at one point, worse than selling someone drugs, potentially ruining their lives, or is coming to school intoxicated more acceptable than speeding?

This injustice had been done to me, but I couldn't say anything in court. My first amendments guarantees me the freedom of speech. I would not be presenting a clear and present danger, but if I were to tell the judge I felt this was unfair, he could tack on 2 years in juvenile detention. Don't misunderstand me though, I have a right to say something, but I would have to bear the consequences. This is the difference between the right to say something and the freedom to say something.

Our constitution was built upon equality, but what is equality? Is it sitting in the waiting room of court with your fingers crossed hoping you get the "nice" judge? Or is it the fact that having a shiny badge makes you invincible to the laws of the road? We have all seen it before: the cop going over the posted speed limit, but do they ever get a ticket? One time a student in my class told me a story about how his dad was pulled over in his civilian vehicle for speeding, but got off the hook all because he showed him his badge. The student said it was ok since they had "training at high speeds." Does this make it acceptable for police to break laws, the same laws they took an oath to enforce? These officers have the ability to issue a ticket that can make a year of someone's life horrible. These officers who are speeding are doing the same thing I was doing when I was pulled over, but they don't have to serve a year of probation. They don't have to be at home at 8 o'clock or risk being arrested. They don't have to have their privacy violated with unreasonable drug tests and weapon searches. They can enjoy going to a friend's house after the street lights turn on.

It is with this that I present my position on the fallacies of the judicial system. The whole situation has led me to see everything with a different point of view. Although there is nothing I can do but serve my sentence, I write this as a warning.