By WEBmd
Please view our Prezi using this link:
http://prezi.com/uw30fsdyaqnk/the-west-memphis-three/
Abstract:
We used the story of the West Memphis Three to discuss deviance, labeling theory, collective conscience, and deviance amplification. Through a series of prompting questions, we hope to navigate our audience through a specific thought process about social deviance and its consequences. In this case study, three “deviant” teenage boys were subject to the harsh reality of labeling theory and were chosen by the collective conscience as scapegoats for a horrible crime. The boys were arrested, coerced into making a confession, and labeled as the perpetrators far before any evidence was presented. When the evidence was presented, it quickly became apparent that the boys were not the criminals, however pressure from the collective conscience present in the small Arkansas town painted them as the “freaks” who would carry out the murders. In time, the naïve boys even embraced their infamous status because of labeling theory and deviance amplification. This was before they realized the severe nature of the injustice they were faced with. After 18 years in prison, the boys were finally released. Celebrity influence and mass media both aided and hindered their cause throughout the years, illuminating the strength of the impact it has on our society.