This section contains 2,536 words (approx. 9 pages at 300 words per page) |
Problems That Led to the Wrongful Conviction of David Milgaard
Summary: Three primary causes led to the wrongful conviction of David Milgaard in 1969. Pre-existing social perceptions of deviance placed Milgaard among the socially marginalized, making him an easy target for police and public allegations. The broadcast media impacted public awareness and police actions, presenting a problem with jury discrimination and witness testimony. And perhaps most inexcusably, the Canadian criminal justice system committed misconduct in both the investigation and prosecution of the case.
How to appropriately and fairly carry out criminal justice matters is something that every country struggles with. A major reason for this struggle is the fallibility of the justice system. It is acceptable to concede that the possibility of human error in every case and investigation may lead to a wrongful conviction. In the case of David Milgaard, however, Canada's Criminal Justice System not only erred, but failed grievously, resulting in millions of dollars wasted, in a loss of public confidence in the system, and most tragically, in the robbery of two decades of one man's life. Factors including, but not limited to, the social context at the time of the crime, the social perception of deviance, the influence of the media, and the misconduct of investigating police and prosecution played a substantial role in the subsequent miscarriage of justice.
Much of society mistakenly interchanges the two concepts...
This section contains 2,536 words (approx. 9 pages at 300 words per page) |