Romilla Dale Flores

Miracle Denied: When Justice Fails the Innocent Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Romilla Dale Flores, and I am honored to stand before you today to speak about a reality too many people face—when justice fails the innocent. "It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer." As said by William Blackstone We trust in justice to protect us, but what happens when it fails? Justice was meant to protect the innocent. Instead, more and more, it has become a weapon of destruction pointed at them. Around the world, individuals are mistaken for criminals, sentenced wrongly, and silenced by systems set up to protect the mighty rather than the truth. We like to believe that the law treats everyone equally, but reality tells a different story. If you are poor, powerless, and unable to defend yourself, the system is more likely to turn against you. Confessions are forced. Evidence is ignored. Trials are rushed. Justice is no longer about truth but about convenience. Those without influence are sacrificed to maintain the illusion of order. Instead of proving guilt, the justice system in many places assumes it, and too many innocent people suffer as a result. Their voices go unheard, their stories untold, and their lives destroyed by a system that was meant to protect them. One of the greatest failures of society is punishing the wrong person while the real criminals walk free. By imprisoning an innocent person, we impair not just individual freedoms but human dignity, human advantage, and ultimately, human life. The culpability lies with all of us when we witness but ignore such blatant injustice. True justice must not stem from how many are going to prison but how many are going to be protected, treated fairly, and given a chance to tell their stories. A system that weighs one rather than the other cannot be called justice; it is a system of fear. So what do we do? We demand fairness. We challenge power. We cannot and will not be silent where wrongs are done. The moment we stop fighting for justice is the moment we allow injustice to triumph. The question is not whether injustice exists—we know it does. The question is: Will we stand against it? Will we speak for those who cannot speak for themselves? Together, we can make a difference. Thank you.