When Writing an Ethics Paper is Procrastination My Friend or Foe?

Well, I should be working on my paper write now, but I'm not.

I have a Legal Ethics paper due on November 27 and my professor, Dr. Hinkley, has given the class a list of possible topics. They are as follows:

1) Sexual Harassment
2) Whistle Blowing
3) Legal Advertising
4) Defending the Guilty
5) Prosecuting the Innocent
6) Legal Billing (lawyers' fees)
7) The Adversarial System
8) Class Action Lawsuits
9) Silent Settlements
10) Zealous Advocacy
11) You can also address a case that you find in the news.

I am not entirely certain what my thesis will be but would like it focus of Prosecuting the Innocent. In particular, I want to discuss the problems that arise within the judicial system when it is realized that an innocent person has been persecuted, imprisoned or even put to death. The death penalty is the reason I want to discuss the Prosecution of the Innocent.

I believe, and know for a fact, that people make mistakes. I am also aware of the fact that many people do not like to admit their mistakes. However, if mistake is made of killing an innocent person in the name of justice we have gone too far.

Some questions I will be addressing:

- How can you right that situation? Is it even possible?
- If someone is found guilty for murder and is put to death and we later find out that they were innocent, are we not then considered murderers? If so, do we deserve to be put to death, too?
- If we, as a society, allow for the death penalty and innocent people have been put to death then is not the entire society guilty of murder?
- Should the death penalty not be allowed only because of the possibility that we may charge an innocent person with it?
- Is the entire judicial system at fault when an innocent person is found guilty?
- Is the sentence, or the death penalty, at fault when someone is sentenced to death who never committed a crime?
- How do we make sure that someone who is innocent is found not guilty?

These, and others, are some of the excitingly fun leading questions that one gets to ask when dealing with extremes found within our judicial system. These are the kinds questions that I like to try and answer.

But for now...I must finish posting this blog entry and go back to writing my paper.


p.s. - i'm still not sure if procrastination is my friend or foe.