Additional Resources: Why Cyntoia Brown, who is spending life in prison for murder, is all over social media
After spending 13 years in prison, Cyntoia Brown’s case came to limelight and caught the eye of a few celebrities of a flawed juvenile system. Brown is a victim of sex trafficking whose situation gained public support by major celebrities such as Rihanna, LeBron James, Kim Kardashian etc. Cyntoia Brown’s case attracted the social media massively that celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, hired several attorney’s to join her plea.
When Brown was at the age of 16, she was sex-trafficked by a pimp named “cut-throat”. After being constantly drugged and raped, a 43 year old predator purchased her for sex. She felt unsafe in the environment which resulted her to fight back and kill him with a handgun from her purse. Because of this incidence, she was arrested and was convicted in 2006 as an adult to be sentenced to life in prison. Though she claim of self-defense, the jury rejected her, and found her guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery.
In 2016, Mr. Faison introduced a bill that would require reviews of life sentences for juveniles after they serve 15 years in prison, however it was defeated. He argued that Brown deserves a new trial because she received an unfair and ineffective counsel by a public defender. He asserts that life sentence is unconstitutional under the 8th amendment which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. Thus, a habeas corpus petition is pending in the Court of Appeals. However her lawyers have been unsuccessful so far.
Questions:
1.) Do you believe the Juvenile System is flawed? Why/Why not?
2.) Does Cyntoia Brown's case deserve a new trial? Was it fair or unfair?
3.) What amendments can be presented in terms of her situation? Was it constitutional or unconstitutional?
Cynthia Brown's case was unfair on multiple accounts. Firstly, she is a 16 year old, thus clearly a minor and should not have been tried as an adult, since she is not considered a legal adult (age 18). Secondly, the jury failed to take into account her situation: a child who is a victim of sex-trafficking and attacked out of fear. For these reasons, Cynthia Brown deserves another trial, one that is actually fair. At the very least, even if the jury had good reasoning for denying the self-defense plea, her punishment is beyond reasonable due to the fact that she is not a legal adult and did not have a safe environment to grow up in.
ReplyDeleteCynthia Brown deserves a retrial based solely on the fact that she was 16, tried as an adult, and given a life sentence. Additionally, she had an inadequate lawyer and thus was not represented as well as she could have been. And she would not have fully understood this, again, because she was only 16. This is just further proof that government officials and people in positions of power often disregard cases of sexual harassment.
ReplyDeleteCynthia Brown's case was unfair due to the fact that she was given a life sentence at the age of 16, meaning that she is only a minor and should not have been tried as an adult. Also, she was exposed to an unsafe and traumatizing environment, which should have been grounds for her to have a more fair trial since she killed the sex-trafficker. Brown's punishment is evident of the flaws of the juvenile system, as she was not represented well and her claims of self-defense were basically thrown out the window despite what she went through.
ReplyDeleteI believe Cynthia deserves a retrial because at the age of 16 she was tried as an adult, concluding in a life sentence. She was out through horrid events, acted upon them thinking her government would protect her. This case shows how the juvenile system is flawed. If one is a minor they she not be tried as an adult.
ReplyDeleteCynthia Brown deserves a retrial because the court gave her a "cruel and unusual punishment" under the 8th amendment. Since the court did not consider her circumstances of her difficult childhood and the fact that she killed Johnny Allen in self defense, Brown should be punished accordingly. Therefore, I believe the juvenile system is unjust due to the lack of compassion and understanding it has exemplified through this case.
ReplyDeleteCyntoia Brown definitely deserves another trial. Sex trafficking and sexual harassment have been very large issues in the US for years on end and it seems like those who prosecuted Brown did not take that into consideration. Instances like these have changed the lives of countless young women (and men) for the worse and it is truly heartbreaking to see a victim of such a cruel act be incarcerated for life over something that was clearly self-defense.
ReplyDeleteI believe, in this case, that the Juvenile System is significantly flawed. Cynthia Brown deserves a retrial for multiple reasons, like the fact that her lawyer was inadequate, she was tried as an adult at age 16, and she was given a life sentence for self defense. They did not take into consideration her hardships in the past with being forced into sex trafficking and how that has affected her mental well being in the present.
ReplyDeleteIt is disturbing to read about how this 16 year old girl who is a minor was treated this way by the courts. Women, who are finally learning how to defend themselves from getting sexually harassed, are getting punished. How does that seem ethical? I truly believe that she deserves another trial where she can get a good lawyer and finally get some recognition for what happened to her.
ReplyDeleteCintoya Brown absolutely deserves a retrial. Her killing her pimp who forced her to undergo several horrifying mistreatments was in absolute self defense. In addition she was 16, and therefore should not be tried as an adult. The courts need to be far more empathetic towards her situation.
ReplyDeleteShe does deserve a retrial and I think that the way the government chooses to ignore sexual harassment only hurts the victims of assault like Cynthia Brown. To see celebrities stand up for her is amazing, though I don't think her case would have drawn much attention to big stars like Kim Kardashian and Rihanna without the recent Hollywood sexual assault claims.
ReplyDeleteCyntoia Brown clearly deserves a retrial, as she was initially found guilty and sentenced to life in prison at the age of only 16. This in and of itself is an issue because there should have been more leniency due to her status as a minor, yet she was not awarded such leniency. Under the 8th amendment, this would definitely qualify as cruel and unusual punishment, so I believe she should be retried.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Cyntoia Brown deserves a retrial. Although she was found guilty in criminal court, she was tried unfairly. She was tried as an adult, although technically she was still a minor at the time. She also fired in self-defense, and being sentenced to life in prison would be considered cruel and unusual punishment.
ReplyDeleteI do believe the juvenile system is flawed. This story is evidence enough, but in essence, the juvenile system is not protecting children, which it should for multiple reasons, including to ensure that they do not become criminals as adults. According to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) about 68% of 405,000 prisoners released in 30 states in 2005 were arrested for a new crime within three years of their release from prison, and 77% were arrested within five years. In Brown's case, she should have been protected as a minor, and the juvenile system should focus on reform and counseling for other minors like Brown who faced sexual assault and sex-trafficking.
ReplyDeleteI did not used to believe that the juvenile system was flawed but clearly in this case it is. This story shows proof that there is much work to be done to indure that minors get justice in such sever case such s Cyntoia Browns case.
ReplyDelete