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Troy Davis: Mass Incarceration In The Criminal Justice System

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The story of Troy Davis and his conviction can be seen as an example of how the criminal justice system has been manipulated into a system of racial segregation. In this situation, Davis was convicted as the shooter when evidence of his innocence was provided. In addition, a lack of evidence against Davis, including the lack of a murder weapon, one of the most crucial pieces of evidence in a murder case, generates further curiosity as to how Davis was found guilty of the shooting. The fact that the officer killed in this situation was white almost certainly increases the significance of the case. A white officer, serving his country, shot and killed by a black man, made the headlines and further portrayed the image that all black men are criminals. …show more content…

In this situation, it almost does not matter whether or not the person convicted was guilty of the crime or not. The only reasonable reason that Davis was convicted was that he was born a black male in a society that was determined to portray his race as criminals in order to limit the progression of African Americans. Alexander (2010) states that “mass incarceration has been normalized, and all of the racial stereotypes and assumptions that gave rise to the system are now embraced” (pp. 181). The case of Troy Davis is just one example of how our criminal justice system has worked to create mass incarcerations of African American men and how by today's standards, it seems to be a common occurrence. Through Davis’ conviction and all the way up to his execution, he was exploited by a system that resembles the Jim Crow Laws, completely stripping him of his rights and freedoms based on actions he may not have convicted, supported purely on the color of his

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