Letter to a 7th Grader - Why I Defend People Accused of Drunk Driving in
Massachusetts
I recently received a very heartfelt letter from a 7th grader at a local
middle school in Quincy, MA. Like many people, she is concerned about drunk
driving, given all the press attention these cases get.
Here is her letter and my response:
Dear Attorney Russell Matson,
My name is Cynthia and I am a seventh grade student. My
teacher asked me to write a letter about an issue that concerns me, and I have
chosen drunk driving. I am therefore writing to tell you to stop helping drunk
drivers that are breaking the laws.
When people drunk drive and they crashed into another car
and the other driver dies, it’s the drunk driver’s fault, and not the other
driver’s fault and you are helping the drunk drivers?! The drunk driver is the
person that killed innocent lives! You shouldn’t be helping drunk drivers.
Did you know that every 30 minutes, a person in the U.S.
dies because of drunk driving and they are the ones breaking the laws and you
are still helping them. I hope you will try to not help drunk drivers because
they need to know that they did something wrong, and that they will need to not
do that again.
Attorney Russell Matson, I am asking you to please stop
helping people that are not following the laws. If you stop helping drunk
drivers they will know that they did something very wrong and they will not do
it again. Thank you for considering my ideas.
Sincerely,
Cynthia
Dear Cynthia, Thank you for writing me with your concerns about drunk drivers. I really do
understand how you feel, and I agree with you that drunk driving is a dangerous
thing to do. No one should ever drive if he or she can’t do so safely, without
causing risk or danger to others. Anyone who makes a mistake should be
encouraged to never do it again.
In fact, most people I defend understand this. If they know they are guilty,
they are usually embarrassed and ashamed, and never make the same mistake again.However, let me explain to you some of the reasons I help people accused of
drunk driving. I consider my job a very important one, and I am proud of what I
do. I do not and would not help anyone break the law, and I never ever advice or
encourage illegal behavior.
But the problem is, drunk driving is a crime that almost any adult could be arrested for
under the wrong circumstances, whether they are actually guilty or not. Adults who drink a glass or two of wine are usually not impaired. But if they
get stopped for speeding or any other reason, the police officer may smell some
of that wine on their breath. The officer may ask them to walk a straight line,
or balance on one foot.
While these things may not sound difficult to do, I believe these tests are
often very unfair.
When your teacher gives you a test at school, it’s always on something that
you’ve been taught or studied for. You probably had to do some practice examples
on the board. Then, after you’ve studied and practiced, the teacher gives you the
test. Everyone in the room is quiet so you can concentrate on the test and do
your best work.
Now imagine how you would do if your test was like this: Your desk
is on the side of the highway. Cars are whizzing by you very closely. It’s dark,
it’s cold, it’s late at night and you’re tired. Even worse, the only light you have to see
by is the flashing blue lights on a police car, and an officer’s flashlight
pointing in your face.
The police officer shows you one very quick example question. You try hard to
pay attention, but it is very distracting and stressful. You aren’t allowed to
do a practice question yourself. Then the officer puts the test on your desk and
hands you a pencil. The paper almost blows away when a car whips by, so you have
to hold the test down with one arm as you start writing.
Oh, and one more thing: If you don’t pass this test, you know you are going to
be arrested and put in a jail cell. How well do you think you would do if you
had to take a test like that?To make it even more unfair, many people who are old or overweight, or have back
or foot problems, or women who wear heels would never be able to pass these tests. Even if they worked
hard and practiced everyday, they just couldn’t pass. But that doesn’t matter,
they can still get arrested for failing!
Now, I’m not saying everyone I represent is innocent. The police generally do a
good job protecting people, but sometimes they make mistakes. If a police
officer thinks there is a slight chance a person shouldn’t be driving, then
they will arrest that person just to be on the safe side. And the prosecutor
doesn’t care if the person is really guilty or not, it’s his or her job to argue
for a guilty verdict.So you see, the system isn’t fair if I’m not there to argue the other side of
the story. Then a judge or a jury gets to decide who is right.
If there were no defense attorneys, everyone ever accused of a crime would be
guilty. Has anyone ever said anything about you that wasn’t true?I’ve
defended teachers and doctors, moms and dads who are regular people who never
imagined they would get arrested and charged with a crime. I’m proud to be able
to help people, and I love being part of our country's criminal justice
system. It’s not perfect, but it is the fairest system of rules and laws in the
world.
Thanks for writing to me, Cynthia. I think it’s great that you care so much
about keeping people safe. I know you may not agree with me, but I hope you
understand what I do a little better now.Best wishes,
Russell Matson
Call Russell Matson's DUI Law office to talk to a drunk driving / DUI / OUI attorney anytime at (781)380-7730.
© 2007 Russell Matson |
