Injustice In Socrates 'Bail Trap'

In Plato’s Republic, Book II, through one of Socrates’ listeners, Glaucon, we discover through reason the meaning of being just. Being just is a temporary act that one puts on such as a social mask, no one can purely be just but if one thinks that they are then that implies that they are exceedingly unjust.In today’s government, during this past election, we elected a government official knowing that they are unjust because it was simply a lesser of two evils. This is comparable to Glaucon’s definition that justice is a compromise between what is injustice with oneself and to others. With the idea of injustices present in different branches of todays government, you are able to see the corruption that falls within.

Glaucon begins his discourse

This case and article is a firm example of reprehensible injustice in our judicial system. Tomlin was being convicted for drug paraphernalia because he was found with a straw in his hand that he was planning to use to drink out of his soda can. However, that was not want the officer believed and he had no interest in hearing out Mr. Tomlin, the officer assumed that his straw was used for heroine residue. He was taken to Rikers Island where he stayed for three weeks awaiting his trial because he could not afford his bail. “In New York City, where courts use bail far less than in many jurisdictions, roughly 45,000 people are jailed each year simply because they can’t pay their court-assigned bail. This shows a sign of injustice. The Eight Amendment of the United States states that, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” Who is to say what is excessive? People living in poverty could say that $100 is an excessive amount while an elite could afford bail set at $200,000. Pinto states that these flaws are necessary because without them the government would collapse. The United States government, “doesn’t so much have a flawed system of justice: It has a carefully tended and finely tuned system of injustice.” This is comparable to Glaucon’s argument because it shows that no one is just, in this case, the government is not just however, within the government there is desire for