Political philosopher Charles de Montesquieu once said: “There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” In this essay, the thought-provoking decision of Harvard to deny the application of ex-inmate Michelle Jones will be discussed. Jones was only eighteen years old when she was sentenced to fifty years in prison for the murder of her four-year-old son Brandon. While in prison she demonstrated an outstanding disposition to make up for the terrible decision she made. Harvard was always one of the top choices for her Ph.D. education, nevertheless, Harvard made an inappropriate decision to deny her application. Michelle Jones clearly made a wrong decision when she murdered her …show more content…
Growing up in a family where she was a victim of domestic and psychological abuse only prepared her to fail in life. Jones was raped by age fourteen and murdered her son by age eighteen. Michelle Jones is one of many victims of the surroundings they were born in. She was not protected to avoid pregnancy at age fourteen, nor protected psychologically to stop her from becoming a murderer. Michelle murdered her four-year-old son, and in the interest of justice, she was convicted and sent to prison for 50 years. According to the Cambridge dictionary (2018) ‘justice’ means: “The condition of being morally correct or fair”. It is a complex term ‘justice’ when a fourteen-year-old who was raped and abused must go to jail and the rapist is still out …show more content…
She demonstrated to be an outstanding student with a bright future ahead of her. That is the reason why she was freed before twenty years, so she could attend on time the school of her choice. Aside from the degrees and awards she earned, she showed the justice system her profound regret.
The moment she was waiting for so long had finally arrived, she was free and ready to obtain a Ph.D. in American studies. While in prison, eight universities were chosen by Jones to continue her education and obtain a doctoral program. Harvard was her top choice because she admired the job done by historians on incarceration. Although Jones was one of the eighteen chosen out of three hundred applicants, her application was denied. The outstanding application was flagged after a few professors questioned the credibility of the statements written in Jones’