Analysis Of Picking Cotton

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Lindsey Hogan Professor Patti Meyer Anthropology 122 24 April 2014 Picking Cotton In a compelling story of forgiveness and moving on, Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton shared their journey with the Ferris community. Thompson took the audience to a setting in July 29, 1984, by recounting the night of her rape and the measures she went to memorize the face of evil. Thompson, with utmost certainty, declared Cotton her rapist after hours of police interrogations, forming sketches, and a lineup. Cotton was sentenced to life in prison but was at Ferris to share his side of the story and how DNA testing changed his life (Picking Cotton). The events of 1984 were told from two separate accounts, with distinguished parallels discussing the importance of DNA, misidentification, and coercion from police. The rape of Thompson not only affected herself, but Cotton as well. After 11 years of being in prison, Cotton heard of DNA testing. As a final attempt to end his sentencing in jail, he applied and was accepted for DNA testing. The testing proved Cotton was not the rapist, and in fact Bobby Poole was (Picking Cotton). In total, DNA testing has helped 273 people prove innocence as of September, 2011. Also, all of the 34 death penalty states give inmates the right to have access to DNA testing. Not only has the testing been able to prove innocence, but also guilt. “Eyewitness misidentification is the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions nationwide,” which is true for Thompson in this case (DNA Testing and..). On the night of the incident, Thompson did her best to get as many good looks at her perpetrator as she could. With every bit of lighting offered, she analyzed the man’s facial features, height, weight and race. After talking ... ... middle of paper ... ...Cotton). Double-blind administration is when the administrator is “blind” to who the actual suspect is, preventing them from influencing the results (Eyewitness Identification). DNA is now an important factor when trying to prove one’s innocence or guilt, as shown in the Thompson and Cotton case. Thompson and Cotton continue to share their story of how one night changed both of their lives forever. REFERENCES Thompson, Jennifer. Cotton, Ronald. “Picking Cotton.” Ferris State University. Williams Auditorium, Big Rapids, MI. 15 April 2014. Guest Lecture. “DNA Testing and the Death Penalty.” ACLU: American Civil Liberties Union. 3 Oct. 2011. Web. 22 April 2014. “Eyewitness Identification: A Policy Review.” The Justice Project, Iowa State University. Web. 22 April 2014. Eller, Jack. Cultural Anthropology: Global Forces, Local Lives. Routeledge. 2013. Print.

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