The Best American Magazine Essay

Pamela Colloff’s “The Innocent Man,” is an eye-opening, gut-wrenching essay in which Colloff beautifully takes a high complexity prejudiced case of a guilty murder verdict and successfully brings to light her inspiring character Michael Morton’s true innocence in a flawed justice system. Suspense, sadness and frustration are effectively provoked from the reader about Michael’s tragic nightmare which persists for over two decades of time. A nightmare which begins when Michael returns home from work on August 13, 1986, to find out his dead wife was beaten to death in their bed. This is only the beginning of what Colloff unfolds in her writing of Michael’s twenty-five-year agonizing battle behind bars. Step by step Colloff’s marvelous writing

Innocent recounts a period, from 2008-2009, in the life of Judge Rusty Sabich. It is divided into three main sections (pre-trial, trial, and post-trial) and narrated from several points-of-view, such as Rusty Sabich, a judge in Kindle County; Nat Sabich, a law school graduate and the son of Rusty; Tommy Molto, a Kindle County prosecuting attorney; and Anna Vostic, a law clerk and Rusty’s mistress. However, the overarching story narrative focuses on the death of Barbara Sabich and the trial of Rusty, her husband, for her murder. The murder trial in Innocent occurs twenty-years after Rusty was tried for the murder of Carolyn Polhemus. Polhemus was an attorney, who was strangled in her apartment. Also, she was Rusty’s mistress. At trial, Rusty was acquitted for Polhemus’s murder and the case was never solved. Another aspect of the book is the appeal of John Harnason, a convicted poisoner, who Rusty has extrajudicial involvement with. Innocent is a standalone sequel to Scott Turow’s book Presumed Innocent, which recounts the Polhemus trial in detail.

The criminal justice system is meant to protect the innocent, and punish those who are guilty of a crime. However, no system is perfect, and as a result, sometimes the innocent become victims of the system that was meant to protect them. How exactly do these innocent people become victims of the system? Sometimes the person gets framed, and the crime scene is staged to point a finger at them. Sometimes, there is no strong physical evidence against them, yet circumstantial evidence is used by the crown to put them away. This happened to a 17 year old boy named Adnan Syed in Baltimore, Maryland, who was imprisoned for life, for the alleged murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Lee. Throughout the Serial podcast, Sarah Koenig is able to critically analyze information which proves Adnan’s innocence. Firstly, Asia’s letters gave Adnan an alibi for the time of the murder. Secondly, Adnan’s innocence can be demonstrated through the lack of any strong evidence and the prosecution’s use of circumstantial evidence which can be disproved. Thirdly, Jay’s constantly changing testimony is not credible evidence of Adnan’s guilt, making him innocent.

Although no trial had taken place, both men were put “on death row before trial to create additional pressure,” with Myers’s offering more information to incriminate McMillian, Myers’s was moved over to county jail (Stevenson, 52). McMillian was subject to cruel punishment curtesy of the U.S. justice system. He was thrown into a “windowless concrete [building]” where prisoners are left to suffer in unbearable conditions (Stevenson, 53). With few privileges and far from home, McMillian was not able to have contact with his family or know what was happening surrounding his case.

A common theme emerged for the African American people; the government may say that everyone is in this fight together but we, as African Americans, now this is not true. From the segregated military to the non-willing acceptance of African American workers in wartime factories the African American people felt that they fought a two-sided war. This two-sided approach to war took a name for itself, The Double V Campaign. African Americans joined the fight for freedom just like all other Americans, but many thought this to be the time and place to advocate for civil right,

Barbara Ehrenreich’s essay, “Longevity Crisis? Kill Grandma,” is a very effective piece in its clever usage of humor and truth. A sarcastic beginning aims to highlight the issues which the author deems important and relevant to the aforementioned ‘longevity crisis,’ and simultaneously places responsibility on a variety of different companies. A transition to a more straightforward tone partway through solidifies the author’s point of view by critiquing the governing bodies themselves. Ehrenreich suggests that an outright pro-death policy might be better phrased as “a way of encouraging turnover … rather than death” (par. 10). She continues to argue that since the government is already effectively killing the older generations, the adoption

This essay will discuss whether or not the court’s decision was valid, the elements of murder and ethical concerns with this case. Inchoate crimes arrange that individuals

Using the Gibb categories give three examples of defensive and or supportive behaviors that Ben and Katie used in the film.

was in your riding habit- oh my dear woman when shall I be able to

The article is about people who were falsely accused as criminal and was sent to prison and some were awaiting execution, which they were saved when the courts ruled out that they didn’t belong in the prison in the first place. There was twenty-seven percent of innocent convicts falsely confessed to their crimes, and most of the group were mainly of children or mentally handicapped. People were falsely accused of their crime that they did not commit at all, yet they were put into prison for doing nothing at all. Also, prosecutors would defend the one who committed the crime and not the one who presents the evidence that accuses them.

Brandon Mull in his fantastical novel ‘Fablehaven’ accurately describes ‘the curse of mortality’. “You spend the first portion of your life learning, growing stronger, more capable. And then, through no fault of your own, your body begins to fail. You regress. Strong limbs become feeble, keen senses grow dull, hardy constitutions deteriorate. Beauty withers. Organs quit. You remember yourself in your prime, and wonder where that person went. As your wisdom and experience are peaking, your traitorous body becomes a prison.” This curse of mortality causes great anxiety and grief in many individuals in their later stages of life. With an aging population, and life expectancy higher than it has ever been, a question remains - how

Not long ago, a woman’s success was measured by the success of her husband and her domestic prowess. Today, a woman is presumed successful if she can emulate the standards of beauty portrayed in the media. Unfortunately, this subliminally enforced standard is unattainable to some women, regardless of the quality of their character. Let’s examine how western women went from being pioneering superheroes, to people who measure their worth against airbrushed photographs of impossibly beautiful women.

The impact of major magazines on the mass media industry is and was limited because most American magazines are mainly local, regional, or specialized. Which makes them less able to be transported than this countries movies and TV. Time Warner magazine and Time Inc. are the largest chain due to the circulation in the United States with twenty-one major titles including Time, People, Instyle magazine. Giving more of an impact on the mass media and journalism business in general.

This film makes the viewer think and ask himself: Who has the right to kill another human being? Who has the right to make the decision to kill another human being? Is the death penalty a justified way for someone to pay for his crimes? What if the person executed is proved to be innocent after the execution?

In the film “Native Son”, Jerrold Freedman presents a problem through the character Bigger Thomas. This character ends up taking another person’s life creating a argument on whether he is guilty or not. There is reasons validating both sides of the argument, but in the end the reasons supporting his innocence prove that he is. The purpose of this essay to examine Richard Wright's film adaptation of Native Son and his innocence in regards to fear, racial injustice, and financial background.