The Revolving Door of Justice: When the System Fails Us All

There is a video going viral right now, and depending on where you are in the world, it might make you angry, sad, or perhaps unsurprised. It comes out of Charlotte, in the United States of America, and it tells the story of a man who was released from police custody not once, not twice, but nine times — before allegedly attacking someone again, this time on camera for the whole world to see. Nine times. I want you to sit with that number for a moment. Nine opportunities for the system to intervene. Nine chances to protect the public. Nine moments where decisions were made — by judges, prosecutors, bail officers, and institutions — that ultimately led to another person becoming a victim. Now, I know what some people will say. They will talk about rehabilitation. They will mention overcrowded prisons and understaffed courts. They will bring up civil liberties and the presumption of innocence. And honestly? Those are not wrong conversations to have. They matter deeply. But so does this: at what point does the justice system stop revolving and start standing still long enough to actually protect people? As someone who grew up in Ghana, I am no stranger to frustrations with systems that seem to fail ordinary people. We have our own complicated conversations about law enforcement, accountability, and who truly gets protected under the law. So when I watch a video like this one trending globally, I do not see it as simply an American problem. I see it as a mirror that every society needs to look into honestly. Because the truth is, revolving door justice is not unique to Charlotte or to America. It happens in courtrooms across Africa, Europe, Asia, and everywhere in between. Repeat offenders cycling through systems that lack proper rehabilitation programmes. Victims left without adequate support or follow-up. Communities bearing the weight of decisions made far away from them in rooms they were never invited into. What makes this particular story viral-worthy is the video evidence — the undeniable, shareable, right-in-your-face proof that something went wrong somewhere along the line. And in the age of smartphones and social media, footage like this forces accountability in ways that formal institutions sometimes refuse to. But here is my question for all of us watching: what do we do after we finish scrolling? Do we demand reform? Do we support organisations working on criminal justice issues? Do we vote for leaders who take both public safety and humane justice seriously? Or do we simply move on to the next viral video? I believe we can hold two things at once — compassion for individuals caught in broken systems, and firm insistence that those systems must do better. Justice should never feel like a revolving door. For anyone. Let us keep talking about it. The world is watching, and so am I — a Ghanaian girl with a lot of questions and a deep belief that we deserve better answers.