Visual Discourse Analysis

By Alex Smith
Equal Justice For All

• Most arrests in America are for non-violent offenses, like marijuana possession. We can stop criminalizing these offenses so
police officers can focus on reducing and solving serious crimes that harm people.
• We can eliminate policies like unnecessary fines and fees and civil asset forfeiture and replace them with alternatives for
good policing that keeps everyone safe.
• We can increase access to community solutions to poverty, mental illness, and addiction, instead of throwing people behind
bars.
• Case studies help people in the criminal justice system look more in depth at the facts surrounding the actions of all the
parties that were involved, including members of the legal system.
• It is key to actually reading over those and taking them seriously so that you can improve on what you did wrong and fix it.
Equal Justice For All
Criminal Justice Reform

• In the American criminal justice system, wealth—not culpability—shapes outcomes.

• Racial disparities persist at every level from misdemeanor arrests to executions.
• EJI believes ending mass incarceration is the civil rights issue of our time.
• Racial disparities persist at every level from misdemeanor arrests to executions. The “tough on crime” policies that led to
mass incarceration are rooted in the belief that Black and brown people are inherently guilty and dangerous—and that belief
still drives excessive sentencing policies today.
• We in the discourse community of Criminal Justice need to be able to focus more on the theories and ethics side of what
causes certain crimes so that we can gain a better understanding of how to better today’s society.
Criminal Justice Reform
Securing Equal Justice
• America is rapidly evolving into a majority-minority country with a growing share of immigrants—and that trend only
captures the racial and ethnic changes taking place.
• The changing face of America challenges us to deepen our commitment to delivering on the promise of equal treatment
enshrined in the Constitution.
• That begins with local law enforcement agencies that serve on the frontlines of the criminal justice system. Policing in
America is at a perilous crossroads.
• The concept of liberty and justice for all is not tied to citizenship. From the newest Americans to noncitizens who have deep
roots in this country, immigrants to America also deserve justice.
• Making sure that everyone in your job setting is all on the same page is key to the success of your department.
• Make sure that every individual’s voice is heard because they could bring new values and ideas that will help your
department take a step forward and not backwards.
Securing Equal Justice
Making Justice Equal
• Access to justice is now more critical than ever. In the United States, Americans need a lawyer’s help for everything from
avoiding an unjust eviction to preventing a wrongful conviction. Yet, effective legal assistance remains out of reach for the
majority of Americans.
• “In our adversary system of criminal justice, any person … who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial
unless counsel is provided for him. This seems to us to be an obvious truth.”
• Equal access to legal representation in the justice system is critical to ending poverty, combating discrimination, and
creating opportunity—especially now.
• The key to proper communication in criminal justice is being able to convey information with confidence and preciseness,
but also being able to have compassion with listening to others.
• Also being able to articulate ourselves in a clear and organized manner is always key.
• I have always been told by others within my major that clear and effective communication builds trust, and gaining
someone’s trust is the best thing you can do in my opinion.
Making Justice Equal
 Works Cited
• Equal justice for all. (2021, January 06). Retrieved February 18, 2021, from
https://standtogether.org/2021/01/06/equal-justice-for-all/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Search&utm_campaign=M2021006&utm_term
=Keywords&gclid=Cj0KCQiA34OBBhCcARIsAG32uvOdTabqD8EgPWmIffbUrRBw0pVw6yy9HYUpG2miyX34_Fd06Hm-94EaArY2EAL
w_wcB

• Criminal justice reform. (2020, March 16). Retrieved February 18, 2021, from https://eji.org/criminal-justice-reform/

• Justice, V., Bryant, E., Siulc, L., Matos, K., Johnson, J., Teshima, H., . . . Gazette, T. (2020, March 17). Securing equal justice. Retrieved
February 18, 2021, from https://www.vera.org/securing-equal-justice

• Buckwalter-Poza, R. (2016, December 8). Making justice equal. Retrieved February 18, 2021, from
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/criminal-justice/reports/2016/12/08/294479/making-justice-equal/