Abuse of Leadership within the Legal System

My internship experience has afforded me the opportunity of a first-hand observation of the legal system as it pertains to criminals and civil rights violations. Unfortunately, I have observed systematic issues that cause many difficulties for these cases. I see the negative connotations tied with these cases; I can understand how many individuals who enter the battle against the justice system rarely find themselves stopping future cases or arrests. Because of this, I could understand how some police officers make arrests in mere effort to avoid complicated investigations. Additionally, I can understand harsh sentencing and plead deals by judges and district attorneys who might seek to merely avoid complicated trials. I find it disheartening that many individuals often lose hope after being injured while imprisoned or face a steep sentence for their crime. I also see how cases which involve suing the NYPD or a correctional facility at a place like Rikers Island bring about inherent difficulties for criminal defense and civil rights representatives.

It seems that because there is a vast number of incidents that result in suing such organizations, they are almost belittled and are very difficult to carry out. I have followed numerous cases that involve abuse by security or police officers, as well as severe injuries that occur inside different correctional facilities due to the negligence of correction officers. Here, I observe the abuse of leadership by those in formal leadership positions, and how it often seeks little repercussions because of the victim. An aspect of working with Devon I particularly appreciated is that she ensured her clients had a voice in circumstances that they would otherwise feel alone and unheard. I realize this relates to larger issues such as the state of prisons and issues of mass incarceration. It also relates to the work of attorneys who represent such clients.

The abuse of leadership which initially causes an incident is followed by an abuse of leadership by others. This makes efforts from our office difficult. As a leadership studies major, I learn about the abuse of power and how those holding formal leadership positions sometimes feel enabled to act unethically without fear of consequence. As an attorney representing clients facing civil rights violations that relate to an abuse of leadership that led to violence, I can offer a different strategy to structure a case defending the client. For instance, when a client was beaten by correction officers ultimately employed by the police department, they are held liable for their actions as both an individual, correction officer, representative of the police department, and representative of the state. Regardless of their formal leadership position, they are responsible for their actions, and because of their formal leadership position, the violation of civil rights becomes exacerbated. As for the abuse of leadership that occurs by district attorneys and judges when it comes to handling a case, my background in leadership studies causes me to consider larger and more systematic ways when addressing the issue. As I previously mentioned, my internship experience has provided an insight into the start of addressing the issue of mass incarceration. This would involve examining criminal cases at the initial time of arrest and questioning the series of logic that led to the arrest, rather than immediately agreeing with the actions taken by officers and other perpetrators protected by their superiority in holding a formal leadership position.