Brandon Daniel's Case Study

Keep in my mind that in Texas only the most vial and cruel criminals are placed on death row, and, who are the most deserving. The consequences of the Supreme Court’s 1972 ruling voided 40 death penalty statutes, thereby commuting the sentences of 629 death row inmates around the country, 45 from Texas and suspending the death penalty because existing statutes were no longer valid. However, this ruling went against the U.S. public majority where, in fact, over 55% of U.S. citizens were in favor of the death penalty.

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).

Born in Hampton, Virginia, Steve Earle wrote an astounding piece of information that shocked thousands of people. The story, “A Death in Texas,” changed my views of the death penalty, and really put some things in perspective. Starting in 1608, the death penalty became present, and it is a sanctioned practice where a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. Although people make mistakes, the death penalty should be abolished due to inhumanity, taking away precious lives, and it is an ineffective tool.

Having to execute prisoners in Texas is a critical issue in our criminal justice system. The executions are carried out on capital murderers. It all started back in the 1800’s when counties carryed out their own exectution method; prisoners were hung. Than, in the1920’s the state of Texas ordered that all executions were to be carried out to Walls Unit, Huntsville for “The Electric Chair.” Ever since 1982, Texas was the first U.S state to execute with the “Lethal Injection.” The executions in Texas are carried out in various ways, but the primary way of executing inmates now is by lethal injection.

Bower was one of many people, mostly men, waiting on death row for their execution. He, like 37% of the population of death row was put to death in Texas (6). Texas’ overuse of the death penalty can be traced back to a few basic causes. The three main problems that contribute to Texas’ high number of executions are its lack of a public defender system and elected judges, (PBS). Because Texas does not have a system of public defenders anyone who cannot afford to hire a lawyer will be assigned a court-appointed attorney. These appointed lawyers are almost never experienced in capital murder trials or the appeals process. Once the initial case was tried with an incompetent lawyer it is almost impossible to go back later and prove bad lawyering. Judges in Texas are elected to office unlike their appointment in most other states. In order to get reelected there is pressure to appear tough on crime and enforce strict punishments for the judge's own self-interest. The high conviction rate within Texas in comparison with the rest if the US and the state-specific failures within its legal system prove that they overuse the death penalty. Criminal or not Texas system does respect the defendant's right to fight to prove their innocence and be given the best chance possible to do

The Josh Powell case is a tragic one that tells the story of a clearly emotionally unstable man that reached the end of his rope and made a horrible decision. In 2009 the police were looking into Josh as a possible suspect in the missing of his wife Susan. Josh was never charged for the disappearance of Susan and was allowed to have full custody of his two sons following the investigation.

The Declaration of Independence for the United States has done a good job at protecting its citizens from undue burdens; however there is one small subsection of the population in which the American legal system is failing. The American judicial system is failing those on death row in Texas. The state of Texas leads the nation in the amount of executions performed. (Amnesty International) Unfortunately, there are legal, moral, and racial issues with these sentences. Today, there are 260 inmates on death row. (Amnesty International) Additionally, since 1976, there have been 474 total executions. (DPIC) This is a problem because research states that nearly 4% of all death row inmates are actually innocent. (Rogers) This nation wide data is relevant for this policy brief because with such a high number of the states’ inmates on death row there is a

The United States of America, one of the most profound and progressive countries in the world, is also the only country in the Americas, to continued to use the death penalty as a punishment and execute its own people to prove that killing others is bad. Death Penalty continues to be a hot topic in the states with many people for and many others against the use of death as a form of punishment for criminals who commit first degree or aggravated murder. There are many factors that can place one at a disadvantage and increase the possibility of being sentenced to death penalty such as race, socioeconomic status, and geographical factors, among other potential reasons for the crimes that have been committed. The further capital punishment is investigated

Texas Capital Punishment is not as reasonable as one might assume. It is not reasonable since there have been many innocent individuals who have been executed. One might wonder how an innocent individual is given Capital Punishment, and through out the Trial he or she is found guilty and hurl for execution. Many facing Capital Punishment are underprivileged individuals who cannot afford a private lawyer, in which he or she relies on the State of Texas to appoint an attorney for them (Byrd & Price, 2008). Much of the time, the appointed lawyers are overloaded with cases, don’t have time to review the case before trial, and don’t have trial experience required for a capital punishment case (Byrd & Price, 2008). According to the Death penalty

The worker contacted Daniel Natale who is the father of Julia Jones. The worker started by asking Mr. Natale if he had seen Julia newborn child yet. Mr. Natale stated he hadn’t seen any of his grandchildren since Christmas of 2014. The worker then asked Mr. Natale how many children Mrs. Julia Jones has. Mr. Natale stated “Julia and Marquea have four children together and Marquea has five other children from different relationships. The worker then asked Mr. Natale if he had any concerns for his daughter’s family. Mr. Natale stated “Julia and Marquea are very attentive and they provided a good home for their children they always kept a clean home and had a loving relationship with their children. My main concern is why the children were taken

Brandon Bostian was a 32-year-old railroad engineer who was in control of a train on May 12, 2015, when his northbound train suddenly accelerated just before approaching on a curve by more than twice the speed limit. The train derailed, killing eight passengers and wounding more than 200. Four days after the accident took place, 17 travelers were proceeded to be hospitalized. However, Bostian was treated for his injuries and released from the hospital on the same night as the crash.

Brandon Paxton has been a strong informal, and formal leader in our fire district for many years. I have heard it said that “leadership is knowledge, experience, and intent of the heart, and you can only teach two of those”! In my opinion, Brandon is solely motivated by a genuine caring for the citizens we serve and a desire to make things better. He has cultivated his knowledge, and experience in the fire service in such a way that he is ready for the next step of Lieutenant.

Crime in America is something that has been around for many decades. While a large number of crimes are considered minor, many more result in the serious injury or death of another human being. “When we think about crimes, we … normally focus on inherently wrongful acts that harm or threaten to harm persons or property” (Bibas 22). The death penalty, also called capital punishment, has been used as a means of punishing the most violent of criminals in an attempt to prevent others from committing similar crimes. Over the centuries, the methods used to conduct these executions have evolved and changed due to effectiveness and public opinion.

In Stephen Bright’s article, “The Death Penalty as the Answer to Crime: Costly, Counterproductive, and Corrupting” Bright asserts that capital punishment does not work because it is racially biased, the quality of the lawyers and attorneys supplied by the state to poor defendants is unfair, and that the law system currently in place does not accomplish its true goals. Bright defends his claim with logos and ethos by examining the opinions of judges and district attorneys, and by describing experience within the fields of human rights and law himself in order to persuade the reader to take up more cases for those on death row. Given the language used in this article Bright is writing to an audience with intermediate to professional experience within the field of law, and a willingness to adopt a new idea on the constitutionality behind the death penalty.