The case of Bobby Joe Springfield of Texas is a good study of how the American justice system works, or does not work, depending on which side you look from. Bobby Springfield was indicted on felony charges for criminal trespass burglary and faced up to two years in prison along with fines that could be as high as $10,000. The indictment was a result of an incident that occurred on December 16, 2007 at the property of Larry McClendon of Dallas County. There was enough evidence for an indictment of Bobby Joe Springfield and he was facing a trial.



I order for anyone to stand trial for criminal charges, they have to be indicted by a grand jury. This step prevents cases from coming to trial in which there is little or no evidence against the defendant. Bobby Springfield entered a not guilty plea through his attorney and was apparently ready to stand trial on the felony criminal trespass burglary charge. It looked as if the cards were stacked against him as the prosecution prepared evidence for the trial.

County prosecutors are usually young attorneys or those just getting out of law school. They are usually working in this field because they have political aspirations or they need legal experience. The salary of prosecutors is not great and most hope to move on to private practice. They often then become defense attorneys.

Defense attorneys such as Brian Sanford, who defended Bobby Joe Springfield, are usually paid well. They are not as overworked and know how the system works. They look for any angle they can get to get their client off the charges, or at least reduce the charges. If a defense attorney is confident that they can defend a client against criminal trespass burglary, they will usually go to court. If not, they will look for a plea bargain from the prosecutor. This appears to be what happened in the case of Bobby Springfield.

On January 21, 2009, a little bit more than 18 months after the McClendon incident, Bobby Joe Springfield admitted that he broke into the building and burglarized it as part of a plea agreement. Instead of looking at two years in prison and a felony conviction, not to mention the fines, he got six months supervision, which means no jail time, and a $300 fine.

Many people do not feel that justice is served in such cases and that prosecutors should be more diligent in bringing people to justice. As it is, most non-violent crimes are pled down to a lesser charge. Because it appears to those such as Bobby Joe Springfield, that one can get away with crime, they may feel more empowered to commit crime in the future. For those like Larry McClendon, who had his property burglarized, justice does indeed seem to be blind. The case of Bobby Springfield is one of many in which a defendant received a slap on the wrist for committing a crime against another person or their property.