Argumentative Essay: Leslie Black Is A Dangerous Offender

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Leslie Black—a man who beat, raped, and set a woman on fire—is on a trial to see if he classifies as a dangerous offender. Between Black’s tragic back story and what he did to the woman, there are questions as to whether or not he should be giving the dangerous offender designation, or given some other form of punishment or treatment. I have my own opinions on what should be done to Black, and am strong for them. My opinion is based off what I know, and is about what I think should be done as well as what a proper punishment is.
On the night of the crime, a drunk Leslie Black beat a drunk woman—Marlene Bird—with a board with a nail in it. After that, he raped her, then set her on fire before leaving. But after all of that, Bird survived; however, her legs needed to be amputated and her destroyed left eye covered. Black ruined Bird’s life. Bird already drank a lot before the crime, but she drank even more afterwards. People want Black to pay for what he did. But there are some who think he should not be given the title of dangerous offender because, as a child, he watched his mother get murdered on his ninth birthday. Even so, a decision as to what should be done must be made. …show more content…

What he did is horrible, and I think having a terrible backstory is no excuse for what he did. He definitely needs to pay. But looking at his past crimes, the attack on Bird was the only violent one—all others just have to do with property or drug offences. The crime that is so debated seems to be his first strike, and not his third, so it would be impossible to know I he would do it again. The attack seemed to be mostly a result of his drunkenness at the time, and not because he as a person is actually dangerous. Leslie Black is not a dangerous

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