Analysis Of A Death In Texas By Steve Earle

Fifty eight countries in the world participate in the use of the death penalty, in 2010 the United States ranked fifth in having the most executions even though only thirty five states in the US legalized it. The death penalty is inhumane and you can argue it violates the constitution by using cruel and unusual punishments, that said The death penalty has many flaws with the system and it it should be abolished because it has a risk of discrimination and wrongful execution, it is not effective, and the cost of the system.

A very popular debate goes on between people on whether or not capital punishment should exist or not. “A Death in Texas” was wrote by Steve Earle, and the main subject is capital punishment. The death penalty should not be allowed, and should not even exist, because it’s murder itself, people can change, and we don’t have the right to take another human beings life.

Although the Texas Criminal Justice System gives punishments that are deemed fit to the gravity of the crime, the death penalty is still too harsh of a crime. Prisoners are stripped off their Eighth Amendment rights when they go through the execution, which is an inhumane, cruel and unusual punishment. This can be examined through the methods that the criminal and justice systems and the method of execution.

This criminal code is one of the most sophisticated in the country and has become a model for other states to follow. But research studies conducted to compare effects of the death penalty nationwide have shown some conflicting results. Comparison studies done to show homicide rates of retentionist and abolitionist jurisdictions from 1999 to 2001 (Sorenson & Pilgrim) have shown that death penalty states tend to have a higher murder rate than abolitionist states. This result creates the argument of the overall deterrent effect of execution. Texas is still in the top 20 of states with the highest homicide rate even though it is the highest in death penalty executions. “If the death penalty were a deterrent, the argument goes, then Texas should be located among those states with the lowest homicide rates” (Sorenson & Pilgrim, P. 25).

More than two centuries ago, the death penalty was commonplace in the United States, but today it is becoming increasingly rare. In the article “Should the Death Penalty Be Abolished?”, Diann Rust-Tierney argues that it should be abolished, and Joshua Marquis argues that it should not be abolished. Although the death penalty is prone to error and discrimination, the death penalty should not be abolished because several studies show that the death penalty has a clear deterrent effect, and we need capital punishment for those certain cases in which a killer is beyond redemption.

Still today, the death penalty is a major controversy in numerous states all over the United States. It's hard to grasp the idea of putting another human to death. The death penalty is an execution style punishment which is usually used against criminal's who have committed a horrific crime. The are many arguments that the death penalty goes against the eighth amendment, which was struck down by the Supreme Court. I believe that the death penalty should be abolished everywhere in America. I think it should be abolished because it still isn't proven to deterrent future murders, it's used unfairly, and there is a risk of executing the innocent. The death penalty can be replaced with life in prison, suffering in prison for the rest of their

Before I make the argument, I would like to provide some background information regarding the death penalty. The whole idea of capital punishment was brought over from Britain, when the founding fathers

The death penalty has existed in different forms dating back to Eighteenth Century B.C. Burning, hanging, beating, etc. were all means to an end to achieve this retribution. In today’s society, the debate over whether the death penalty is a viable punishment is still to be determined. Many scholars suggest that it fails to act as a deterrent and should be abolished while others cling to the idea that it continues to serve as retribution to those affected by the acts of criminals. Within this paper I will study the changing attitudes towards the death penalty as well as look into Texas and California as examples as they both portray interesting cases of the death penalty. While both actively sentence criminals to death row, California rarely executes while Texas has the highest execution rates in the country. Do these states have lower crime rates because of this or will this prove that the death penalty is unnecessary and violates the eighth amendment and is out of line with current views.

The primary argument against the death penalty is it can be considered as cruel and unusual punishment. The term, “cruel and unusual punishment” origins are within the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed,

Capital punishment has been recorded since colonial times. The first death sentence by firing squad was carried out at the Jamestown colony on an alleged spy. The practice was suspended by the Supreme Court in 1972. The last execution before this period was in 1967, before being reinstated in 1976. The new death penalty was tweaked, barring execution for rape, and now mitigating and aggravating factors were considered. While imposition of the death penalty was now less common than before, it should never have been brought back. Life without parole is a more viable option. It costs millions less and also ensures that the public is protected while eliminating the risk of any fatal mistake in the judicial process. Proponents seek capital punishment in more emotionally charged trials than anything. It is more of a witch hunt than the pursuit of justice. An eye for and eye is revenge, and nothing more. Revenge sometimes looks like justice, but these two things are not interchangeable.

Life is precious and should not be taken for granted. In the United States capitol punishment has been abolished or overturned in 20 states. According to Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, the nation's opinion is split right down the middle. The death penalty has been the topic of discussion in recent years, it has been very controversial primarily based on how it is permanent. Once action is taken and the punishment of death has been dealt wrongful execution of an innocent person would be an injustice that can never be rectified.

The death penalty had consistently been one of the United States’ most divided and controversial issues since the the sixteen hundreds. In 2015, twenty-eight people were executed in the United States. The use of the death penalty should be abolished. The death penalty in the United States is too expensive, inconsistent in rulings, and its popularity has declined in recent years. The death penalty is too final of a punishment for the United States to be using.

The death penalty is a controversial topic that has been brought to the United States Supreme Court many times. According to the Oxford dictionary, the death penalty is the punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime . Usually the death penalty is administered for murder, attempted murder, or intent to kill. It started off being administered by hanging, but then evolved to the electric chair and is now administered through lethal injection. From 1940 to 2014, approximately 3,771 people have been legally executed in the United States. Throughout the years, many things have been determined about the death penalty. The first being that it violates human rights. The second is that innocent lives cannot be brought back. And the third is the large possibility of a biased jury. There have been many cases that support these three points which I will address later. So, based on Supreme Court rulings, the death penalty is unconstitutional and should not continue to be legal.

The death penalty is a good source of punishment because if a person commits a murder they deserves to be punished. However, the death penalty is cruel, inhuman and degrading. The death penalty disregards the eight amendment; which states that “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted” (U.S Constitution). The death penalty is unconstitutional because it violation of the eight Amendment. The death penalty serves as a double negative. Why kill someone for committing a murder? The death penalty does not solve the crime, fix the problems that were caused by the crime, or teach anyone a lesson. Not only does the death penalty violate the eight amendment it also violates basic human rights.

There is a lot of controversy about whether the death penalty should be legal or not. It is widely used, with only 18 out of the 50 states having abolished it, but should it be permitted, regardless of the popularity of it? The answer is no. It should be abolished because it demeans life, is cruel, prison is a better punishment, and it is not effective.