Body Paragraph I: The Guilty
The people who are now on the death penalty have committed crimes such as murder, rape, and treason. Most people think race plays a role in who is chosen for the death penalty. In reality, these statements saying race is the main role in who is chosen for the death penalty, are not true. 82% of the murder victims are white and 13% are black. This means for every six people who are on the death row, one of them are black. This 6:1 ratio means that the claim that the race of a person depends who is on the death row is false (Akhaven). Another popular claim that is also incorrect, is that the income level of who committed the crimes determines who is put on the death row. Although the wealthy can afford better lawyers, they cannot hide the guilt, facts, and the truth of what really happened. Ernest Van Den Haa from Pros and Cons Community states “Punishments are imposed on persons, not on...economic groups. Guilt is personal. The only relevant question is: Does the person to be executed deserve the punishment? ” In this statement, Van Den Haa is saying that what race you are or how much money you have plays no role in if you are guilty of the crimes you have committed or not. Either way, the death penalty should be given to those found guilty of the crimes they have
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The death penalty is estimated to be around 1.5-3.6 million compared to 50 years of prison being around 1 million (Akhaven). Although the cost of the death penalty is higher, it should still be considered. One should take out the financial arguments, try the accused and the found guilty should be sentenced. The cost of the death penalty is an issue, it should not be the main issue in whether or not the death penalty should be allowed or not. The depending factor should be based off the crimes such as murder, treason and rape. These acts are wrong and are punishable by
Carcasses attract scavengers. The Guilty Party by O. Henry showcases the untimely death of a girl of twelve, Liz. Above Chrystie Street on the east side, a strange bird stalks the children of the playground. Although people say it’s a stork, locals call it a vulture. In this case, Liz is the carcass that the vulture sets its eyes on.
The death penalty, as administered by states based on their individual laws, is considered capital punishment, the purpose of which is to penalize criminals convicted of murder or other heinous crimes (Fabian). The death penalty issue has been the focus of much controversy in recent years, even though capital punishment has been a part of our country's history since the beginning. Crimes in colonial times, such as murder and theft of livestock were dealt with swiftly and decisively ("The Death Penalty..."). Criminals were hanged shortly after their trial, in public executions. This practice was then considered just punishment for those crimes. Recently though, the focus of the death penalty debate has been on moral and legal issues. The murderers of today's society can be assured of a much longer life even after conviction, with the constraints of the appeals process slowing the implementation of their death sentence. In most cases, the appeal process lasts several years, during which time criminals enjoy comfortable lives. They have television, gym facilities, and the leisure time to attend free college-level classes that most American citizens must struggle to afford. Foremost, these murderers have the luxury of time, something their victims ran out of the moment their paths crossed. It is time this country realized the only true justice for these criminals is in the form of the death penalty. The death penalty should be administered for particularly heinous crimes.
Race plays a large factor in showing how you are viewed in society. Although there is no longer slavery and separate water fountains, we can still see areas of our daily life clearly affected by race. One of these areas is the criminal justice system and that is because the color of your skin can easily yet unfairly determine if you receive the death penalty. The controversial evidence showing that race is a large contributing factor in death penalty cases shows that there needs to be a change in the system and action taken against these biases. The issue is wide spread throughout the United States and can be proven with statistics. There is a higher probability that a black on white crime will result in a death penalty verdict than black on black or white on black. Race will ultimately define the final ruling of the sentence which is evident in the racial disparities of the death penalty. The amount of blacks on death row can easily be seen considering the majority of the prison population is black or blacks that committed the same crime as a white person but got a harsher sentence. The biases and prejudices that are in our society relating to race come to light when a jury is selected to determine a death sentence. So what is the relationship between race and the death penalty? This paper is set out to prove findings of different race related sentences and why blacks are sentenced to death more for a black on white crime. Looking at the racial divide we once had in early American history and statistics from sources and data regarding the number of blacks on death row/executed, we can expose the issues with this racial dilemma.
Most death row inmates are members of minority groups that tend to be poor. The fact they are on death row can be explained as a direct result of their marginal economic status. These alleged criminals receive legal representation that is not adequate for the serious crimes of which they are accused, simply because they cannot afford to pay for expensive defense attorneys (The Death Penalty). In virtually all cases of indigent defendants, underpaid and less experienced Public Defense attorneys are appointed by the court to represent the accused. Investigative monies are usually limited or nonexistent. This is one reason why minorities are over-represented on death row. More affluent white defen...
Punishments are imposed on person, not on racial or economic groups. Guilt is personal. The only relevant question is: does the person to be executed deserve the punishment? Whether or not others who deserved the same punishment, whatever their economic or racial group, have avoided execution is irrelevant.
Many say that the cost is not a reason to end the death penalty, and that regardless of the high price, it is necessary. Some say without question that over time life without parole cases cost more than death penalty cases (Top 2 of 4). This is because these prisoners have to be paid to be taken care of for many years whereas the death penalty inmates spend less time in prison. A multitude of studies have stated that death penalty cases cost more than life without parole cases, however “Justice for All estimates that LWOP cases will cost $1.2 million-$3.6 million more than equivalent death penalty cases.” The way the person is executed is one of the biggest factors that accounts for the considerable cost of the death penalty. Other methods of execution exist that are cheaper such as hanging and then re-using the rope or having a firing squad using volunteered guns (Does 2 of 5). It has also been said that if the steps of the execution are handled properly and effectively, that the cost of execution is less than caring for a murderer for life. In th...
Opponents of the death penalty will site several reasons to abolish death penalty such as the usage of death penalty as a deterrent, the cost of death penalty vs life in prison, unfairness in the application of death sentencing, and possible mistakes. Opponents would much rather focus on the rights’ of criminals than the victims and their families.
...bate on the merits of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime but there is no debate that its a costly inefficient law. Although the amount by which the death penalty far exceeds life in prison can be debated, the fact always remains that its more costly. Furthermore, as previously shown, more than half of the death penalty sentences are overturned, resulting in a sentence of life in prison. The question then becomes, why are they separated in prison in the first place? Does a determination by a judge and jury make the convict more or less dangerous either way? Why spend the extra money separating the death row convicts from the lifers? Has it become clearly established that a death sentence is a greater punishment than life in prison? It is clear that there are too many variable and unknown factors for such a polarizing and severe punishment to be a law.
... of exonerations from the death penalty has increased over the years, it can be seen that this process convicts innocents due to misidentification by eyewitnesses or incorrect results from several forensic tests. Many of those in the death penalty happen to be either black or those who cannot afford a proper lawyer. The criminal justice system acting in a biased manner shows that these black and poor people could be some of the innocents standing in the death row. In order to better the death penalty, the process is time-consuming and consists of many key leaders to eliminate errors. Because the process is very complicated and long, the death penalty costs a huge amount of money and all that money comes from taxpayers. If the death penalty is abolished from US, the public can use all that extra money to improve crime prevention methods to help keep the society safe.
Like myself, many people believe that capital punishment is too problematic to keep. Within the sentencing of someone to death it is very cost effective, even more so than I previously believed. Capital punishment costs more than a million dollars more than what it costs to keep someone in prison for life. On top of this, there are many issues with racial discrimination within sentencing. This goes hand in hand with the innocent people being convicted and sentenced to death for crimes they did not commit. Someone who is better financial stable is more likely to get off from being sentenced to death by being able to afford the better attorney. This also causes inequality within capital punishment sentencing. Karly Marx describes the conflict theory argues that individuals within society with different resources use their power (being wealthy) in order to exploit those with lesser power. This is another aspect of capital punishment that constitutes it to be
“The death penalty is popular among politicians and the public in response to the escalating fear of violence. However, capital punishment actually makes the fight against crime more difficult. Executions waste valuable resources that could be applied to more promising efforts to protect the public. Additionally, innocent people are sometimes executed and the brutalizing effect executions have on society may result in more murders. For these reasons, the death penalty should be opposed.” (Morgenthau 14)
Saleh-Hanna, a contributer to the book 'The Case for Penal Abolition' has recently done some research and found that, ?research and evidence has shown that most prisoners are poor, they come from minority populations and have faced great discrimination and racism in the community both before they committed their crimes and during the criminal justice process.? The death penalty is racist because there are higher percentages among those of ethical background. Quoted from the book, Death Penalty Cases: Leading U.S Supreme Court Cases on Capital Punishment, Death-penalty opponents respond that the race card plays a role in other ways. When a defendant has been convicted of killing a white person the odds that the defendant will be executed by the state are much higher. Eighty-five percent of those who have been executed since 1976 were convicted for killing a white person, while only 13% were executed for killing a black person. When will people realized that just because a person is of another race that they are more dangerous than another race.
The first reason why death penalty should be allowed and get more active is life sentence is costly. According to “What is the Average Cost to House Inmates in Prison”, the average cost of housing an inmate in the U.S. was $31,286 in 2012 for per year. According to the “Who, what, where and why”, the United States has roughly 2.4 million people in prisons. Therefore, the money which America pays to keep prisoners who are in prisons is about $75120000000 for per year.
If a criminal is sentenced to life in jail, then the cost of their imprisonment would be many times this. In the USA, the average cost per prisoner annually in jail is $29,000. The cost of the drugs used for the lethal injection is believed to be $86.08. This is far less than the cost of keeping a prisoner in jail, and would save the government money that could be used to try and make the community a better and safer place. Secondly, many believe that capital punishment is right because of the justice given to the victim’s family.
Today's system of capital punishment tolerates many inequalities and injustices. The common arguments for the death penalty are filled with holes. Imposing the death penalty is expensive and time consuming. Each year billions of dollars are spent to sentence criminals to death. Perhaps the most frequently raised argument against capital punishment is that of its cost. Other thoughts on the death penalty are to turn criminals away from committing violent acts. A just argument against the death penalty would be that sentencing an individual to death prevents future crimes by other individuals. However, criminals are not afraid of the death penalty. The chance of a criminal being sentenced to death is very slim. The number of inmates actually put to death is far less than it was decades ago. This decrease in number shows that the death penalty is faulty. With that being true, many criminals feel that they can get away with a crime and go unpunished. Also, the less that the death sentence is invoked, the more conflicting it becomes when it is actually used. Alternative can be found to substitute for the death penalty. A huge misconception of the death penalty is that it saves society the costs of keeping inmates imprisoned for long periods of time. Ironically, the cost of the death penalty is far greater than the cost of housing a criminal for life. Appeals on the death penalty become a long, drawn-out and very expensive process. There are those who cry that we, the taxpayers, shouldn't have to "support" condemned people for an entire lifetime in prison-that we should simply "eliminate" them and save ourselves time and money. The truth is that the cost of state killing is up to three times the cost of lifetime imprisonment (Long 80). ...