The Democracy Challenge’s
The Democracy Challenge’s
The Democracy Challenge’s Videos indicate that different people have varying views and understanding of democracy. One of the competition winners described democracy using colors and stated that democracy is black, which indicate the power of a nation. Another participant describes democracy as the right to life. This participant was war child, whose mother was killed as he was taken to fight alongside the rebel group. Other participants describe democracy as a struggle for freedom while others associate democracy with equality and freedom to express one self. Other descriptions of democracy include democracy is; fair play; right to live long and fearless; like smoothies and a path. It is clear from the videos that different people have different views about democracy. These views are mainly influenced by the context in which the participants live in.
The views expressed in the Democracy Challenge’s videos are echoed in the US justice system. The legal system is an important part of democracy. The US legal system plays an important role in enhancing democracy by ensuring that the society is protected from criminal (Carrington, 2002). According to the US legal system, criminal activities such as murder and theft usually undermine other people’s rights and liberty. Thus, the legal system has the responsibility of protecting people rights and liberty by ensuring that perpetrators of criminal activities are held answerable to their actions. A society that does not hold the wrong doers accountable destroys the trust that individuals have on governance system and, therefore, undermines democracy. At the time, the legal system has the responsibility of ensuring that an individual is protected from wrongfully punishment (Carrington, 2002). The legal system protects democracy by ensuring that the right individuals of accused of committing a crime are upheld by subjecting them to a free and fair trial. The justice system ensures that innocent individuals are not wrongfully convicted on basis such as; of race, ethnicity or political affiliation. The US legal system gives individuals who feel that they have not received proper trials the right to appeal. Simply, the US legal system associates democracy with justice.
Democracy cannot exist without an efficient and effective legal system. In order to create an efficient legal system, there must be presence of institutions that will check the activities and conduct of the legal system (Carrington, 2002). If left unchecked, the legal system can be prone to abuse by people in power. Powerful individuals can take advantage of lack of transparency in the system and turn the legal system into an organ for serving their own purpose. Sometimes the legal system is comprised of technical terms and procedures that make it difficult for an average citizen to follow. One of the institutions that can be effective in holding the US legal system accountable for its actions is the media.
The primary responsibility of journalist, mass media and other communication organs is to keep the citizens informed (Dowler, 2003). While the media is responsible for providing citizens with all kind of information, it is important to keep the citizens informed of what happens in the legal system. In the few decades, the field of communication has experienced rapid growth dues to advancement in information technology. The introduction of the internet, social networks and superior broadcasting technologies has made it easier for media houses to convey information. However, studies reveal that most American systems are not well informed about the political events with the country. A good numbers of the US citizens do not have a comprehensible knowledge of how the legal system works (Dowler, 2003). This makes the system prone to abuse. This implies that, in order to enhance democracy the media has the responsibility of enlightening Americans about issues in the legal system.
References
Carrington P. (2003). “The Civil Jury and American Democracy”. Duke Journal of Comparative Law. 13: 79- 84
Dowler K (2003). “Media Consumption and Public Attitude toward Crime and Justice”. Criminal Justice and Popular Culture Journal. 10 (2): 109- 126
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