The main purpose is to write a short essay (750-words) that compares and contrasts the cases of those who were wrongfully convicted in the cases presented in The Central Park Five (https://watchdocumentaries.com/the-central-park-five/)and the Frontline: The Confessions (https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-the-confessions/.)documentaries. The other materials, both the third documentary and the longform journalism articles, will assist you in successfully answering the below questions.
Link for the longform journalism articles here:
https://www.propublica.org/article/who-polices-prosecutors-who-abuse-their-authority-usually-nobody
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-judges-misconduct/
Please structure your essay as responses to the below questions.
- What similarities did you notice between the cases portrayed in the two documentaries? (e.g. the case characteristics, the suspect characteristics, the societal reaction, and how the system “dealt” with the case)
- What differences did you notice between the cases portrayed in the two documentaries? (e.g. the case characteristics, the suspect characteristics, the societal reaction, and how the system “dealt” with the case)
- Where do you believe individuals, policies and/or laws failed and, because of these failures, aided in the wrongful convictions of these boys and men from these documentaries?
- What examples from the other materials listed in the Additional Materials section were similar to the issues you identified in The Central Park Five and Frontline: The Confessions.
- Based on the readings, the documentaries, and your own ideas, what policies, procedures and/or laws would you enact or change to reduce the likelihood that others would be wrongfully convicted?
- Please use in-text citations so that I know what materials you are referencing, e.g. (Hall, 2019), however, you do not need to create a bibliography unless you include information from materials not assigned