Changing the Justice System by Jenna

Changing the Justice System by Jenna - June 2020 Scholarship Essay

Throughout most of my school career, I had never imagined myself as a lawyer. This was always an occupation that seemed impossible from my point of view. From kindergarten to my sophomore year in high school, I had wanted to be a teacher. It was not until the spring of 2018 when I watched Netflix's "Making a Murderer" and my mind had completely changed regarding what I wanted to go to school for. From that point, I knew I wanted to not only spare, but save the lives of those who were wrongfully convicted of a crime. Many people are under the impression that an occupation that saves lives is a healthcare worker or people who put themselves on the front line for our country. Without downgrading their heroic actions, within our country there is about one percent of the United States’ population, equivalent to 20,000 individuals, who are wrongfully convicted. My dream after completing law school is to work for the Innocence Project, a 501 nonprofit legal organization that is committed to exonerating individuals that have been wrongly convicted through the use of DNA testing. The Innocent Project has exonerated 367 individuals who have been falsely convicted, 21 of which served time on death row, by presenting DNA evidence in a court of law. My wish is to be part of this organization to reform the justice system to prevent future injustice.
I had to consider the type of lawyer I wanted to become while also thinking about how I wanted to better the criminal justice system. After these considerations, a defense attorney was the position that fits best. On the other hand, I had to compare this with the position of a prosecutor, which is not what I want because with my license, I want to be defending innocent men and women who are falsely convicted of crimes they did not commit. To improve the system, it will be my duty to defend those who I know are innocent, as I will not be fulfilling my destiny as a part of the defense if I defend someone who is guilty of a crime. I know that the pathway to becoming a defense attorney will not be easy however, I do know how I am passionate about helping those who are incarcerated despite their innocence.