“Count one, guilty, first-degree murder. Count two, guilty of felony murder. Count three, guilty of especially aggravated robbery.” This is the verdict Cyntoia, a teen victim of sex-trafficking, got on August 25th, 2006. The case of Cyntoia Brown is about an innocent victim, who had been punished for finding the courage to fight against the ones who had hurt her. Ultimately, this case is the greatest injustice act against a person ever yet. Her whole life, she had been facing abuse and inequity. She was only 16 when she has murdered Johnny Allen in 2004, and is now serving a life sentence, with an eligible parole on her 69th birthday. What the jury hasn’t been told about is that Cyntoia has been repeatedly drugged and physically and sexually …show more content…
Cyntoia was born to an alcoholic mother with records of multiple psychiatric disorders; quoting from Brown’s mother, “Bipolar, personality disorder, suicidal, manic depressive, which is an unguarded condition. At times I’ve had homicidal thoughts for people that have hurt me. I’ve been raped, and I always wanted to do things to them for hurting me.” Furthermore, to add even more to the trauma, Cyntoia, her mother and grandmother were all raped over the course of three generations. Cyntoia’s mother also was unable to take care of the girl, as she has a history of intergenerational abuse; She had also testified to heavy drinking, about a fifth of whiskey per day, while pregnant with the girl; mother’s alcoholism had resulted in Cyntoia being born with Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which has slowed her brain development and had lowered her IQ. Brown’s mother began using crack cocaine when the girl was eight months; furthermore, by the time she was 2 years old, Cyntoia was given up for adoption. According to the documentary, “Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story”, after Cyntoia got adopted in Clarksville, Tennessee, her new family had been providing the girl with a stable home and proper care; despite all of that, Cyntoia had become a runaway in 2004, as a result of improper emotional development. She had dropped elementary school, and moved to Nashville. After abandoning her family, Cyntoia’s life started to fall apart, facing more serious problems, as well as unbelievable amounts of abuse, injustice, and
The convictions carried concurrent life sentences and eight additional years” (Willingham, 2017). Cyntoia Brown, now having been in prison for thirteen years, is continuing to better herself despite the circumstances surrounding her. Brown’s advocates told the Times that she has been a model inmate, earning a G.E.D. and an associate degree over her thirteen years behind bars. Brown, now 28, is also reportedly aiming for a bachelor of arts by next year (Barron, 2017).
Draft Paper In the documentary film, “Kids for Cash”, Robert May shows his audience the horrors of the Luzerne County justice system. He uses imagery, appeals to logos and pathos, personal experiences and anecdotes to support his claim. Robert May made this documentary to show the world that the government needs to make sure that even minors have a fair trial and justice before being incarcerated.
In recent readings about Cyntoia Brown, who according to Willingham, previously was a victim of human sex trafficking, is now serving a life sentence for murder. The source reports that Brown suffered from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, grew up in an abusive home and ran away from her adoptive parent’s house prior to becoming involved in prostitution in Nashville. She was staying with different people and using drugs and alcohol. As a runaway, she then met a 24-year-old pimp named "Cut Throat," who eventually began physically and sexually abusing her, and forced her into prostitution according to Willingham. The article states that on August 7, 2004, Brown testified she was solicited for sex by 43-year-old Johnny Mitchell Allan, who picked her up near a Sonic parking lot and drove her back to his house.
In July 1979, Gary Dotson was convicted of aggravated kidnapping and rape of a young woman in 1977. He was sentenced to not less than twenty-five and not more than fifty years. Many years after Dotson’s conviction, the victim recanted her testimony because she didn’t want anyone to know about a sexual encounter with her boyfriend so she fabricated the rape. Once the victim recanted her testimony, Dotson contended that the recantation constituted grounds to vacate the original sentence and he should be awarded a new trial. In 1987, the governor agreed to grant Dotson his last chance at parole.
(Johnson v. Johnson, 2004). So, a man is beaten (both mentally and physically), raped numerous times, practically used as a sex slave, is denied medical attention and protection, and then he tries to tell the world and expose what happened, he is denied that too. This justice system has just taken a broken man, looked at what's left of him, and told him those who threw him down and watched him shatter, didn't do it. They laughed in the face of a human, and told him he didn't matter. The justice system just denied this man
Cyntoia Brown was 16 years old she killed a Tennessee real estate agent who solicited her for sex, for which she was sentenced to life in prison. Though there haven’t been significant changes to her case’s basic details since her first trial in 2006, celebrities and advocates are turning a light on Brown’s story and sex trafficking with the viral social media campaign,After running away from home, Brown lived with her 24-year-old boyfriend who, she has said, abused her, raped her, threatened to kill her and forced her into a life of drug use and sex work. “He would explain to me that some people were born whores and that I was one, and I was a slut, and nobody wants me but him, and the best thing I could do was learned to be a good whore,” Brown testified at a 2012
In the case of Tara Brown’s murder, various groups of individuals are affected. As well as maintaining principles of fair punishment and deterrence, the criminal justice system has to consider perceptions of the victim’s family (secondary victim), the community’s demand for crime prevention, and the offender’s rights to a fair court hearing. The most likely outcome is imprisonment for Lionel John Patea due to committing an indictable offence. It is important to note that if this was only a case of domestic abuse without murder, it would utilise more time, effort and expenses to come to a resolution. This is due to the different circumstances and degree of abuse that the judge has to assess.
The article forced me to ponder about the existence of unfairness and injustice which inevitably and constantly hinders society because the individual discussed in the article experiences these factors in an unusual and rather extreme circumstance. William Goldman, the author of The Princess’ Bride once rhetorically questioned, “Who says life is fair, where is [this statement] written?”, which summarizes the outcomes of life itself. Humans frequently face adversity throughout daily lives, whether minor challenges or major hurdles; these problems include unretainable lost objects or the death of a beloved individual. To others, injustice may appear judicially and politically; Ivan Henry and David Milgaard were both wrongfully convicted of sexual
Ralph Fynn’s terrible childhood will leave him forever scarred, but he hopes that his actions will give others the power and strength to do so for themselves. His taking the stand is no ordinary trial, and it will hopefully lead to big changes in California, and the rest of the nation. I hope Ralph Fynn will be able to see his abusers receive the justice they deserve, and this will give him a sense of closure and wholeness, and help heal the wound that his abuse left him. This trial is very important and will have significant effects on our society. As tragic as this event may be, it may be worth it to see the perspective on abuse change during my lifetime, and these acts of cruelty begin to
As she must have loved her husband, this has to have been a major hindrance for her to surpass. After she accepts this fact, she can almost be free of her guilt, but not completely. Proceeding this realization, the greatest obstacle she had to face was the fact that Cole’s mother has to file abuse charges against her husband. In her eyes, this is a difficult impediment in her path, but it is necessary for her to conquer it to be free of her guilt and fear. In real life, cases may not always be as severe as this one, but there are many instances where someone has to either succumb to a terror of theirs and live restricted by it, or they could overcome it and live a happier, self-oriented life.
While those in favor of her being found guilty seek imprisonment, others, like the opposing side, seek to have her let off due to the situation not being entirely her fault. Summary In the article “Flowers: Woman who goaded boyfriend to commit suicide must pay for dark act,” Christine Flowers argues in favor of Michelle Carter being held accountable for the death of her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III.
Eventually down the road, Wilbert has lectured at universities, seminars, national and international conferences, and at meetings of organizations for the reform of the criminal justice system and against the death penalty. He also has been a consultant to both federal and state capital defense teams on dozens of cases around the country. Lastly, he also become an author writing about the American criminal justice system and the prison system. In the final analysis, from Wilbert Rideau becoming a strong positive representative to the lack of empathy that Vincent Simmons received, even though his case seemed a bit open and shut, to Eugene ‘Bishop’ Tannehill making a full turn around becoming a preacher to his once fellow inmates.
(2) A person sentenced to imprisonment to life for the crime of murder is to serve that sentence for the term of that person’s natural life. The fact that Katherine Knight was sentence to life imprisonment for the murder of John Price reflects society’s standards in that nobody should get away with taking somebody else’s life, especially in the way in which Katherine did. 6 THE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE LEGAL SYSTEM IN ACHIEVING JUSTICE Once Katherine Knight pleaded guilty to the murder of John Price, the court was able to sentence her quite efficiently once all evidence was heard. The efficiency of this case and also the fact that Katherine Knight received the harshest penalty possible in Australia for her horrific crime shows how justice was achieved.
Brooklyn Farley Miss. DeLong Practical Law 7th February 2018 Exploring the Juvenile Justice System: Cyntoia Brown Cyntoia Brown was sentenced to life in prison at the young age of only sixteen after fatally shooting Johnny Allen. She is currently imprisoned at the Tennessee Prison For Women. Georgina Mitchell, Cyntoia’s biological mother, drank while she was pregnant causing Cyntoia to become diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, affecting her behavior to be impulsive and rational decision making (Guy). At the age of two, Cyntoia was given up for adoption to Ellenette Brown after her mother started using crack cocaine.
We must go and overthrow the court, he says!’” (Miller 119). Miller gives insight into how the accusations around 1950-1954 may have also included the pressure of higher authority forcing someone (of the lower authority) with power, money, and etc. to testify false accusations. The author presents an interesting story that mirrors and represents a different time period, displaying the social injustice of people as they are motivated by fear, jealousy, hatred of one another, and more.