Rainey Bethea: The Last Public Execution in America

Rainey Bethea was a hardly a man, but a monster. He was a rapist, thief, and murderer. Bethea broke into the home of an innocent old woman. He proceeded to brutally strangle her, rape her fragile body until she took her last breaths. After the gruesome act he advanced into the home and seized the possessions that were most dear to her. He left the home without batting an eye. Shortly, after being arrested with the crime Bethea admitted to the allegations. He was summoned to the gallows in Owensboro, Kentucky. The hanging of Bethea was a well-known case of 1936. He was the last person to be publicly executed in the United States. Although not conducted publicly, today thirty-one states have the death penalty. The methods range from firing

These types of individuals are not warmly received in the prison. They would most likely start altercations or be the focus of attacks due to their high profile. Giving these people life sentence only continues to make them believe they are above everyone else.

Criticizers of the death penalty will argue that the wrong person may be convicted and sentenced to the death penalty, but a fair trial and the appeal process ensures ample time in the event of any false allegations. They can only be exonerated if new evidence arises or a state governor calls off the execution.

An example of a high profile death row inmate was a man by the name of John Wayne Gracy. Gracy was a Chicago resident who was convicted of murdering and raping thirty-three young boys. The police found twenty-six of his victim’s bodies underneath his house. To any person with a conscious, this man was a demon. Although Gracy was sentenced to death in 1980, he spent over fourteen years on death row. This killer spent every day knowing he was going to die soon, every day he wondered when his execution was going to be. This punishment is much worst than spending time in jail. Should a man who murdered and raped thirty-three boys be allowed to live and die of old age? And have the possibility of going back into society? Gracy is not fit to have that opportunity. Some other notable death row inmates are Ted Bundy, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Darrel Rich. These three men were beyond rehabilitation and if let go into a prison system would cause