The27th amendment was approved back in 1992.
That seems like a longtime but in all actuality, it isn’t. This law was created to stop congress fromincreasing or decreasing it salaries during their term. This amendment seemsfair, but have you ever thought about creating your own amendment? Setting yourown law that everyone must follow? Well I’m here to tell you that anyone can commencean amendment. To get things started you must write your proposal and send it toany member of congress. Today I will create and take you inside of my own 28thamendment. There are so many topics around the U.S. that need of direattention.
Topics such as immigration, budgeting, and presidential terms limitsjust to name a few. I feel like the constitutional amendment covers most thingswe would need laws about. It’s the fact of the matter it’s all out of date.
Certainthings need to be update as frequently as the new iPhone comes out. My amendment would consist of changing andthen adding on to the 14th amendment. The 14th amendment basicallysays no state should create a law that cuts the privileges of citizens of theU.S. Also, states shouldn’t deny anyone of life, liberty, or property withoutdue process of law, or deny any protection of the law. Now this law seems legitand you are wondering why change it.
Well,over the years we have seen officers, state officials and citizens abusing andbecome victims of this amendment. You have people incarcerated for months and evenyears pending trail. For all we know they are innocent but due to the systemthey are thrown in jail and forgot about.
You have cases like Kalief Browder. Asixteen-year-old African American male thrown in Rikers Island for three yearswithout being convicted of a crime. According to Jennifer Gonnerman an authorfor The New Yorker an online news article,states he was released from prison “struggled with mental health, and he eventually took his own life.Thereare so many more similar cases like this one. It all can be avoided by adding afew more things to the 14th amendment. Youcouldn’t imagine being locked away for a crime you didn’t commit. Only to beleft in there because you can’t afford a high-power attorney or bail money toget you out. Imagine staying in jail as you watch your freedom being taken awayfrom you and your mental health evaporating.
Only for you not to be convictedof the crime and packed up and sent on your way. I’d propose, people that havebeen wrongly convicted and stayed a minimal of thirty days in jail or prisonwithout a convention or trial date should get a mental evaluation approved bytwo different doctors before leaving that institution. Also,no convection shallstand because the defendant’s attorney failed to produce all the evidence to acquitthe defendant. Most people can’t afford OJ Simpson’s lawyer to get them off amurder charge. Most people are only subjected to a public defender.
Depending onthe states public defenders have a minimal of thirty to fifty felony cases aweek. These are cases that lock away individuals ranging from five years tolife. I wanted to add this law because mistakes will be made during thesetrials. It’s for us as a justice system to give that person a fair trail toprove his or her innocence to the jury.
This can’t happen if our public defendersare overworked and underpaid. That ties into something else I want to add. Iwould like to add more funding and scholarships to get people back in schoolfor public defenders. Thelast piece to my amendment will allow nonviolent crimes not to serve jail timebut only pay a minimal fee according to the crime. There are people locked awayfor three years for a first offense possession drug charge. Meanwhile a sexoffender is out roaming the streets and put on the sex offender list.
Thingslike that made our justice system messed up and my amendment can fix that. Itkeeps the violent citizens in and the innocent out. Some justifications would consist of Ifeel like there are a few problems with my amendment. One, the people being incarcerateddon’t want to go though the extra steps to prove their sanity when they werewrongly put there in the first place. Second that’s extra tax payer’s money thegovernment must budget out for these doctors and public defenders. They alreadyfight about money towards building new roads and updating schools they wouldput this funding on the back burner. Lastly you have citizens not agreeing withthe new system. We are so accustom to leaving innocent people in jail for solong they get back on the street and don’t know how to act anymore.
We ascitizens should help them, but we turn our backs. Thisamendment will not necessarily benefit our country more, so the citizens accusedof a crime. We are all human and make mistakes, but someone’s life shouldn’t godown in flames because of your mistake. New evidence comes up months and maybeeven years after the crime is committed. Just because the court system gave thatinmate a fair trial and was convicted of a crime the courts wouldn’t considerthe evidence for a re-trail. This amendment would weed out the real criminalsand get the innocent out of incarceration.
Thereare different paths you can go through to get your amendment ratified. Path one,step one, two thirds of both houses of congress (senate and house ofrepresentatives) pass a future constitutional amendment. Then this proposed amendmentgoes to the states for ratification. Lastly thirty- eights states then ratifythe future amendment either by their governments or agreements. It’s a pretty simpleprocess they only thing is most of congress and the states must like it or atleast think it’s a benefit towards our country some type of way. My amendment should pass the state level in Georgia, ifit doesn’t it would be violating the 14th amendment for all citizens.
