West Memphis Three Vs Salem Witch Trials

The West Memphis Three vs. The Salem Witch Trials Society makes people feel pressured to make assumptions for their own benefits. There have been many examples of this throughout history. Society has been pressuring people to change and make assumptions, dating back to the stone ages all the way until the present. Why does society pressure people to make assumptions? Society makes people feel as if they are obligated to be what other people want them to be, and perform what society wants them to. Examples of this dates back to the Salem Witch Trials, where over 200 people were convicted of witchcraft and 20 people were executed. There are recent cases of this happening in our society too, such as the West Memphis three cases. The West Memphis

Justice was not served in either one of the two cases mentioned above. People made assumptions on false evidence, and justice was mutilated in both situations. In the Salem Witch Trials, people were convicted of witchcraft because of hearsay and lies. The colonies came out and apologized to the people convicted years later, but is that really justice? In my opinion, the colonies are making a mute attempt to admit that they have done wrong. The situation in the West Memphis three was very similar, however, very different. The three were convicted on hearsay too, not strong evidence. They sat in prison for years appealing the conviction, and hoped to be released from prison. Finally, after 18 years they were released, but were strongly recommended to take the Alford Plea, in which the defendants have to admit to the crime to get out of prison. The state of Arkansas offered the men the Alford Plea, so they could not sue the state when they got out of prison. In my opinion, that is not

Maybe society should live by that rule. If society were to follow that rule, there would be a decrease in false accusations. If Damian would have worn name brand clothes and dressed in colors other than black, there is a good chance that he wouldn’t have been accused of the murders. People have the right to express themselves and dress how they want to dress. People in the Salem Witch trials weren’t really accused because of how they looked, but some would say that they were. The West Memphis three teens stood out as “the weird ones” in the school, which ultimately lead to them being the top