Listen up, if you want to keep your skin intact and avoid the legal mess, here’s a golden rule:
Never talk to the police.
Why? Because anything you say can and will be twisted against you. Cops are pros at getting you to spill the beans, whether you’re guilty or not. Even the most innocent comments can be manipulated to screw you over.
A Dangerous Trend in America Today…
Believe it or not, these days, it’s damn near impossible to not break a law. Yeah, even if you’re a “good guy” thinking you’re on the straight and narrow. We’re all unknowingly committing crimes, even felonies, in our daily lives.
“There isn’t a single person over 18 in the U.S. who couldn’t be indicted for some federal crime. That’s no exaggeration.” This warning comes from John Baker, a retired law professor who tried to count new federal crimes popping up in recent years. Attorney Harvey Silverglate echoes this in his book Three Felonies a Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent.
Let’s Break it Down
To get why we’re all basically criminals, you need a crash course on how the law is cooked up and slapped on us.
Every law spawns a new crime and a punishment to match. A law isn’t just an order—it’s a threat. No threat, no law. Politicians might dress it up with fancy names—laws, regulations, statutes, bills, acts, ordinances—but it all boils down to one thing: Do what we say or pay the price.
Every year, American lawmakers churn out thousands of new laws. These laws pile up into monstrous volumes of legal mumbo jumbo. They get shoved into “codes” like the CFR, USC, and IRS Code, along with state-specific codes. Toss in the Constitution, executive orders, ratified treaties, local ordinances, and court rulings from the lowliest district courts to the Supreme Court, and you’ve got the U.S. legal landscape.
The system is so tangled that nobody really gets it, but ignorance of the law won’t save you when the government comes knocking.
Just being suspected of even the smallest crime can get you hauled in by the cops. The Supreme Court says it’s fair game to arrest you for stuff like not wearing a seatbelt or unpaid parking tickets. You could end up in the clink for months or years without ever being officially charged.
In the land of the free, breaking the rules can mean fines, losing your property, jail time, or even execution. And the way these punishments are meted out is a total crapshoot. First-degree murder gets you 20 years in Illinois but 45 in Indiana. Meanwhile, you could get 15 years for a romp on the beach, 5 years for stabbing someone, or just 5 days (yes, days) for raping a 14-year-old. Victimless crimes can land you with harsher sentences than the worst offenses, like 25 years for selling painkillers to a buddy.
In 1978, the Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors can dangle life sentences over your head for a minor crime if you don’t give up your right to a jury trial. In one landmark case, they nailed a guy with life for forging an $88 check because he refused a plea deal.
With prosecutors holding all the cards, almost everyone takes a plea bargain. The idea of getting your day in court is just Hollywood hype. Innocent folks often plead guilty just to avoid their lives being wrecked. The system’s rigged, and your odds of conviction at trial are around 90%.
Consider this,
Recent research published in Crime & Delinquency reveals that nearly half of Black men and about 40% of White men in the U.S. get nabbed by the time they’re 23. And this doesn’t even count minor traffic violations.
Wrap your head around that—it’s insane.
And get this: there are 2.3 million Americans behind bars right now.
The U.S. only makes up 5% of the world’s population but holds a staggering 25% of its prisoners.
Think about that for a second: almost 50% of Black men and 40% of White men face this issue, showing it’s not just a problem for one race or income bracket, but a nationwide nightmare.
Incarceration Rates Keep Climbing Even as Crime Drops
From the ’70s through the early ’90s, crime rates were on the rise. But even after crime rates started to plummet, the number of people getting locked up kept climbing, showing no signs of slowing down.
Check out this visual for a better understanding.
Source: The Sentencing Project
The Cops Aren’t Gonna Protect Your Rights—You’ve Got to Know ‘Em and Fight for ‘Em Yourself
So here’s the deal: You’ve got rights in America, but don’t expect the cops to have your back when it comes to defending them. If you find yourself face-to-face with law enforcement, the best move is to keep your mouth shut. Politely refuse to answer questions and ask for a lawyer. It’s not about being rude—it’s about protecting yourself from the system that’s rigged against you.
– Camille
