In Daniel L. Schafer’s book Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley: African Princess, Florida Slave, Plantation Slaveowner, the life of a somewhat mysterious African born woman is broken down. There were many challenges to writing a biography on a woman who did not write any letters nor kept a diary on the events of her life. This and the fact that she was an African slave in the beginning of her life over in Florida made writing such a biography all the more challenging. I feel that Schafer has succeeded in providing an organized and descriptive piece on a historical figure whose background has very much been shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. The book stays true to the thesis and keeps Anna Madgigine Jai at the center of every topic.…
Perception of the Enemy The everlasting commotion of bombshells, gunshots, ear piercing screams, and the rumble of tanks began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. To say the least, hell broke loose in 1914, the mental and emotional scars that the soldiers of World War I bare is utterly incomprehensible to the common man. Through all the chaos, the soldiers never quite knew what they were doing, they were drafted, and from that point on for the next four years came the nonstop misery and false hope of the war ending. The soldiers of the war never had a hatred for the opposing side, it was forced murder; they saw each other with pity from time to time which the authors Erich Maria Remarque, August Stramm, and Tim O’ Brien exemplify…
Most problems have a solution. And all solutions are possible. In Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture, he attempts to fulfil his childhood dreams of floating. Through Pausch’s experiences trying to get on NASA’s “Vomit Comet”, he learns a valuable lesson that he choses to include in his last lecture.…
Schweiker, Richard S. “Is Amnesty For Illegal Aliens A Sound U.S. Policy? Con.” Congressional Digest 56.10 (1977): n. pag. Print.…
Sociology 461 Criminal Justice Systems Edward M. Stern No Heroes, No Villains; by Steven Phillips In the book No Heroes, No Villains the author Steve Phillips describes a story of a single dramatic trial of murder it offers a thoughtful and balanced presentation of the problems besetting our criminal courts, lays bare the mechanics of justice, and explains in graphic detail just what is wrong and right about our criminal justice system.…
When the people of the United States of America think of justice, depictions come to mind. To some, justice is represented by the Lady Justice standing strong with a long robe and scale in her hand. This scene is enough to represent the balance that is seen in the justice system hoping for a fair distribution of law, with no bias or corruption. Unfortunately as every American strives for justice to prevail, there are cases each year where this is not the case. False convictions have become prevalent in the court of law and should be addressed to be aware of such corruption. In this specific instance, Peter Rose is one of the thousands of cases each year where the accused was found guilty and later exonerated…
Sadly, many people have served time for crimes they did not commit. Unfortunately, this is an ongoing epidemic that has terrible consequences for the innocent people who are wrongfully accused and incarcerated. In class, we watched a video about a man who was convicted of burglary and rape in the first degree and sentenced to life plus fifty years. According to a reporter by the name of Lesley Stahl, who did a 60-minute Broadcast on this case, the individual who was wrongfully accused and convicted of this crime, endured 11 years in prison until he was finally exonerated of all charges and released from prison.…
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.…
This issue seems to be an imminent problem that is growing in today's society because of the increasing number of people who are wrongly convicted each year. Recalling the lecture Brian Stevenson had given us in the fall, there are still many individuals who are tragically executed for crimes that they did not commit. As St. Edward’s commits to stressing the importance of social justices, showing the screening of “Incendiary: The Willingham Case”, along with many other films, will help to spread the awareness of the amount of people who are wrongfully convicted and…
Cited: Muraskin, Roslyn, and Albert R. Roberts. Visions for Change: Crime and Justice in the Twenty-First Century, 3rd ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002.…
The shameful history of the United States is a burden that is currently affecting everything from education to legal policy. Racial segregation has taken a toll on society and the lives of many minorities. The American judicial system lacks the understanding of human potential by targeting low income minorities and subjugating them for petty misdemeanors. Due to racial discrimination, false allegations towards minorities have resulted in wrongfully incarcerated people for petty crimes; more than likely, they will serve longer sentences for these offenses than a Caucasian person would. Without the necessary resources provided, lack of social capital can inflict damage to their reputation and the overall racial perception society has on minorities.…
Robinson, M. B. (2009). Justice Blind? Ideals and Realities of American Criminal Justice (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice.…
Victimology in its most simple form is the study of the victim or victims of a particular offender (Roberson. & Wallace, 2011). I feel that the Victims’ Movement has not yet reached its full potential because just like every form of law, legislature or even government there is always ways to improve and to become stronger. Much like when we started to form our government it had so many flaws and it still today has the ability to improve. The problem is that as society changes and crime changes the laws and the system have to change with it in order for things to improve. When it comes to crimes it isn’t just the victim that is affected, everyone involved is affected including the offender and the society.…
Innocence Project's nationwide work provides social problem work to free innocent prisoners, expose injustices and prevent wrongful convictions throughout the United States. The matriculation of individuals into state penitentiaries continues to stigmatize offenders as well as ex…
Working at the Public Defender Service for District of Columbia (PDSDC) was an experience that I truly cherish and one that really opened my eyes to the impact a dedicated public interest attorney can make in people's lives. Witnessing how much the talented attorneys I was working for cared about their clients and how much of a difference they made for each them, made me want to continue to help those who are struggling in the criminal justice system. Volunteering as a case-screener for the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project allows me to do exactly that, while also gaining more valuable legal experience.…