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As of January 31, 2003, Governor George Ryan modified the sentences of 167 death row inmates in Illinois. He stated that he felt the death penalty process was "arbitrary and capricious and therefore immoral. " Considering the role of crime and punishment in both contemporary as well as historical America, what do you think of this action? If we dig down deep into human nature; the axiom An eye for an eye suits us right. Justice at its most primitive satisfies the inner beast and the fear of punishment such as mutilation, branding and flogging does act as a deterrent in many countries. The death sentence is the ultimate penalty for wrongdoing against fellow man. But even in the Middle Ages, people could buy their way out of punishment.
So justice is not always fair. And that is what the state of Illinois discovered. Seven out of 17 Death Row inmates in the nation who were found innocent and freed were from Illinois. [ 1 ] While many legal advocates are dismayed that the state's justice system could have failed so miserably, it only seems to underline the poor faith people have in the justice system. Only 48 % of the countrys population has confidence in the supreme court, says a poll of 2004. [ 2 ] But crime rates in the USA have dropped more than 40 % during the 1990 s.
In an article in Scientific American, criminologist Richard Rosenfeld traces the link in the crime rate decline to factors such as changes in demographics, law-enforcement practices, economic conditions, incarceration rates, domestic violence and firearm policies, and the use of guns by young drug dealers. [ 3 ] Even the general public seems to have become complacent about crime. Only 1 % thinks crime and violence as an important issue affecting the country in 2002 as compared to 37 % in 1994. While the judicial system itself is dismissed at a low 1 %, being introduced as an issue only after 2000. [ 4 ] In the past ten years, the number of executions in the U. S. has increased while the murder rate has declined. [ 5 ] But, the death penalty itself as a deterrent does not seem to work. States which have the death penalty have greater number of murders rather than states that do not.
For instance, Illinois with a population of 12, 653, 544 had 896 murders in 2003, at a rate of 7. 1 while Michigan with a comparable population of 10, 079, 985 had 617 murders, a rate of 6. 1. [ 6 ] Illinois has the death penalty while Michigan doesnt. In 1990, the murder rates in the death penalty states were 4 % higher than the rate in states without the death penalty. By 2001, the gap between grew, reaching 37 %. For 2002, the number was at 36 %. The idea behind punishment is to make the criminal reform and prevent him from committing the same crime again. In the case of murder, we find that it happens most often (28 %) during an argument. [ 8 ] We think the hot blood of the murderer might rise and strike again.
So we take away his life to be totally safe that it will never occur again. But, locking him away permanently could also serve the purpose. And, if in case, we find that the legal system has fouled again, then the system can absolve itself from a crime it didnt commit and set him free. Therefore I think the action of Governor George Ryan is justified. Bibliography [ 1 ] - Ky Henderson, Human Rights, Fall 1997, Vol. 24, No. 4, p. 10 - 11, How Many Innocent Inmates Are Executed? / American Bar Association web [ 2 ] Table 2. 14, Bureau of Justice Statistics Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics for surveyed opinions at: web [ 3 ] - Richard Rosenfeld, Scientific American magazine article entitled, "The Case of the Unsolved Crime Decline, " Death penalty information centre web [ 4 ]- Table 2. 1. 2006, Bureau of Justice Statistics Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics for surveyed opinions at: web [ 5 ] Death penalty information centre - web [ 6 ] - US Murder Rates, 2003 web [ 7 ] - Justice centre, university of Alaska, anchorage web [ 8 ]- Bureau of Justice Statistics Criminal Victimization, 2003, (September 2004) web
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Research essay sample on Death Row Inmates Death Penalty Information
