Justice is basically the way that everyone can be treated fairly. I believe a criminal should receive the appropriate punishment for breaking the law as a victim of a crime should have the certainty that everything is going to be alright. In other words, justice is almost like getting revenge, but in a limited, “acceptable” manner. I can relate justice to something cushiony, such as a pillow. Practically everyone has been a victim of a crime at one time or another, but justice is there to break their fall.
Everyone has their own interpretation of what justice is. For example, the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines justice as “ the quality of being just, impartial, or fair.” This means that everyone is entitled to equal treatment. So, if one person robs a bank, another robber should be expected to experience the same consequences. “Law and justice are not always the same,” proclaimed Gloria Steinem, a women's rights advocate. “When they aren't, destroying the law may be the first step toward changing it.” I personally agree with Steinem. There are many times where the law must be bent in order to allow justice to be served. As we discussed in class, there are cases where one will do the morally right thing, even though it may be considered unlawful. For instance, it is better for a child to be taken away from his or her parents if they are abusive. However, this is illegal to do if you don't have the legal custody to do so.
Comparing these definitions to each other, I see that justice isn't something engraved in stone. Sure, it's important to have a sense of justice, but I feel that it'll be impossible to reach a state of complete fairness. This is because justice is such a vague term, seeing that everyone has a different interpretation of what it is. I believe we must agree on a common definition of such a word so that justice will always be a priority in our everyday lives.
