How Does the Legal System Help Provide for Our Safety?

Written By Alison A.

The cornerstone of our system of justice in the United States is the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These documents have worked to insure my safety and the safety of all Americans. A reflection of a typical day of my life helps to illustrate some of the ways all Americans are kept safe because of our legal system and its laws.

The time is 7:15 AM. I drag myself out of bed thirty minutes late for school and point myself in the direction of the shower. Because the legal system enforces environmental laws, I can be assured that the water I will use for bathing, as well as its many other uses in my life, will be clean and safe. Once I have showered, I plug in my blow dryer. I am safe again because the legal system has worked to provide safety standards on products from the hair dryer to the makeup to the clothes I wear.

Like millions of other American teens, I depend on my care as a mode of transportation. Before starting the ignition, I buckle up. I have become increasingly aware of the importance of this law since a recent accident where I received only minor injuries due to the use of my seatbelt and air bags. Unfortunately, because I overslept, I put my pedal a little closer to the medal than I should have and a police officer is asking for my driver’s license, car registration, and proof of insurance. In return, I am handed a speeding ticket. Thanks to the Sixth Amendment of the Bill of Rights, I have the right to appeal the ticket and receive a speedy and public trial with an impartial jury and be represented by legal counsel. I WAS speeding, so I will pay the ticket and stay under the speed limit. Other drivers on the road will be safer now, too.

I arrive at my high school. The liaison officer is positioned at the door and he greets me. His presence at school is another example of the legal system at work. At my high school, as most others in the U.S., legal policies and procedures are in place that provide for my safety. One of these policies does not allow weapons at school. The legal system helps deter any students from carrying weapons by enforcing the consequences of such actions through the criminal justice system. Students also face expulsion from school, which means that I can attend a safe learning environment.

The legal system also provides for my safety at my school through nondiscrimination practices. Because of this policy, I cannot be denied participation from any programs or curricula based on a number of factors, including race, gender, disability, or religion. Therefore, I am free from any possible persecution and can enjoy full participation in school and activities.

The morning classes are over, and my stomach growls as I enter the cafeteria. The salad bar line is rather long today, giving me time to think about what garnishes I want on my salad. Because of food safety regulations, I feel pretty secure about my health, even when I buy food from the school’s cafeteria.

Since I am in the school’s work program, I leave after lunch to travel to my job. At my workplace the legal system provides for my safety, too. Here I can work in a nondiscriminatory environment that is also free from sexual harassment. The legal system works for me to insure compliance with United States employment laws. Many employers have paid large settlement agreements because they have not upheld employment rights. Because of these law suits, public awareness of these laws has increased, and employers have new incentives to follow these laws.

I am out of work at 5:00 PM and head straight to a church youth group meeting. Thanks to the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, I am free to worship as I choose. This is an inter-denominational group with many religious doctrines, yet everyone is accepted and safe from persecution or harassment because of their religious beliefs.

After another full day, I return to the security and comfort of my home. Yawning, I climb into bed and pull the covers tight to my chin. I know that my dreams will be sweet. Maybe I will dream that I am the daughter of one of our founding fathers who believed so strongly in our freedoms and safety. Or, just maybe my dreams will take me to the future as a wife and mother raising children in a world that is even safer than mine because of an increasingly better legal system. Whatever my dreams, I am grateful for the real world that I live in where freedom and safety abound.