Alejandro Gonzalez

Laura Govoni

English 1302

October 31, 2014

Money Buys Happiness

How fair is the Sixth Amendment when it comes to court appointed attorneys? The Sixth Amendment states “in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense (U.S. Constitution).”

Gideon v. Wainwright set the precedent and established that any person who is accused of a crime will be provided legal counsel if they cannot provide their own. Many of the ill-fated accused are unable to acquire the available resources to hire a private attorney. Although the state or county provides legal counsel you are at an unfortunate disadvantage. A majority of the time a court appointed attorney takes on dozens of cases weekly, is fresh out of law school, and is severely underpaid. In retrospect, compare the potential advantages of being defended by a private attorney with endless resources. Not quiet fare after all; a fair comparison would be a fully grown man competing against a prepubescent child.

It is said money does not buy happiness, but it does buy freedom. Many people would be much happier in the comfort of their own home instead of reenacting scenes from Orange Is the New Black.

Works Cited

“U.S. Constitution: Sixth Amendment.” law.cornell.edu.30 October 2014.

<http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/sixth_amendment.>