Before the advancements in science and DNA discovery, there have been many men and woman executed for a crime he/ she did not commite. After DNA was discovered there have been cases where DNA has exonerated date row inmates. If DNA wasn't discovered many men and women would have been executed and if DNA testing was available earlier it would have easily proven that Cameron Todd Willingham, Corsicana, Texas was innocent.
Picking Cotton Picking Cotton is a story that entails two individuals’ trials in forgiveness and finding peace. Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton are the two individuals whose lives were changed forever by the events that occurred on that unfortunate night in 1984. Case Events
Picking Cotton Annotated Bibliography Thompson-Cannino, Jennifer, Ronald Cotton, and Erin Torneo. Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2010.
Author, Anita Larsen, in her nonfiction textbook article “The Murder with No Body” about a murder solved without an actual victim writes to inform young adults about the role of forensics in solving crimes by using the case of Helen McCourt in a serious tone. This author supports her central idea very successfully. She supports her claim by introducing the case of Helen McCourt, whose disappearance was unexplained and suspicion of foul play could not be proven. She next proceeds to show that a name in the victim's diary led the investigators to blood stained clothes in the possession of Ian Simms, but the inability to prove that the clothes were McCourt’s halted the investigation. Additionally, she explains that the use of genetics had to
For example, Maryland believed that DNA analysis helps to identify suspects more accurately and reduce future crimes, which would boost the public's confidence in law enforcement. The State even claimed that without the DNA Collection Act, which enabled the police to cheek swab from King, they would not have connected King to the sexual assault that he was ultimately accused of. Nevertheless, there is a risk in allowing Maryland to enforce its DNA Act for the purpose of only removing violent offenders. King actually acknowledges that DNA collection is beneficial because arrestees are more likely to have committed other crimes but hypothesizes that this logic can also be applied for other subgroups as well. For instance, young men, residents of particular neighborhoods, individuals from particular socioeconomic or educational backgrounds, or any other group that has a high incidence of criminal activity can be accused.
Ellie Meriggioli Amendment 8 Wisconsin State Journal, “Marcellus Williams Didn’t Die but Others Will,” August 28, 2017, page A9. This article is about a man named Marcellus Williams. Marcellus was supposed to be pumped with poison and die. But just hours before planned death penalty the governor of Missouri, Eric Greitens called it off to review his case again. Marcellus was on trial for the murder of Lisha.
If it wasn’t for DNA, Ronald Cotton would been convicted and locked up for a crime he didn’t do. The case against Ronald Cotton was one of many that involved African Americans, for there were approximately 200 African Americans who were exonerated after spending an average of 14 years in a correctional facility (“DNA Exonerations Nationwide,” 2016).
The Case of Ronald Cotton Sol Ridgeway University of North Texas The Case of Ronald Cotton 10 years in prison, is what Ronald Cotton had to endure for a crime he didn’t commit. Jennifer Thompson in 1984 was a college student making great grades and feeling really good about her future. While sleeping in her bed one night, she heard something in her bedroom and when awoke, saw a man crouched by her bed. The man jumped on top of her, put a knife to her neck, and began to rape.
The Ronald Cotton case is a primary example of an innocent citizen being sentenced to jail by a mistaken eyewitness testimony. The reliability of eyewitness testimonies to what actually occurred is slim. With the help of the justice system, Ronald Cotton was released and compensated, and the number of cases of mistaken eyewitness testimonies decreased. In July of 1984, an attacker entered the apartment of Jennifer Thompson and proceeded to rape and rob her.
Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong In Brandon L. Garrett 's book, Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong, he makes it very clear how wrongful convictions occur and how these people have spent many years in prison for crimes they never committed. Garrett presents 250 cases of innocent people who were convicted wrongfully because the prosecutors opposed testing the DNA of those convicted. Garrett provided simple statistics such as graphs, percentages, and charts to help the reader understand just how great of an impact this was.
The Cotton Club Harlem was a vibrant community filed with culture and in the 1920 's was the Harlem renaissance. The Harlem renaissance was a African American movement that enlightened music, literature and many more things(Pietrusza, David). African American used this to bring a style to there appeal like jazz, but also was a movement to use there talents to fight for equal rights and equality. The cotton club was in the middle of the this cultural movement in which they saw that there was profit to make. As the cotton club soon began to became a well known club it started to attract many white clients who were looking for a good time.
In the lab report three students are tested along with one suspect. Student number two’s DNA matched the suspects DNA. The student’s DNA’s are cut with five different enzymes as well as the suspects DNA. Student two’s DNA matched exactly with the suspects DNA; the other two student’s DNA did not resemble the suspects DNA at all. (Choi, et al, 2008) DNA fingerprinting is used a lot in determining who committed a crime.
The Cotton Club was located in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. The club was previously owned by heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Johnson, who named the club Club Deluxe in 1920. Two years later, Owney Madden took over the club and renamed it the famous name of the Cotton Club. He renewed the club to where it was only limited to a white audience, and the only black people allowed were the best performers at the time. However, the only exception to that was when white performers and dancers guest starred.
he History of Organized Crime in America The late 1800’s to early 1900’s was the start of The organized crime network that has many operations throughout the United States, particularly in New York City and Chicago. This was also known as the American Mafia which started with street gangs back in the late 1800’s. These groups made success through illicit liquor trade which started in the 1920’s Prohibition Era. According to History.com, the 18th amendment was ratified which banned manufacturing and sale of intoxicating liquors which was known as the Prohibition period in American History.
Criminal Activity of the 1920s-1930s The early times of the 20th century, more specifically the 1920s, in the United States were an era filled with tons of parties, huge change due to the international economic depression, and, thanks to the laws behind prohibition, criminal enterprise. These enterprises were very enigmatic, only sharing its careers ' secrets with its members. The only other people it fashioned with were sometimes people and businesses that were a part of the cities and societies these organizations took place in. Whether it is with bribes or blackmail, these people some of the times had no choice but to resort to assisting these organizations.
