Criminal Law: An Analysis of the Lamar Johnson Case and Justice

This essay provides an analysis of the Lamar Johnson case, a significant instance of wrongful conviction within the U.S. criminal justice system. The paper begins by outlining the details of the case, where Lamar Johnson was convicted in 1995 for a murder he claimed not to have committed and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The essay discusses the evidence of his innocence, including false eyewitness testimony and secret rewards given by the state. It examines the legal proceedings, including the rejection of a request for a new trial and the case's transfer to the Missouri Supreme Court. The essay further explores the ethical failures of the prosecutors and the impact of the wrongful conviction on Johnson and his family. The conclusion emphasizes the need for both legal professionals and the public to ensure the integrity of the legal system and protect against unjust convictions. Relevant references are also provided to support the discussion.

Running head: CRIMINAL LAW
Criminal Law
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Authors Note

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Introduction
This paper aims to discuss a recent news article based on the criminal justice system of
the U.S., which stated that after proving himself not guilty, a person has disbursed almost half of
his life inside the prison and the tragedy is that recently there is immense proof of his innocence.
Discussion
Lamor Johnson, a 45 years old guy was convicted in 1995 for killing Marcus Boyd. Not
only that, he was sentenced with life imprisonment without the opportunity of parole. It has been
observed that he almost disbursed 25 years inside the prison for such a crime which has not been
committed by him as per his justification. And recently the evidences also goes in his favour
which supports that he is not guilty. However, he remains confined. A request regarding a new
trial has been made by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner. The request of the same has
been rejected by Missouri Court of Appeals but the importance of the issue has been recognized
and transferred to the Missouri Supreme Court. The Conviction Integrity Unit is of the view that
on the basis of a false evidence given by an eyewitness Johnson’s verdict was made
(Usatoday.com, 2020). The eyewitness was also rewarded by the state secretly for giving false
evidence. For this purpose the case was followed by elected prosecuting attorneys from
everywhere of the country as its consequences affects all the citizens. Many human right activist
are of the view that keeping an individual behind the bar, who is not guilty is against the moral
values and public policy (Hurwitz and Peffley 2005).
Many advocates reunite for Lamar Johnson stating that maintaining the records of win-
loss cases is not the only duty of the advocates. They are assigned with more vital duty of
seeking integrity for victims of crime and endorsing harmless and healthy communities mainly

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for underprivileged and black communities. Social activists considered this case as a failure of
criminal justice system because a person convicted for such a crime which he has not been
committed by him (Wemmers 2013). Some authors are of the view that it is the responsibility of
the prosecutors to prohibit unlawful convictions. However, the prosecutors failed to do so in
case of Lamar Johnson. The judicial system of the U.S. stolen 25 years from his life and her
daughters grew up without his love and care (Usatoday.com, 2020). There are some activists
who state that this type of wrongful convictions are very common in the U.S.’s judicial system
and make the situation harder for the prosecutors. It harms the discretion of the prosecutors and
therefore, prosecutors failed to perform their ethical duties. This case also shows that the
community of black people deserve a change into the criminal justice system of the U.S. but the
initiatives took by the prosecutors in order to change it is against the public policy (Bottoms and
Roberts 2010).
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion it can be concluded that apart from the prosecutors,
it is also the duty of the common people to keep the community secure from unlawful
convictions. People must cooperate with the legal system to implement such laws which are
effective to resolve crimes (Doak 2005). The implemented laws must have the quality to protect
the people from unlawful convictions arising out of untrue evidence.

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Reference
Bottoms, A. and Roberts, J., 2010. Hearing the victim: Adversarial justice, crime victims and the
State. Routledge.
Doak, J., 2005. Victims' rights in criminal trials: prospects for participation. Journal of Law and
Society, 32(2), pp.294-316.
Hurwitz, J. and Peffley, M., 2005. Explaining the great racial divide: Perceptions of fairness in
the US criminal justice system. The Journal of Politics, 67(3), pp.762-783.
Usatoday.com. (2020). [online] Available at:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/policing/spotlight/2020/01/07/lamar-johnson-still-
incarcerated-murder-despite-evidence-innocence/4380812002/ [Accessed 25 Jan. 2020].
Wemmers, J.A., 2013. Victims’ experiences in the criminal justice system and their recovery
from crime. International review of victimology, 19(3), pp.221-233.