I would not characterize myself as the type of person that cries. I cried when I fell off my razor scooter and scraped my knees on the pavement. I cried when Augustus Waters, from "The Fault in Our Stars" died. I cried when my sister left for college. I cried when my grandpa died. I cried when I had found out that my first love had cheated on me with my best friend. And most recently, I cried as I watched Steven Avery receive a life sentence with no chance of parole for the murder of Teresa Halbach.
In case, you don’t have a Netflix membership (or live under a rock), Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey are the subjects of Netflix’s 10-part documentary series titled "Making A Murderer." The documentary, released in 2015 and written/directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, follows the life of Steven Avery, a man from Manitowoc county, Wisconsin, as he is convicted of rape, spends 18 years in prison, is acquitted, and then two years after being released is convicted of first degree murder, all the while trying to maintain and prove his innocence.
As I sat on my couch with my mouth wide open, I cried. I cried for the family of Teresa Halbach. I cried for the Avery family. I cried for Steven Avery. I cried for the justice system of my country.
"Making A Murderer" is about so much more than the question of Steven Avery’s innocence or guilt. It is about the inevitably flawed criminal justice system of the United States.
Following the release of the Netflix series, the show was at the forefront of many different controversial conversations. People on various different platforms debated Steven Avery’s innocence. But, the bottom line is that in 1985, Steven Avery was wrongfully convicted of the sexual assault of Penny Bernstein. He was innocent and somehow he still spent 18 years in a prison.
18 years. Simply stated, while most prosecutors, police, defense lawyers, and judges are honest people with good intentions, sometimes they fuck up. This documentary shows us that sometimes the people that we rely on to protect us actually end up hurting us, that sometimes eyewitnesses make mistakes, that sometimes forensic science isn’t always that scientific. And above all, it has shown us that while race and class have absolutely no place in the courtroom, somehow they have waltzed right in and taken center stage.
While many different controversial conversations are being had, following the release of this series, conversation is simply not enough. We must take a hard, long, look at our criminal justice system and make changes. Changes so people like Steven Avery are protected rather than prosecuted. Changes so wrongful convictions are few and far between and one day non-existent. Changes so that when the system fails, something is done about it.
