The Case of Leonard Peltier

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Leonard Peltier is a man who is currently serving two life sentences. Peltier was convicted of the murder of two FBI agents, but has repeatedly asked for parole and been rejected. The author points out that Peltier, who is Native American, insists that his heritage, his anger, and his protest against the white American government are what have caused him to receive two life sentences. The paper concludes that had Peltier only been convicted of this Wounded Knee standoff crime, it could be conceivable that he would have a valid point when it comes to his continued detainment; but he has been convicted of other violent crimes before the murders at Wounded Knee. Therefore, he is not a political prisoner, but rather a common criminal.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Background of the Issue
Argument
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The ballistics evidence presented by the government was that Peltier was the only one who was using the type of gun that fired the type of bullets located in the car of the FBI agent. Whether or not he was using that gun has come under fire many times in the past three decades. Peltier and his attorneys continue to argue that he was there, he was involved but he did not pull the trigger of the gun that murdered the two agents. While he accepts some culpability for being involved in the standoff he objects to being convicted of murder, and even more so to spending two life sentences behind bars for a murder he believes he did not commit. As the appeals process was used his attorneys pointed to other cases in which the convict was at the scene but did not pull the trigger. They insist that in those cases the convicts did not have to wait so long for a parole hearing. According to his legal team and those who support his cause, Peltier is not being held this long because he killed someone, he is being held this long to be used as an example to what will happen to others who dare to buck the system of the United States government."

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