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Introduction to wrongful convictions
Wrongful convictions in the court system
Wrongful convictions in the court system
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Recommended: Introduction to wrongful convictions
“ The Better Pick” “No matter how harsh your punishments, you’re not going to get an orderly society unless the culture is in favor of order” (Woon 183). In “Time to Assert American values,” by New York Times and “Rough Justice” by Alejandro Reyes, both passages argue for and against the punishment prescribed in the Michael Fay case. After carefully analyzing the two texts the reader realizes that the article “Rough Justice” has the most relevant and sufficient article to support these arguments because of the way the author uses a sustainable amount of evidence and facts to back up it’s claims, as well as, strong rhetorical appeals. One example of how “Rough Justice” has a stronger appeal to it than “Time to Assert American values,” is its
Throughout In Cold Blood, a true-crime novel based on a multiple murder, author Truman Capote gives a more personal insight on the topic while standing up for the mentally ill and verbalizing his personal beliefs on how the they should be treated and viewed in the criminal justice system. Within In Cold Blood, Capote tells about the events leading up to the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers. During the trial, both of the criminals were declared mentally ill, but were still authorized to stand trial and execution as they had been proven to have the ability to decide between right and wrong, and therefore were considered mentally
Have you ever been accused and blamed for something you did not do? In Bryan Stevenson's book, Just Mercy, he reveals the corruption behind Alabama's criminal system. The stories of each character show how prejudice, bias, and abuse of power may harm one's life. The book mainly focused on Walter McMillian, a black man who was wrongfully convicted of murder in Monroeville, Alabama. He had been imprisoned for more than 6 years by all the officers who were seeking a conviction.
Just Mercy really makes the reader think as they read and makes them sympathize with the plights of both Stevenson and his clients. Stevenson’s novel definitely deserves to belong on the bestseller
“There is a strength, a power even, in understanding brokenness, because embracing our brokenness creates a need and desire for mercy, and perhaps a corresponding need to show mercy (Stevenson 109) .” This bold statement is one of many as Bryan Stevenson sets the tone for his renowned award winning novel Just Mercy. As a young lawyer from Georgia, built the foundation for his company, SPDC (Southern Prisoners Defense Committee) to help convicts that are on death row or in need a second chance. Bryan Stevenson, a young lawyer from Georgia who fought for justice on the behalf of inmates on death row, showed tremendous intelligence in becoming a successful lawyer, demanding for not backing down in moments of refusal, and was an overall advocate
Without the cruelty of the world, there would be no need for aid, however, it may not be the case. Although society has good samaritans, many people will not be insured safety unless there are more individuals with good morals to provide assistance. As the result of needing aid, there are human beings in the public to reveal they are ethically responsible, even if it is through obligations. In which, tells what the meaning of ethical responsibility is; it is to have the duty to follow a morally correct path and doing what is right for people or oneself. In the article, “Can the Law Make Us Be Decent?”
To Kill a Mockingbird is a famous book about a wrongfully convicted African American from a small town in Alabama. Stevenson foreshadowed the book with this reference. To Kill a Mockingbird and Just Mercy share a similar theme about the Criminal Justice
In Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, he writes to illustrate the injustices of the judicial system to its readers. To do so, Stevenson utilizes multiple writing styles that provide variety and helps keep the reader engaged in the topic. Such methods of his include the use of anecdotes from his personal experiences, statistics, and specific facts that apply to cases Stevenson had worked on as well as specific facts that pertain to particular states. The most prominent writing tool that Stevenson included in Just Mercy is the incorporation of anecdotes from cases that he himself had worked on as a nonprofit lawyer defending those who were unrightfully sentenced to die in prison.
More broadly, rushing to sterilization—instead of providing proper rehabilitation of criminals and the ill, and showing compassion to the country’s most vulnerable—highlights the government’s lack of ethical means for achieving utopia. Interestingly, Justice Garrison limits his critique of involuntary sterilization to “unoffending but undesirable members.” He says nothing on criminal offenders, however. His silence on the matter could either represent admirable judicial discipline, or it could suggest that he feels criminals deserve the punishment. To be fair, the latter is more likely in this case; Garrison writes that “criminals and persons confined in penal institutions” simply do not amount to a “present concern.”
The Future of Humanity and Preservation of Life When death is on the line, the definition of justice becomes blurred. Both morally and physically, injustice runs rampant when a life hangs in the balance. Two examples of this conundrum are the play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, and “A Plea for Mercy”, a portion of the concluding statements of defense attorney, Clarence Darrow. Both works deal with the trial of someone that has been irreversibly condemned by the government, and the people trying to keep them alive.
In Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson concludes “the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice,” and by this he means that when there is no justice, most people will live in poverty, despair, and fear. Despair is the complete loss of all hope, and each of these characters felt that feeling. Bryan Stevenson was stopped and searched by the police, and he was full of fear because one officer had pulled a gun on him. Fear, Police rely on fear to break the law and do as they wish, because they know a majority of people are scared to go against the police. In chapter 3, Walter McMillian was in jail awaiting his trial and eventual execution, this alone drove him into a pit of despair.
In “The Brain on Trial”, David Eagleman claims that the justice system needs to change its sentencing policies due to the discoveries of neurobiological diseases that cause their sufferers to behave in socially unacceptable ways and/or commit crimes. Eagleman uses a variety of rhetorical strategies to present his viewpoint. The most important one is his appeal to logic. By using mostly examples, along with direct address to the readers, Eagleman is able to argue that the legal system has to modify its sentencing policies to take into account the advances made in neuroscience due to the increase in the amount of accused and/or convicted people who have been found to have harbored some kind of brain disease or damage. Eagleman
Twelve Angry Men, written by the American playwright Reginald Rose, is a play depicting the workings of the American judicial system in 1957 that aid in forming the speculations of the murder case. In addition, it exemplifies the communal values in the society, the different etiquettes and affairs in America during the 1950’s. In the play, Rose displays a biased jury consisting of twelve men from distinct backgrounds that have contrasting views, opinions and reasons are entrusted with announcing a boy’s innocence or guilt over a patricide. Twelve Angry Men, is a celebration of justice and likewise a warning about the fragility of justice and the strengths of complacency, prejudice, and absence of civic responsibility that would undermine it. Several members of the jury demonstrate that they are practically unequipped for considering the murder case reasonably and
Stevenson used pathos when he gives the detailed visit that he had with Henry. To get his point across the author emotionally convinces his readers by introducing Henry. While Stevenson was at the prison talking to Henry in private visitation room a very angry guard walks in and start to handcuff Henry. Full of rage the guard notifies Stevenson that he had taken two extra hours instead of one hour that he has initially requested. Stevenson can only stand helplessly and watch how “[t]he guard was shoving him toward the door roughly.
The justice system has always been the heart of America. But like this country, it has many faults. Prejudice has played a major role in the shaping of this system. In the 1930’s the way a courtroom was set up was completely different from how it looks to day. In the book To Kill A MockingBird, Harper Lee shows just how different it is.
