I still remember looking forward to Officer Friendly days at school. Knowing that some tall police man would come to our classroom to give us some time off from whatever was on the agenda. We'd all sit there and learn about how the police were here to protect us. Later we would learn about the court system and how judges brought us justice.

Were we sold a fairy tale?

In the last two days two sentencings have made me revisit what I feel is justice. The first is the sentencing of Chris Brown for his beating of Rhianna.

Part of me thinks he should have gotten some jail time. Another part looked at the video of him in the court and saw a scared lil boy who saw his own mama beat too many times. Does he need jail time or help? Does his "light sentence" of probation and community service serve as the proper message to his young fans? Especially the young women who thought that Rhianna was at fault?

The other story is Chicago Police Officer Anthony Abbate's sentencing:

An off-duty Chicago police officer convicted of pummeling a female bartender half his size was sentenced Tuesday to two years probation and anger management classes for the videotaped attack that appeared worldwide on the Internet and cable news channels.

This isn't the first time Chicago has had a high-profile case against a police officer, but the video plus the sentencing has touched a nerve to many Chicagoans. CBS 2 Chicago talked to law experts who thought that the sentence fit within the law.

So what defines justice?

Is it justice that Chris Brown completed the circle of violence begun with his step-father?

Is it justice that Abbate will most likely be fired from his job?

What is it that we want? And why do we feel judges aren't doing their job?

[Image: KPA/Zuma/Rex Features via The Guardian]