In the novel, the judges, and lawyers are examples of formal social audiences. In chapter 8, the author explains that the lawyers and policemen’s jobs are reliant on each other. The police’s job is to collect evidence, do lab work, and interpret autopsy reports. The prosecutors, on the other hand, don’t do all the detective work, they just rely on what evidence the police find to present to the court. The prosecutors create an angle of vision to the jury, judges, and the people.…
Gwendolyn Brooks tackles the Emmett Till case in a way that has never been done before. Brooks gives an artistic narrative that shows what happened in the Bryant’s household after the trial. She also challenges the reader to adopt a whole new perspective when it comes to Carolyn Bryant, the woman partly responsible for the death of Till. Carolyn Bryant’s direct role in Till’s case is still debatable. Did send her husband after him?…
The book Ordinary Injustice How America Holds Court is a novel written by attorney and journalist Amy Bach about the American legal system, and how it was become flawed. In four chapters, she discusses many different cases where injustice and corruption has occurred in the United States legal system all over the country. I chose to focus on a chapter titled “A Troy Champion” which is the second chapter in the novel written about a beloved city council president, and former judge, named Henry R. Bauer from the city of Troy who is not as just as everyone has come to believe. Bach begins the chapter by discussing how popular Bauer had become. “To walk the streets with Bauer was to accompany a celebrity” (Bach, 77) she says.…
Book review: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander In the book, the New Jim Crow, Alexander Michelle gives a descriptive information of how the American government is set up to put down the Black community. She argues that the current system is just a successor of the other past system of slavery. For each chapter, the author makes detailed explanations of her points. With subtitles, she is able to touch on every component within her topics.…
The United States justice system is corrupt. It has been and will be influenced by racial prejudice and biased toward the rich and famous. Orenthal “OJ” Simpson, born in poverty but raised to the status of an American hero, is the perfect example of this and of the archetype of the tragic hero. Simpson, once a beloved and celebrated sports star, experienced a fall from the limelight after his secret more sinister side was revealed in a transformative court case.…
Stephen Bright takes a clear stance when discussing capital punishment. He associates the death penalty with the many other practices which have long been abandoned. These practices include whipping, branding, cutting off appendages, maiming, and other primitive forms of punishment. It is clear that Stephen Bright believes the United States should abandon the death penalty. In fact, his essay is written in a way which assumes that the United States will inevitable abandon capital punishment.…
Reading Response: State of Delinquency 1. How does the text circulate? The material analyzed by Chavez-Garcia Miroslava circulates in the form of a book that was originally published on July 2012. The author’s targeted audience consists primarily of both academic and uninformed individuals who are interested in learning about compelling case studies of young black and brown children who were processed by the California juvenile justice system.…
There are many faults to the United States criminal justice system. Weaknesses in today’s judicial system fail to uphold our nation’s values and protect society’s most vulnerable members. Many of these weaknesses can be mistakes found in the way people think or the psychology behind many cognitive forces. One of these flawed psychological processes frame the way we see victims of crime. The book, Unfair, written by Adam Benforado points out how labeling victims can influence exactly how a case is handled.…
The Bias in the Media against an Acquitted Murderer Murder cases have a unique place in the American judicial court system, especially the case of Casey Anthony and the death of her two year old daughter, Caylee. On July 15, 2008, she was reported missing to 9-1-1 by Cindy Anthony (Grandmother), who said she had not seen Caylee for 31 days and that Casey 's car smelled like a dead body had been inside it. The cops then later interviewed Casey Anthony where she provided a number of falsehoods—including the child was kidnapped—and was charged with first degree murder. The case was later sent to court and after months of testimony and presentation of evidence, the court found her guilty of lies to the police but was acquitted of the first degree…
Historically, America has been predisposed towards racism against African-Americans. However, Americans, for the past century, have effectively ignored the issues with race that the American society still faces in the criminal justice system. In his TED Talk entitled “We need to talk about an injustice,” Bryan Stevenson addresses the issues with the American criminal justice system by detailing the problems and showing the important role the citizens of American can play. Although the topic is a serious one, Stevenson discusses the issues with elegance and carefulness and is able to effectively persuade his audience. Before delving into the information that Stevenson provides in his speech, it is essential to evaluate the setting that Stevenson…
The lawyer shows what "justice" actually means in a racist society. He asks, "What justice would there be to take this life? Justice, gentlemen? Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this" (8).…
In The Ghetto Made Me Do It, Francis Flaherty puts forth that if individuals grow delineated by severe violence, then they ought to be given a lighter verdict in case they commit a felony in the future. These people are entitled to a lighter jail sentence because of all that they have experienced. This essay discusses the statement “Lisa was a victim and product of her environment and was not responsible for her own actions”. Lisa at such a young age endured several tragedies that changed her life forever. She was raped at the age of 12, experienced the death of several family members as well Morgan lacked parental guidance, she was constantly abused and dealing with her mother’s drug addiction.…
The ‘trial of the century’ changed many Americans’ views on race. While race is the most notable impact and influence associated with the Simpson trial, the highly popularized case brought more transformations than creating a major race controversy. The trials multi-faceted ideas and themes, including media coverage, criminology, views on justice, and domestic abuse, impacted American culture as well. The O.J. Simpson trial had a long-term impact that went further than racial tensions to ultimately change the media, change perception of the justice system, promote better job performance, and to raise awareness of domestic abuse.…
The criminal justice system in the United States has increasingly targeted people of color, more specifically African Americans, for crimes that they may have not committed. A huge number of incarcerated African Americans have been wrongfully convicted within the past 20 years. Through the creation of the national police force in 1893, African Americans have had a target on their back. Ever since the establishment of Jim Crows Laws in the 1890s through “separate but equal,” racism has been prominent in society. Through systematic racism, many Americans assume that Africans Americans are more likely to be engaging in criminal activity.…
Criminal Justice Frontline’s video, “Second Chance Kids,” takes its viewers through a controversial topic: life in prison for those who committed crimes as teens. Before the mid 2000s, teenagers who murdered someone get sentenced to life without parole. The arguments that teenagers grow up and change convinced courts to reconsider giving parole to those who were convicted for their crimes made as a teen. In one case, Anthony Rolon was 17 years old when he committed a crime. He was helping his father with selling drugs but a party next doors got really loud.…