--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we look at our justice system, we…" description: "\"When we look at our justice system, we have this image of a balancing scale: truth and justice, right and wrong. But for years, our system has been lop..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/brian-banks-18280_balance_when-we-look-at-our-justice-system-we-ha_1342807.jpg" --- # When we look at our justice system, we have this image of… ![“When we look at our justice system, we have this image of a balancing scale: truth and justice, right and wrong. But for years, our system has been lopsided, where it's not about truth and justice or balance. It's about being tough on crime, and sometimes that means you're putting the wrong person…” quote by Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/brian-banks-18280_balance_when-we-look-at-our-justice-system-we-ha_1342807.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/brian-banks-18280_balance_when-we-look-at-our-justice-system-we-ha_1342807.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/brian-banks-18280_balance_when-we-look-at-our-justice-system-we-ha_1342807.jpg) > “When we look at our justice system, we have this image of a balancing scale: truth and justice, right and wrong. But for years, our system has been lopsided, where it's not about truth and justice or balance. It's about being tough on crime, and sometimes that means you're putting the wrong person behind bars.” [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The justice system is skewed toward harsh punishment, often imprisoning innocent people instead of seeking truth. **In simple terms:** Justice system is unbalanced. Key Takeaway Prioritize truth over punishment. Themes justice fairness reform Mood critical hopeful Type advocacy philosophical When to use this quote - courtroom practices - policy advocacy - public awareness Key Concepts law ethics public policy Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure fairness in sentencing? - What safeguards prevent wrongful convictions? A Different Perspective Balancing safety and rights is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Justice Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice-balance-1374485/) [Justice system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice-system/) [Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) [Look Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-justice-1168906/) [Lopsided Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lopsided-truth-4541924/) [Right and wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-and-wrong/) [Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tough/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth and justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-and-justice/) [Truth Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-justice/) [Wrong person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-person/) ## Related quotes > [Look, the justice system is made up of people. People have faults. It's not perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-grace/look-the-justice-system-is-made-up-of-people-people-have-faults-it-s/) [Nancy Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-grace/) > [I don't have a passion for politics, but I do have a passion for truth and justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-rainbow/i-don-t-have-a-passion-for-politics-but-i-do-have-a-passion-for-truth/) [Randy Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-rainbow/) > [“If we are not registering bad events in history to learn from them, then why are we even still publishing them at all? Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/if-we-are-not-registering-bad-events-in-history-to-learn-from-them-2/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [Freemasonry is founded on the immutable laws of Truth and Justice and its grand object is to promote the happiness of the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/freemasonry-is-founded-on-the-immutable-laws-of-truth-and-justice-and/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“Truth, justice and the American way. The American way is: truth and justice maybe say hello in the hallway, send each other a Christmas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/truth-justice-and-the-american-way-the-american-way-is-truth-and/) [Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) > [“I'm a man of many fine traits , I seek Truth and Justice in Life .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-carson/i-m-a-man-of-many-fine-traits-i-seek-truth-and-justice-in-life/) [Ted Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-carson/) > [I fully realize that no wealth or position can long endure, unless built upon truth and justice, therefore, I will engage in no transaction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/i-fully-realize-that-no-wealth-or-position-can-long-endure-unless/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [“Truth and justice are commonly found in the personality of the paranoid delusional”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/truth-and-justice-are-commonly-found-in-the-personality-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Attempts to put pressure on Russia and to compel it to abandon its values, truth and justice have no prospects whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-lavrov/attempts-to-put-pressure-on-russia-and-to-compel-it-to-abandon-its/) [Sergei Lavrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-lavrov/) > [“As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/as-a-christian-i-have-no-duty-to-allow-myself-to-be-cheated-but-i-2/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/as-a-christian-i-have-no-duty-to-allow-myself-to-be-cheated-but-i/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [What I seek to accomplish is simply to serve with my feeble capacity truth and justice, at the risk of pleasing no one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/what-i-seek-to-accomplish-is-simply-to-serve-with-my-feeble-capacity/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [If I wasn't going to be a world-famous journalist and if I didn't have such respect for truth and justice, I could be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/if-i-wasn-t-going-to-be-a-world-famous-journalist-and-if-i-didn-t/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/in-matters-of-truth-and-justice-there-is-no-difference-between-large/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“If we want truth and justice to rule our global village, there must be no hypocrisy. If there is no truth, then there will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/if-we-want-truth-and-justice-to-rule-our-global-village-there-must-be/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) ## More by Brian Banks > [I think of my mother constantly. And how she sacrificed her home and car for my freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/i-think-of-my-mother-constantly-and-how-she-sacrificed-her-home-and/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [Wrongful convictions need to be addressed in America. There are a lot of Brian Banks behind bars right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/wrongful-convictions-need-to-be-addressed-in-america-there-are-a-lot/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [It's not what you go through, but how that experience affects you. For some people, it could be a near car crash that changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/it-s-not-what-you-go-through-but-how-that-experience-affects-you-for/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [People ask, 'Do I have trust issues?' I wouldn't say I have trust issues. I have trust concerns. It's valuable for me to trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/people-ask-do-i-have-trust-issues-i-wouldn-t-say-i-have-trust-issues/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [I had a good upbringing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/i-had-a-good-upbringing/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [Just to be on the sideline and to hear all the veterans tell you, 'Man, when your turn comes, when they call your number,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/just-to-be-on-the-sideline-and-to-hear-all-the-veterans-tell-you-man/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [I want to be in a better position than what I was yesterday. The only way that can happen is by eliminating any negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/i-want-to-be-in-a-better-position-than-what-i-was-yesterday-the-only/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [I have to share my story. Not for me, but for the people who might go through the same thing and for juveniles who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/i-have-to-share-my-story-not-for-me-but-for-the-people-who-might-go/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [There was a time when I had nothing. I lost everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/there-was-a-time-when-i-had-nothing-i-lost-everything/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [To make a 53-man roster would be a huge accomplishment - right up there with getting exonerated for a crime I didn't commit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/to-make-a-53-man-roster-would-be-a-huge-accomplishment-right-up-there/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [All the negativity that was once around me has turned into all this positivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/all-the-negativity-that-was-once-around-me-has-turned-into-all-this/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [There are many innocent people in prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/there-are-many-innocent-people-in-prison/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [To be stripped of your freedom, to be stripped of your dignity and the respect you once had, to lose it all and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/to-be-stripped-of-your-freedom-to-be-stripped-of-your-dignity-and-the/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [You have to realize that myself and others that have been wrongfully convicted of crimes, we've dealt with the situation. You realize that you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/you-have-to-realize-that-myself-and-others-that-have-been-wrongfully/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [I feel my situation is no different from anybody else's experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/i-feel-my-situation-is-no-different-from-anybody-else-s-experiences/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) [Explore all 35 Brian Banks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When we look at our justice system, we have this image of a balancing scale: truth and justice, right and wrong. But for years, our system has been lopsided, where it's not about truth and justice or balance. 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