The sentencing phase was delayed to allow for a mental exam to be conducted on the killer. Two psychologists determined that China Arnold had an average IQ and no significant mental illness. Dr. Jeffrey Smalldon said China Arnold suffered from a ‘low-grade chronic depressive condition’ as well as alcohol and drug abuse. He said he found nothing “that would have justified the death of this child.” In arguing for the death sentence, Assistant Montgomery County Prosecutor Dan Brandt told the jury members quite rightly that there were NO factors that reduce the “purposeful murder of baby Paris in that microwave.” Defense attorney Kevin Lennen said that the death penalty should go only to the worst offenders. He pointed to evidence that his client
The death penalty or in other words capital punishment is a form of execution used for a long time. It is a form of punishment that was and still is used by several countries for various types of crimes for hundreds of years. However the death penalty has become a very debatable and confronting issue for last decades due to the fact of people having different opinions on this issue. In some countries it is considered to be a part of the judicial system, while
The debate on whether or not the death penalty should be abolished has been ongoing for quite a long period of time. While there are those who believe that the death penalty does not serve its intended purpose, proponents of the same are convinced that the relevance of the same cannot be overstated and hence it should not be abolished. In this text, I examine the arguments for and against the death penalty.
Each year, approximately about 10,000 innocent people in the United States get convicted of serious crimes that they did not commit. And at least four percent of them receive the death penalty being completely innocent. Scenarios like this happen all the time because there are more and more false persecutions each day which can be easily avoided. Many people are occupying prisons all over the world, for felonies they did not execute. More than 200 people have been exonerated through DNA testing nationwide. But why do these wrongful convictions keep happening?
The death penalty is a capital punishment that is put into effect for major crimes. The death penalty is a very controversial topic in the United States and throughout the world. There was a time period were the death penalty was banned for about four years in 1972-1976. Many feel that the death penalty is justice because it is retribution toward criminals who have committed heinous crimes. However the death penalty is inhumane and should be abolished in the United States.
Each year approximately about 10,000 innocent people in the United States get convicted of serious crimes that they did not commit. And at least four percent of them receive the death penalty being completely innocent. Scenarios like this happen all the time because there are more and more false persecutions each day which can be easily avoided. Many people are occupying prisons all over the world, for felonies they did not execute. More than 200 people have been exonerated through DNA testing nationwide. But why do these wrongful convictions keep happening?
On June 20th 2001, Andrea Yates drowned her five children in the bathtub of her small suburban home in Clear Lake Texas. The subsequent trial and conviction caused a gargantuan amount of controversy. Jurors found Andrea guilty and sentenced her to life in prison despite the fact that there was an abundance of evidence to suggest that Andrea was legally insane at the time of the killings. In fact, 63% of the American public wanted her to receive the death penalty (). Although she was eventually acquitted by reason of insanity, both the judicial system and the American public should take a more mental-health-aware approach to the individuals they commit to prison.
I think Texas needs to discriminate certain behaviors. Many people spent so many years in prison waiting to be executed. I think the government needs to reduce the waiting period for only those people who they are sure that they committed the crime and needs to be executed. Most of the time it’s unfair because those people spend their years waiting and enjoying in prison while the family members are still waiting for justice. It’s unfair that sometimes the family members don’t even witness the justice because they die before the person who committed the crime is executed. The Texas government also needs to reduce jail length for people arrested because of possession of drugs. The government needs to punish them, instead of putting them in
Lionel was convicted of the murder of 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick. Lionel argued that Tiffany’s death was a mistake and that he was only repeating a move that he saw a professional wrestler perform. However, experts say that Lionel’s story did not answer for all of the injuries that Tiffany obtained the night that she died. “The defense’s own experts conceded that Tate’s story would not have accounted for all of Tiffany’s injuries, which one prosecution expert said were comparable to falling from a three-story building.” (““Wresting” Case Draws,” par. 20) It is obvious that Lionel did not tell everything that happened on the night that he killed Tiffany, and some could say that they would expect Lionel to hide the entire truth because he was young and scared, but then they are presented with details of his actions after being confronted with what happened to Tiffany. “Ms. Eunick- Paul testified that when she told Lionel that her daughter was dead, he shrugged and rolled his eyes. The next day, he asked Ms. Eunick- Paul if he could live with her and have Tiffany’s toys, she testified.” (Canedy, par. 11) 12 Year Old Lionel Tate was not able to sympathize the death of 6 year old Tiffany Eunick. How could life in prison without mental help, help Lionel Tate? How could life in prison help 13-year-old Eric Smith who committed murder on a spur- of- the- moment
How would you feel if you were woken up , were arrested , taken to jail and was charged with an adult sentence with no valid evidence that you committed a crime? In 1999 Adnan Syed who was 17 at that time was arrested for murder for killing his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. He was brought into an adult court and was charged with an adult sentence. There was no valid evidence that Adnan committed this murder , but the cops came to his front door one night to arrest him. Even though Adnan was only 17 this was a case of a serious crime , some states consider the age of 17 to be trialed at an adult court, but there should be some certain restrictions that go along with this.
The eighth amendment is designed to protect us from cruel and unusual punishment. Conservation of the United States Constitution, and all moral ideologies have been set aside. An old form of barbaric punishment and the saying "eye for an eye" is still being widely accepted by Americans today. The old form of barbaric punishment is capital punishment. No matter how "humane" the death penalty has become, it is still the killing of another human being. When people stand outside prisons and cheer that an individual was murdered, there is a problem. When people justify the killing of another person, there
The Death Penalty Discussion In today’s world terrible crimes are being committed daily. Many people believe that these criminals deserve one fate; death. Death penalty is the maximum sentence used in punishing people who kill another human being and is a very controversial method of punishment. Capital punishment is a legal infliction of death penalty and since ancient times it has bee used to punish a large variety of offences.
The Supreme Court would responded to this case and consider a habeas relief to the prisoner if the state court was deemed unreasonable under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDP.) The Appeals court would take Whites case to the supreme court in violation of his 6th and 14th amendments on claims of how juror 638 was excused from the jury. For the Supreme Court to side with the appeals court, then White would have to prove that there was an error beyond any doubt in removing juror 638. During the review of juror 638 in the trial of white vs. wheeler, the trial judge removed 638 because of his inconsistency in his viewpoints on the death penalty. The judge confirmed this when reviewing his testimony on whether he could realistically
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.
Often time's people ask, "How effective is the death penalty economically?" The United States has found that between 1989 and 1997 the cost of a federal death penalty case cost $269,139 and grew to $620,932 in 2014. There are many things that go into the reasons why it costs the state so much to try death penalty cases. One of those reasons is the costs of attorneys. Prosecutors and defense attorneys spend more hours preparing for a case. They usually hire more staff when they work on death penalty cases. It was recorded that the average amount of hours spent on a capital punishment case was 3,557, and that was just outside of the court room gathering research. Most attorneys charge their clients $100 per hour.
Bright, Stephen B.: "The death penalty as the answer to crime: costly, counterproductive and corrupting"; 35 Santa Clara Law Review 1211 (1995)