NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
12 / 18 / 00 Hour Capital Punishment Susan Carlisle 12 / 18 / 00 Hour G Dead Man Walking Throughout the years I have had great interest on the topic of capital punishment. The question is whether or not there is justice in capital punishment. I have spent the past few years of my life researching both sides of this issue to determine whether justice presides. In the past years many lives have been taken by the government, but it? s not just lives they take but the rights of people. But why should I blame myself for the government?
s wrong doings. Because I? m not out there trying the persuade my peers that this typed of control by the government is wrong and I must use my communication skills to prove this. When we think about capital punishment, we think of the criminal, but do we take the time to think about the family of that criminal. Because one person caused grief for a family we must turn around and cause grief for another. And what about the money we spend to take these lives away.
It cost lest to keep a person in jail for life then to destroy the, . It also rids the suffering of a family watching one of their members die. It is the power of the government taking these lives and not the power of God. The only ones who will benefit are those who feast on watching others die. It is not just the criminal who is the victim, but all those who give in to the power of the government and agree with capital punishment. One would say that this decision is for the common good, then why can?
t we all make this decision instead of select few. The pace of executions in this country has fluctuated in recent decades, mostly in response to shifting rulings by the Supreme Court. During the 1950 s, executions averaged about 50 a year, but they slowed in the late 1950 s and came to a stop so that no executions occurred between 1967 and 1977. Executions resumed sporadically and since 1984 have averaged roughly 20 a year. Thirty-six states now authorize the death penalty, typically for murder.
The framers of the Constitution clearly did not intend to outlaw the death penalty on either the state or federal level. The Bill of Rights, which originally applied only to the federal government until its provisions were erroneously applied to the states in this century, explicitly validated that penalty in its Fifth Amendment provisions that " no person shall be held to answer for a capital or other infamous crime" except by action of a grand jury, and that " no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law" (emphasis added). However, the prospect of expanded federal capital crimes ought to give pause to those who generally favor the death penalty. The Constitution gives the federal government no general criminal jurisdiction. In recent decades, unfortunately, federal law has intruded into large areas of state responsibility through expansive interpretations of congressional power to regulate interstate commerce and to oversee the activities of recipients of federal subsidies. Expansion of federal capital crimes would compound this abuse.
But does the death penalty deter other would-be murderers? Significant statistical evidence would appear to support the firm conclusion of common sense and experience that the death penalty probably deters at least some premeditated homicides. Since it probably does deter, the death penalty probably saves the innocent lives of potential future victims who would be killed but for the deterrent effect of that penalty. Nor is it unjust to execute a murderer. Some would bring up the point that when the would-be murderer comes at his victim, the victim can rightfully kill him if necessary to save his own life since the murderer by his aggression has forfeited his right to life. Having forfeited his right to live for purposes of immediate self-defense, it is not unreasonable for the murderer to be held to forfeit his life to save the lives of future victims of other would-be murderers.
In the novel, Dead Man Walking, by Sister Helen Prejean, Sister Helen becomes a spiritual advisor to death row inmate Patrick Sonnier, a convicted killer of two teenagers. Throughout the story we learn about how terrifying it is for someone to face death. We learn the views of both families; the family of the criminal and of the victims. We are introduced to those who actually take part in the death and how they feel about whether what they do is right. ?
Everybody can argue that he or she is just doing a job... Nobody feels personally responsible for the death of this man D. A. ? s are fond of saying that criminals? put themselves in the chair. ? ? (Prejean, 101) The risk-taker for peace and justice that relates to my project is the author my primary source, Sister Helen Prejean. Sister Helen as spent her life working with death row inmates.
She also wrote a Pulitzer prize nominated book, Dead Man Walking. I have learned from her that you can? t just sit at home and only speak your opinions, you should go out and do something to fix what you believe is wrong. Her attempts to minimize the suffering in those who are poor, not just poor in wealth, but those who are poor in health and spirit, shows us that we have the ability to do something about it too. Despite how terrifying it is to sit in a room and speak with a committed killer, we learn how much good she is doing for these people, and she is bringing them closer to God. Sister Helen, was just an ordinary person who had the will to help.
We must look at also the percent of minority that is killed in our prisons today. it is shown statistically that a person of another race besides white and some who is poor has a more likely chance of being sentenced to death then a rich white person. But we shouldn? t look only at the numbers.
Isn? t everyone a child of God. Isn? t God the one who place these people on Earth and shouldn? t he be the only one who should be able to take them away? We are taught everyday that we must love everyone as our brothers or sisters, but is sentencing someone to death showing that you really love them.
Of course they must be punished, but death is a punishment we shouldn? t be able to give. It concerns me that there are people in the jails that are not confident that putting someone to death is right. It concerns me that this sentence is not given out fairly. Something should be done immediately to create infallibility in this unjust punishment. During biblical times capital punishment was a mean of punishment.
The prime example, Jesus Christ, who was crucified because he was trying to help. If we believe that what was done to Jesus Christ was wrong, shouldn? t we believe that to do it to anyone else would be wrong. Wasn? t is a?
sign? from Jesus telling us to kill others for there mistakes is not what he believes should be done. When we look at the Political influence on capital punishment we turn right towards the Government. The government is the only people who have the power to put someone to death.
Is it right to give so much power to such a small group of people? It is the power of control, but do we really want the government to have control over our lives? Shouldn? t God be the only one on control over our lives?
Capital punishment really has no effect on the Economy. It is proven that killing someone costs more then places them in jail for life. Shouldn? t we put those funds used for capital punishment towards some type of good for the country.
There is also great injustice in capital punishment, dealing with ethnicity and class. African Americans are 12 % of the U. S. population, but are 43 % of prisoners on death row. In studies it is found that killers of whites are more likely to receive a death sentence than killers of Blacks. More than 75 % of those on federal death row are non-white.
Most defendants charged with capital crimes are indigent and cannot afford to hire an experienced criminal defense attorney to represent them. They are forced to use inexperienced, underpaid court-appointed attorneys. Inmost states the pay for court appointed attorneys is so low that lawyers assigned to capital cases will lose money every hour if they do an adequate job. In Dead Man Walking, it is believed that if Pat had the money to higher a better attorney he would have not been sentenced to death. ? If Pat Sonnier had lots of money, he would have gotten himself a crackerjack attorney, who would hire top notch investigators, a ballistics expert, a psychologist to compile profiles of? desirable?
jurors, ? and you can be sure he wouldn? t be sitting on death row today. That?
s why you are never going to find a rich person on death row. ? ? (Prejean, 49) The debate of whether there is justice in the death penalty does not just exist in the United States, but all over the world. Many countries are attempting to abolish the death penalty today. People try to use the bible as a supporting reference in the debate of capital punishment. People want to not only practice vengeance but also have God agree with them. ? God said torture. God said kill.
God said get even. ? That God wants to " get even" like the rest of us does not seem to be in question. Jesus Christ refused to meet hate with hate and violence with violence. I cannot believe in a God who metes out hurt for hurt, pain for pain, torture for torture. Nor do I believe that God invests human representatives with such power to torture and kill. " You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies... " Mt 5: 43 We are taught as children that if someone hurts us that we should walk away and not cause harm towards them.
So wouldn? telling someone for killing someone the same thing and doesn? t the bible teach us that this is wrong. ? ? But should she die, you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stroke for stroke. (Exodus 21: 22 - 25)? In the example given... it is clear that punishment is to be measured out according to the seriousness of the offense. ? (Prejean, 194) But do we really have this right, the right to take someones life.
When deciding an action we must take to solve this injustice i turn to social action. We must go out and look towards long term solutions. If not the abolishment of capital punishment of revising of the process. We must find a way to assure the country that sentence of capital punishment is delivered fairly.
Free research essays on topics related to: sentenced to death, capital punishment, dead man walking, court appointed attorneys, sister helen
Research essay sample on Dead Man Walking Court Appointed Attorneys
