QUESTION

In Chapter 11 from the Peak and Madensen-Herold (2020) textbook, Picking Cotton, and the unit three video lecture, you learned about the goals of punishments, sentencing practices, and the appeals process. Instructions For this discussion board, you will analyze the appeals process, the influence of victim impact statements, and factors that impact sentencing. Please respond to the questions below in a single discussion post. Picking Cotton opens with graphic details of Jennifer’s experience. Did reading her perspective offer you a different perspective on the use of victim impact statements during a trial over what you read in the Peak and Madensen-Herold (2021) textbook? Explain. In Picking Cotton, Ronald Cotton was unsuccessful in several appeals but was eventually exonerated by DNA. He was released from prison after serving 10.5 years. Do you believe convicted individuals should have the right to appeal their sentence? Why? Guidelines Your initial post should be a minimum of 250 words.

ANSWER

Analysis of Appeals Process, Victim Impact Statements, and Sentencing
The appeals process is when a plaintiff who is dissatisfied with a first-order tribunal's
judgment can request reconsideration before a higher tribunal is a well-known component of
adjudication. The rationale under consideration here is error correction. The appeals approach
allows the community to harness litigants' knowledge regarding erroneous rulings, reducing
the occurrence of mistakes at a minimal cost. This argument discusses why improving the
trial process's validity may be preferable to the appeals process. The reasoning also explains
why dissatisfied plaintiffs are granted the right to file appeals.
Victim impact statements in court allow people to express themselves about what
they, their families, and those close to the victim have gone through because of the
wrongdoing (Peak & Madensen-Herold, 2019). Numerous casualties additionally accept that
it helps with carrying a feeling of conclusion to the misery they have through because of the
wrongdoing.
Convicted individuals should have the right to appeal their cases because sometimes
they require that chance to prove their innocence. Every single judge is held accountable in
the most visible way. As such, each single individual to the accounts earns right to appeal
judicial judgment, in some situations to numerous high courts (Peak & Madensen-Herold,
2019). The losing party may then appeal that the verdict be revised by another impartial
magistrate.
In conclusion, in Jennifer Thompson’s case, Ronald Cotton was unfairly convicted
while being innocent. Bobby Poole, on the other hand, was the true criminal. Unfortunately,
there are several such instances of erroneous convictions. Picking Cotton is a must-read for
anybody interested in learning about the flaws in eyewitness identification, police
investigation, and the legal system.