Do you agree that "Conflict resolution" and "truth," as goals, are not always incompatible? Discuss with reference to the 1996 case of Richard Jewell.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers may vary."Conflict resolution" and "truth," as goals, are not always incompatible. When all participants in a legal dispute are able to raise concerns and provide supporting documentation, the goal of learning the truth becomes more attainable. But frequently there is tension between these goals, and in some instances, the satisfactory resolution of a conflict may be socially and morally preferable to discovering an objective truth. Yet resolving conflict in a hurried or haphazard manner can have a downside, as illustrated by the experience of Richard Jewell.Jewell was a security guard at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Shortly after a bombing that disrupted the Games, the FBI began to question Jewell, who discovered the bomb. Although at first the FBI denied that he was a suspect, they treated him like one, and his name and photograph were widely publicized. The pressure to find the person responsible for this terrifying act-and the desire to give people a sense that no more bombings would occur because the perpetrator had been caught-doubtless influenced the premature focus on Richard Jewell. Despite relentless FBI investigation, no charges were brought against Jewell, and in 2005, Eric Rudolph, a fugitive who lived in the hills of North Carolina for years after the bombing, pleaded guilty of the offense.