Miscarriage of Justice in Gideon v Wainwright

Injustice in the Supreme Court

Gideon v. Wainwright

This was a case where Gideon was a defendant and was denied the right to have a counsel defending him because he was not charged with a capital offense. The Florida court argued that the court was only obliged to provide him with a counsel if he was charged with a capital offense. However, upon taking the case to the Supreme Court, it was determined that every citizen was entitled to a counsel who would defend him against prosecution. The argument is that justice cannot be achieved without providing the defendant with the right to a fair hearing. On the same note, it is the right of the courts to ensure that even those who are unable to pay a legal counsel to defend them are provided with a public defendant who will ensure that their interests are taken care of (Blount, 507).

Indigent defendants

In most cases, the indigent defendants do not fare well in the criminal justice system. There are many challenges that face them and their quest to providing the best representation to their clients. In the case of Eddie Lloyd, the indigent defendant has a very short time to organize his case. As a result, he was unable to gather all the evidence that was needed to ensure that the defendant was not sent to jail. Based on his incompetence and lack of good investigation, Eddie was sent for life without any option for parole although killed nobody. Therefore, the defendant was not competent enough to represent Eddie and in the process led to his jail time. It is only after the case was taken up by other lawyers that Eddie was found innocent and acquitted of his charges after spending more than 17 years in jail. The lack of ample time in analyzing the defendant\'s case resulted in the failure to show his innocence.

The other main challenge is the fact that most of the public defendants are poorly paid and overworked. The implication is that they are not committed to their role in promoting the interests of the defendant. Moreover, there is the option of the contract lawyers who are hired based on the number of cases they can handle in a state. This means that in most cases, the lawyers are overworked and handle many cases, which reduces their effectiveness in managing the cases.

By standing on a firm belief that it was his constitutional right to have a counsel appointed for him if he did not afford one led to the changes that are seen today in the justice system. Despite being sent to jail for five years by the jury, he wrote to the Supreme Court and his case was set for hearing. Many of the lawyers wanted to take up the case and represent Gideon based on the clear chances of success in repealing the law. The Supreme Court ruled in his favor and determined that he was entitled to a lawyer. The lasting impact is that everyone in America is entitled to a counsel regardless of the offense that he or she has committed. The aim is to ensure that justice is attained by providing the defendants with a good hearing (Owens et al., 45).

A poorer defendant does not get the justice that he or she deserves based on the underrepresentation that is evident in the American justice system. In most cases, the public defendants are not committed to the cases and usually do not look for evidence that might help the defendants. They meet for a few times, which means that regardless of the experience of the counsel, the chances of winning the case are reduced. However, rich people can be able to pay the best lawyers to represent them (Cohen, 48). These lawyers not only take some good time to gather information but they also stay close to the defendant and ensure that they handle everything that pertains to the case. Similarly, an indigent defendant may provide the defendants with poor advice on how they should take a plea. There have been cases where the defendants have gone against the advice of the public defendants and won the case. This shows that regardless of the attempts to make the justice system treat all citizens equally, some variances exist leading to inequalities in the process (Cohen, 48).