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The Central Park 5, 12 Angry Men And The Case Of Archie Williams

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“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” - Desmond Tutu

The Judicial system is unfair as personal biases within the system can largely affect the outcome of any case, as seen in “The Central Park 5”, “12 Angry Men”, and The case of Archie Williams. These instances of prejudice and bias are the reason why many individuals are falsely convicted in the courtroom. There is estimated to be around 1000 wrongful convictions happening every year in the United States. While some may argue that these wrongful convictions only account for 5% of convictions, the Justice system still imprisons innocent people and shames them for crimes they didn’t commit.

The Justice system can be continued to be seen …show more content…

In 1983, Archie Williams was sent to prison after being accused of rape and attempted murder in Louisiana. At the time of his accusation, he was struggling with his economic stance as a 22 year old. During his trial, multiple pieces of evidence were presented that should’ve proved his innocence. The police had found fingerprints at the scene of the crime, but when they ran them, they didn’t match Mr. Williams’. Along with the Victim never identifying Williams (Only did after police forced her to), and multiple witnesses attesting for Archie being in his bed when the crime was committed. Even though these pieces of evidence prove his innocence he was still sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. An innocent man was forced to live the rest of his life in prison. The force from the police during lineups was the only reason the victim pointed out Archie. Later on many attorneys with the Innocence Project would step forward in order to help prove Archie's innocence. The selfishness of the police officers and the biases against him caused the forced point out, and eventually his conviction. If biases, selfishness, and prejudice didn’t exist in the justice system, where wouldn’t be a need for an Innocence Project to fight the justice system after fully innocent people go to jail without substantial evidence, these . When the …show more content…

Thankfully all of these cases ended with them being exonerated, but that's not the case for all. Some innocent people are still behind bars or have been executed for someone else’s crimes. To hep support organizations like the Innocence Project visit: Innocence Project - National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement so you can have a part in making sure this injustice is stopped and innocent people get a chance to live their lives as everyone else.

Sources: Quote by Desmond Tutu (Foreword): “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, ...”

William Friedkin, Kenyon Hopkins, and Richard S. Kaufman. 12 ANGRY MEN. USA,

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