Death Penalty: A Distinctive Trait of American Justice

The death penalty has been notable, in the justice system of the United States of America.

Established in the 18th century also known as capital punishment, execution or death penalty which

Gives the government permission to punish you by death using 5 authorized methods of executions such

As Lethal injection, Electrocution, Gas Chamber, Hanging, or Firing Squad. Alfred Southwick was the first

Person to invent the electric chair after hearing a bizarre story of an intoxicated man touching live

Electric generator. It all started with just an idea and trying to find an humane way of killing

Someone instead of hanging them. Thirty One States still practice the death penalty. 18 states do not

Practice Capital Punishment. States January

there were two thousand nine hundred
Inmates waiting on death row in the United States of America. Since 1976 more than One thousand four
Hundred thirty one inmates have been put to death .The death penalty has proving to be Racial bias and
Outdated, costly and, purposely and morally wrong. As follows twelve hundred and fifty-six by lethal
Injection, One hundred fifty-eight by electrocution eleven by Gas Chamber three by hanging, three by
Firing Squad. The death penalty is not an effective way to reduce crime rates in the United States of
America.
The Capital Punishment has proving to have human errors in the questionable system in 2002 the
Supreme Court in a high profile case Atkins vs. Virginia that” executing intellectually disabled individuals
Violated the Eighteenth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment.” The court said that
An IQ of under “approximately 70” demonstrates disability. Most states have opted to use the definition
Of intellectual disability. Criminals appointed an attorney by the courts oppose to criminals who had
Their own lawyer. Gary Graham in Texas was walking out of a supermarket. Convicted in 1981 was
Charged at the age of 17 for robbing and shooting and killing the victim he robbed Graham was
Convicted by One Witness testimony who saw him from inside of their vehicle driver window” 30-40”
Feet away .Despite two employees that worked at the grocery store who saw the Robber didn’t identify
Graham as being the robber the two grocery store workers were never interviewed by graham court
Appointed attorney nor were they called to testify at trial. Jurors on the Gary Graham trial signed
Affidavits stating ‘’that they would have voted differently if all of the evidence been available”. Lack of
Evidence determined this innocence man fate Graham was executed in 2000 despite lack of evidence.
Court system rarely entertain criminals that claim to be innocent.

In a high profile case in 2011 Troy Davis convicted of Murder of a Police Officer in 1989 in Georgia he
Was executed on September 21, 2011 despite having several errors in the trial from witnesses changing
Their testimony stories.

The case went public Davis and his family claim of his innocence made national

Headlines. Former president Jimmy Carter and Pope Benedict and former Georgia Supreme Court Chief

As well as others called for clemency for Davis .Some point in the trial there were accusations of another

Suspect in the High profile Davis case. A witness formally testified against Davis but since changed up

Her testimony. “The board heard from a juror in Davis original trial who now says she has too much

Doubt about his guilt and would change her verdict’’. Davis was held two clemency hearings but the

Board members have since changed Davis first clemency was denied in 2008. A new testimony was

Giving in 2010 in a federal court hearing. Davis execution was delayed several times to consider new

Evidence and testimonies. In total 34 witnesses testified they murder weapon was not found in the

Davis case. In 2010 the defense submitted 7 of the 9 witnesses who testimonies identified Davis as the

Killer changed their testimonies. Some of the witness named a guy name Sylvester Coles as

the
Triggerman. The court considered that to be just a rumor they dismissed that claim Cole was never
Subpoena for court.

The death penalty cost taxpayers approximately ‘’$90, 000 more per year than a prisoner in a general
Population facility that’s serving a life time sentence’’.

Currently three thousandth thirty five hundred

Inmates on death row.’’ Average cost of a death row case ‘’2.3 million per case’’. ‘’California spends 90

Million annually”. California would have saved millions of misspent dollars just by getting rid of the

Death penalty. Due to the misspent of millions of dollars for capital punishment it has been a decrease

In police offers across the United States.

States prisoners are being released early due to the population in prisons they’ve now became over

Populated. ‘’In Florida the budget cut crisis resulted into the early release of 3, 000 prisoners ‘’.

Because of the death penalty Georgia is laying off over nine hundred correctional officers. Texas spends

At least 2.3 million on just 300 people on death row. The death row proves to be purposely despite

Having capital punishment in Texas they still have one of the highest crime rates in the United States.

Criminals aren’t Afraid of death anymore .Their perception of jail is just a place to sleep and eat three

Free meals a day. 71 percent of inmates on death row have been finically compensated.

The Death Penalty is outdated for today’s modern day use and racially bias. Justice is not equal

to
Minorities over two hundred and sixty-three inmates have been exonerated due to DNA. The first DNA
Exoneration took place in 1993 Kirk Bloodsworth was sentenced to death, he served nine years in prison
Before being released. Kirk was the first person to be exonerated due to DNA. Kirk was arrested for the
Rape and murder of a nine year old girl. Kirk was sentenced in 1985 his conviction was reversed in 1986
An inmate who was serving a sentence for a previous rape, was linked to the DNA of the murder of the
Nine year old girl. Even though no DNA was linked to Kirk he was still retried and convicted again five
Witnesses identified him with the victim near the scene of the crime. Kirk was released in June 1993
After evidence through DNA results came back Kirk was granted full pardon and he received
Compensation. Inmates that have been exonerated spent nearly fourteen years on death row. Through
Ought the years Innocent Americans have been put to death due to racial discrimination we live in a
Society where your race determines, if you live or die. If you commit a crime in a predominantly white
Community you are most likely to be convicted of that crime. Those who kill non-Latino whites are
Eleven times most likely to be sentenced to die compared to those who kill a Latinos. The south is
Responsible for one thousand one hundred and sixty five executions. Texas has the most executions
Compared to other states five hundred and thirty six. What minorities make up the percentage of the
Death row population? The south has majority of the executions 1,165 Texas and Oklahoma alone has a
Whopping total of six hundred forty eight executions. Two Hundred and six African Americans have
Been exonerated. One hundred and four Caucasians, Twenty Five Latinos and Two Asians.