Capital Punishment Should Be Banned

There is also a large disparity between races when it comes to sentencing convicts to Death Row. Looking just at the federal death penalty data released by the Department of Justice between 1995 and 2000, 682 defendants were charged with death-eligible crimes. Out of those 682 defendants, the defendant was black 48% of the cases, Hispanic in 29% of the cases, and white in only 20% of the cases (Coker, 2003).

The moral and ethical debate on the sentencing and enforcement of capital punishment has long baffled the citizens and governing powers of the United States. Throughout time, the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, and the vast majority beliefs of Americans, have been in a constant state of perplexity. Before the 1960s, the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution were interpreted as permitting the death penalty. However, in the early 1960s, it was suggested that the death penalty was a "cruel and unusual" punishment and therefore unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment. Many argue that capital punishment is an absolute necessity, in order to deter crime, and to ‘make things right’ following a heinous crime of murder. Despite the belief that capital punishment may seem to be the only tangible, permanent solution to ending future capital offenses, the United States should remove this cruel and unnecessary form of punishment from our current judicial systems.

In fact, Brewer killed his victim for the only reason because the victim was black (Tyner and Colucci, 1084). It it interesting to notice that two men got the same condemnation; however, there was enough proof to prove Davis’s innocence or at least raise a reasonable doubt and even though many tried to support Davis, the judiciary still decided to take his life. The crimes did not have the same weight, but they still got the same conviction creating an injustice in the law. This shows that being of a different race might influence ways judiciary uses death penalty.

Just recently on the news, a man is charged with murder and faces the death penalty if convicted. An officer shoot an unarmed black man in the back eight times again race is a fact for the killing. But, will race play a part in the sentencing, if found guilty, of the white officer. On the flip side of that, an Alabama man was released from death row after serving 30 years for a crime he did not commit. Much of the reasoning behind sentencing the Alabama man to death, was his race. He is a black man. Just think if the courts would have carried out the sentence given to the Alabama man, they would have killed an innocent man. There are probably many more men and women in the same situation as the Alabama man, sitting on death row for a

Those that are for the death penalty claim that it will serve as a deterrent and is the only way for retribution against murderers. Both issues are highly debatable and have even been a subject of criticism. Punishment as a deterrence has been used for ages. This concept does work, however it should not be applied to all criminals, in my opinion. Some pro capital punishment individuals claim that it is an efficient deterrence against criminals. In an article “Death penalty is a deterrence”, the authors claim that by practicing the death penalty, violent crimes will decrease.”violent crime has declined eleven percent, with murder showing the largest decline at even more than twenty two percent. We believe that this has occurred in part because of the strong signal that the death penalty sent to violent criminals and murders.” These statistics taken from this article may be inaccurate and should be closely examined.

In the article, “Supreme Court to Hear Death Penalty Cases,” in The New York Times; Adam Liptak talks about two different death penalty cases to be heard in October 2016. Case number 15-8049, Buck v. Stephens, is to be heard over whether or not race should one of the factors associated with future dangerousness. Buck, an African American male, was convicted for killing his former girlfriend and her friend, in front of her children.

The injustice that comes from this prosecution isn’t taken as seriously as it should be, with it ruining lives of loved of victims and the victims themselves. A study by Katherine Beckett, details how jurors in Washington State were 3 times more likely to impose the death penalty to a person of color than a white person. Deaths that have included white victims make up 80% of Capital cases, while these victims only make up one half of all murder cases. By 2002, 12 cases of the defendant being white and the murder victim being black have been sent to the death penalty, while 178 cases of the defendant being black have been executed. Discrimination in a court of law that relates to the death penalty correlates directly with the prosecution and defense provided. 94.5% of elected prosecutors that reside in death penalty states are white, even going as far as 100% white in 9 states like Washington and Tennessee. These statistics showcase how the legal system is much more harsher and likely to punish people based on their skin

To look closely at many of the mechanisms in American society is to observe the contradiction between constitutional equality and equality in practice. Several of these contradictions exist in the realm of racial equality. For example, Black s often get dealt an unfair hand in the criminal justice system. In The Real War on Crime, Steven Donziger explains,

     Capital punishment should be viewed as the stripping away of humanity from a person. The death penalty itself should be "executed" because of racial inequities, the concept of murder, the possibility of error, lack of deterrence, the cost, and an overwhelmed legal system. "The goal of capital punishment is revenge" (Introduction 1). Capital punishment is simply an outlet for the bloodlust of the American people (Introduction 1).

The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, is an extremely controversial subject that has been widely discussed among Americans for the past century. The death penalty is used upon criminals whom the world deems too unfit to continue living. Some individuals feel the death penalty is too harsh and very inhumane due to possible failures thus disregarding the main principle of it, to perform a painless death. Others trust the expression: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Although some states have eradicated the death penalty, many states like California, Alabama, and Oregon still have the punishment intact. Capital punishment should be reinstated to every province in America because of its inane ability to avert criminals from committing further crimes. The death penalty is required for a society to uphold justice, promote the deterrence of crimes, essential to maintain public safety,

The death penalty continues to be an issue of controversy and is an issue that will be debated and talked about in the United States for many more years. The death penalty is a punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. In 1963 the United States abolished the death penalty, also called capital punishment. Through the 1960s, the Supreme Court battled many cases involving the death penalty and whether it should be allowed. The Supreme Court finally ruled a decision in 1976 that the death penalty can be enforced by the states that want it and not enforced by those who don't want it. To me not only is capital punishment unethical, useless and serves no purpose it is also biased and racist. Racial bias

He was being sentenced the death sentence. The majority decision was six to two however, there was a testimony which was incredibly racist. A physcilogist claimed the man on trial was more dangerous than a white man. The man on trial was Mr.Buck a African American male and this trial was being conducted in Texas. Racism has not dissapeared from the US. This all began with colonialism people believed they were better then others. Race Conflict theory illustrates how there is inequality and conflict between race and enthic backgrounds.

Racism has always been an issue in our society. Throughout history, minorities have been misrepresented in the justice system, especially in cases where the outcome is death. In early American History, blacks were hanged for breaking any informal laws. Back then, killings occurred without any type of dues process. In the 1960s the National Association for the Advancement of African Americans (NAACP) believed that African Americans received the death penalty more frequently than members of other groups. “According to data from Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), 55% of death row inmates are black or Hispanic”

These exemplars are indicative of a deeper systemic racism which gives an insight of how damaging racial intolerance and insensitivity can be toward someone who is facing execution. Texas in 1980, a black high school custodian named Clarence Brandley, and his white co-worker discovered the body of a disappeared 16-year-old white schoolgirl. The police officer did not have to look for the real killer just because as he stated: "One of you two is gonna hang for this since you're the nigger, you're elected."( Bedau, 2012). Clarence Brandley was convicted of killing the girl base on his skin color. Moreover, in 1990, Brandley was freed by the Supreme Court after ten years on death row for being a black American.

Capital crime is something that is meant for people that are found guilty of committing a serious crime, such as murder, rape, or theft. These are offences that should not be taken lightly but by killing the offender, the government is carrying about the action that they are trying to prevent. Also, the wrong person may be sentenced to death. After this person is executed, there is obviously nothing that can be done for the terrible mistake to be reversed. The death penalty should be abolished because it is more expensive than life imprisonment, numerous innocent people are condemned to death row, and it is cruel and inhumane.