The United States criminal justice system is diminishing millions of lives every day. Ironically, the amount of inequalities that the criminal justice system portrays goes against the term ‘justice’. There is a 33% chance that a black male will end up in jail in his lifetime, while white males have a 6% chance. There are 4,749 black males incarcerated while there are only 703 white males. Prisons receive revenue of 1.65 billion dollars per year which makes them willing to incarcerate anyone that they can (“Enduring Myth of Black Criminality”). Two stories that give an insight into the criminal justice system are the stories of Steve Harmon from the book Monster and Brent Butler from the documentary Murder On A Sunday Morning. Steve Harmon is …show more content…
He is being accused by association and could possibly be facing a life sentence. Brent Butler is a fifteen-year-old boy who is being accused of the murder of a lady named Mary Ann Stephen. Similar to Steve, Brent is also facing a life sentence. The documentary shows many details of his trial as well as the events that led to his arrest. Combined these two texts show the reader that the criminal justice system is corrupted, biased, and fairly racist. Brent Butler and Steve Harmon are both being accused of a crime that they did not commit. Brent Butler was picked up by the police because he was a black male who was walking in the area of the murder of Mary Ann Stephen. Steve Harmon was picked up by detectives because they believed that he was an accomplice in the murder of Alguinaldo Nesbitt. In Monster, the prosecutor …show more content…
Brent had a different and tougher experience with his case than Steve did. In Brent Butler’s case he experienced abuse from a detective as well as racial slurs. The detective was sure that Brent committed the murder because the witness who happened to be a white man said that he was the shooter. He did not even get to write his own testimony, another detective wrote it for him. When he was in the room giving his testimony the sound was off and there was no detective outside to listen to what Brent was saying. In Murder On A Sunday Morning, Brent’s defense attorney shows pictures of his injuries and puts Brent on the stand to testify. Brent said that the detective was poking him in his chest, punched him in the stomach twice, and punched him in his left eye several times. The detective also said to Brent, “It’s niggers like you that make me mad these days”. In Monster, the guard says, “...then they lock them up. (Turns and looks off camera toward STEVE.) Ain't that right, bright eyes?” (Myers 14). Steve Harmon may have suffered verbal abuse from the guards at jail but they never touched him or threw racial slurs at him. No one should be harmed while in police custody, they should feel safe. Since Brent is black, the detective probably felt that he could get away with treating Brent however he wanted to at that time. This helps demonstrate the fact that the criminal justice system is biased and
Many people today get involved with the wrong people, as a result, many people are wrongly accused and incarcerated for crimes they didn’t commit. In the book MONSTER, there is a witness named Steve, who is on trial for the murder of a drugstore owner. Steve was the lookout in the robbery, however, he was not responsible for Mr. Nesbitt’s death. First of all, Steve was the lookout because he planned the robbery with James King.
The truth is really not what one might think. In the novel, Monster by Walter Dean Myers, there is a young man named Steve Harmon is on trial for felony murder and robbery. King and Bobo said that Harmon was the person that went inside to check if there was anyone in there. That was Kings and Bobos truth because they made themselves think that Harmon was part of the robbery. But there was no actual proof because King and Bobo are two criminals and they just might want to lighten their sentences.
In the book Monster Steve Harmon is a 16-year-old boy accused of being an accomplice in robbery and murder. Our judicial system is based on the common belief of “innocent until proven guilty.” Steve Harmon was found beyond a reasonable doubt innocent, and that was the only reasonable conclusion the jury could have came to. Although contrary to popular belief, even after the testimony’s saying Steve was the so-called “look out” in the crime, the facts tip the scale in the opposite direction. If Steve was in fact the look out, why was there no signal from Steve when he exited the drug store nor did he get a cut of the money for his “part” in the crime?
In the United States in 2014, there were approximately 4.5 murders per 100,000 people but what makes Steve and Brenton different? “There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, and nothing worth killing for.” Steve and Brenton are two young black males who are facing the world in their trial. They are both of the age of 15 and had been blamed for felony murder and robbery. Is Steve and Brenton innocent or are they actually guilty?
In the crime of Steven Harmon you should find the defendant not guilty because there was no solid evidence of Steven Harmon being there at the time of the crime. In the hearing of the case we have all the witness testimonies and stories of what happened that day, what they know, and how they were involved but not once did we hear Mr.Harmon’s name mentioned at a culprit at the scene.
If I were on the jury, I would have voted to acquit Steve Harmon. I would acquit Steve Harmon because he was just a kid and was, if he was apart of the crime at all, probably pressured into it by King. Also Steve Harmon gave a very compelling story when he was on the stand. On top of that Mr. Sawicki said that he is an outstanding young man and that Steve is very involved in depicting his neighborhood in a positive
Monster, a novel written by Walter Dean Meyers, tells of a young black kid named Steve Harmon and his experiences and feelings he encounters during his stay in jail. Steve is on trial for being “the lookout” of a robbery gone wrong, which resulted in the death of the storeowner, Mr. Nesbitt. The man responsible for the death of Mr. Nesbitt was James King who actually pulled the trigger to end Mr. Nesbitt’s life. Yet, Steve is on trial for felony murder for being the so-called “look out”. Steve should not be held responsible for a crime he did not commit.
In the book, “Monster” by: Walter Dean Myers and the documentary “Murder on Sunday Morning” both present similar cases and storylines. They both bring the topic of racism,and injustice together. Yet they approach the topics in different ways. While they have many differences, they also have similarities. In Monster the story follows the process that sixteen year old Steve is facing when he is accused of assisting in a robbery turned murder.
If you were blamed for a crime you didn’t do, would you let that accusation go and let it tarnish your reputation? Would you let it fly by and have others judge from every angle? No, right? Normally people who get accused of crimes demand justice as they know they did not commit the crime and only justice can give them the freedom they deserve. But let’s look at Steve Harmon, the main character from the book Monster by Walter Dean Myers who was on trial for murder.
How would you feel if you were put on trial for a crime you did not commit? In the book Monster, by Walter Dean Myers, that’s the case for a young man in Harlem, New York. Steve Harmon, is a sixteen-year-old African American that has been put on trial for felony murder which he did not commit. Steve has been accused of acting as the look-out man in a robbery that took place on December 22nd in an uptown convenience store that ends in the murder of Alguinaldo Nesbitt, the owner of the convenience store, but the evidence clearly shows that Steve was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Steve has never met Richard Evans, the convenience store was not clear, and there was no signal.
When on trial for a serious crime or felony, there are multiple things at stake; the person’s life, reputation, freedom, and, possibly, his or her own morality. If that person is found guilty, then they will receive a selected amount of time in jail or prison. However, if found not guilty than all charges will be dropped. It is quite clear that if someone’s life of freedom was at risk, then that person would do anything to convince the jury that he or she is not guilty. They possibly even lie under oath.
The prosecution is charging the defendant Alex palmer with first degree murder of Jes Markson. Critical aspects of four witness testimonies will be analyzed and discussed. Furthermore, the prosecution will explain the importance of each testimony and how the testimony helps link the Defendant Alex Palmer to the crime. The first witness Detective Dana Brown should state that she has been working for the Hollywood police department for eighteen years, seven of which have been as a detective. Disclosure of this information to the jury will help establish her credibility.
In society today there are young kids that do terrible things and they don't fully understand the extent of the matter. In the book “Monster” it tells the story of a young Steve Harmon, he planned a lookout that turned fatal but he had a change of heart. The people at the scene witnessed and could identify him as the lookout. He did not pull the trigger but he was involved in the crime. Steves name was mentioned when King and Evans were discussing the plans for the fatal crime.
The question still stands. Is Steve Harmon guilty? Monster is a screenplay, written by Walter Dean Myers, in the perspective of a character named Steve Harmon. This book does an exceptional job of expressing Harmon’s thoughts and emotions throughout the trial. In this story, Steve Harmon is a sixteen year old boy, on trial with his neighborhood acquaintance, James King, for the accusation of the robbery and murder of Alguinaldo Nesbitt.
After reading Monster, there are two questions that need to be answered. These questions are “Was Steve Harmon the lookout for the robbery” and “Is Steve Harmon responsible for the death of Mr. Nesbitt?” He may have been acquitted, but this does not make him innocent. The evidence clearly shows that Steve Harmon was the lookout for the robbery and thus responsible for Mr. Nesbitt’s death because he was at the planning of the robbery, he was named by Bobo Evans as the lookout, and rather than reporting Evans and King to the authorities, he helped them murder and rob an innocent man.