Who Are The Five Young Black And Latinx Teens?

The five wrongfully convicted victims in the Central Park case are among the most notorious cases of unfairness and prejudice in the U.S. The Central Park 5 documentary by Ken Burns showcases how racial bias, societal pressure, and other factors led to the wrongful conviction of five young black and Latinx teenagers between the ages of 14-16. From a sociological perspective, there are two theories that can be used to analyze the film, which are symbolic interactionism and conflict theory. Symbolic interactionism showcases how dynamics such as social interaction and group behavior shaped law enforcement actions to apprehend these teenagers, while conflict theory helps account for factors such as race, class, gender, and power and how it contributed to their wrongful conviction and forced confessions that the media used to perpetuate them …show more content…
criminal system. Ken Burn’s documentary showcases how societal pressure and social institutions played a role in the wrongful conviction of the five young black and Latinx teenagers. Symbolic interactionism and conflict theory provides valuable insights on how social dynamics came to play in their case. Symbolic interactionism helps explain how the interaction and labeling of these by law enforcement further made the case much more prominent as it happened in a populated place and the labeling led these teens to fall into a deepened state of sadness as everything was against their odds. On the other hand, conflict theory accounts for factors such as race, class, gender, and power. It explains how these societal factors played their role, such as law enforcement being the highest power, completely overpowering these innocent teenagers, leading to coerced confessions and the wrongful conviction that soon followed. As a result, all five teenagers served a total of forty years for a crime they never