My policy brief is looking at the continued use of the death penalty the U.S. state of Texas. The use of this punishment is a violation of Article 3 and Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is also a violation of the United States constitution 8th Amendment because of the pain cause from the lethal injection. This is also a human right violation because of the amount and uncertainty of the guilt and many people that are sitting on death row today. In order for the U.S. to be consistent with the documents that it claims to have ratified it must abolish the use of capitol punishment.
Statement of the Issue:
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
Resolution—Execution should not be allowed in the United States, especially given the risk of executing innocent people.
There are laws and decisions of United States government and higher orders that present controversy to the people of America. In the state of Texas the application of the death penalty is difficult to interpret, especially for the mentally ill, because there is no written law or bill that explains the execution implication in complete detail. The death penalty is a capital punishment of death for those who have committed such high crime. This penalty goes for everyone who does such act no matter who you are, how rich how poor, or where you stand in society. For the longest time, even with the mindset and understanding that those who commit crime to a certain level can receive the execution punishment, the concern and debate whether the mentally
In the United States, the use of the death penalty continues to be a controversial issue. Every election year, politicians, wishing to appeal to the moral sentiments of voters, routinely compete with each other as to who will be toughest in extending the death penalty to those persons who have been convicted of first-degree murder. Both proponents and opponents of capital punishment present compelling arguments to support their claims. Often their arguments are made on different interpretations of what is moral in a just society. In this essay, I intend to present major arguments of those who support the death penalty and those who are opposed to state sanctioned executions application . However, I do intend to fairly and accurately
The death penalty is the punishment of execution. The death penalty was authorized by 32 states, the Federal Government, and the U.S. Military. Throughout the years, the method of the death penalty has changed. Not only has the way it is performed been altered, but also the way our presidential candidates view the death penalty. For example, when George Bush was governor of Texas in the 1990s, he approved executions. He sent some to death who might have been innocent. Death sentences in Texas have dropped nearly 80% since 1999. In 1977, Oklahoma became the first state to adopt lethal injection as a form of execution. Lethal injection is the primary method used. On December 2, 1982, Charles Brooks became the first person executed by lethal injection in Texas. Besides the deadly injection, the electric chair nicknamed "Old Sparky," was also an execution method. Texas, along with Louisiana, Ohio, and Illinois used the electric chair. The electric chair was in use from 1924 until 1964. Old Sparky was said to have taken 361 prisoners life's (TexasTribune).
Putting people to death for breaking the law is a punishment that has been in existence for thousands of years of human history and has been enforced in all corners of the
There have been many different types of forms used when it comes to punishing the accused offender. In the past the punishment methods used ranged anything from stoning to death, to setting someone alive on fire, hanging, or the beheading of someone, alongside with the attaching of the offender’s arms and legs to four separate horses, or oxen only to be pulled apart. In all these barbaric and inhuman acts by our standards today, were performed within the towns square so that the community and visitors would be able to witness these executions.
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.
The first person to ever get execution in the state of texas was in november of 1819. When this was first put into effect they executed offenders by hanging them. Until 1923 ,they began using the electric chair to execute murderers. In the 1970’s that’s when they began using the lethal injections. In the beginning of the death penalty people were only executed for murder and stealing. But now you don’t have to commit a murder to get put on a death row sentence. Although most people who are on death row have committed a murder. Some of the felons who have been on death row have committed a crime such as several rapes, assault and battery, and attempted sexually batter.
The life it took thirty-seven years for Lester Bower to build, was taken from him in slightly under four hours when a jury with no murder weapon, without fingerprints, witnesses placing him at the scene, or a confession, found him guilty and sentenced him to death. During the next thirty-one years of waiting he was separated from his wife and two daughters; he spent about 23 hours a day in the 5 by 9-foot cell that held him as he awaited his execution. In 1994, he reported that his life on death row was a lonely one saying, “You have people around you all the time, but you have very few friends. There is too much dying on the row, so you don't build really true bonds.” Finally on June 3, 2015, Bower died for the crime that he maintained he
Death penalty is one of the most controversial topic brought up in American politics. Within America, there are 31 states that carry out the death penalty and only 19 states that have abolished the practice. Many people are concerned whether or not the death penalty is beneficial to decreasing the amount of crime rates. Recently, the Supreme Court had a meeting to discuss the death penalty and if it went against the eight amendment. The eighth amendment states that it has banned cruel and unusual punishments but the death penalty is going against the idea. Compared to the late 1990s the number of executions in America has decreased. In 2015, there were only 28 executions with 48 new death sentences. 2015 was the year that had the lowest number
In many eyes across the country the death penalty is widely criticized. The state of Texas has the death penalty whereas nineteen other states in the United States do not including the state Maine. The death penalty is a way for the states to declare that they don’t tolerate the heinous crimes that some individuals commit. In Texas there are numerous ways that one could be sentenced to death row. Murdering a police officer or firefighter in the line of duty and if the individual knowing that they are a police officer or firefighter, murder for hire or promise of pay, to employ another to commit murder, murder during the act of or attempted act of kidnapping, burglary, robbery, aggravated sexual assault, arson, obstruction, retaliation or terroristic
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
In the United States, there are around 40 to 50 executions per year, Texas with 10 or more prisoners put to death each year. Texas has the highest rate of deaths out of all the other states with the death penalty. Texas currently has three prisoners put to death already. The United States has currently 31 states with the death penalty; the remaining states abolished it. The death penalty should be abolished because of the cost, it shortens punishment for the person who did the crime,and it puts innocent lives at risk.
In 1976 a law was passed by the state of Missouri and 25 other states. This was called the Death Penalty. Since then we have put 62 total people to death using the Death Penalty. Some states have only used this penalty 1 or 2 times, others states like Missouri, Texas, and Virginia, have used this penalty more than 5 times. Texas is even up to 11 since its legalization. The Death Penalty should not be allowed because, it violates the 8th amendment, what if someone gets falsely accused, and it violates a physician's oath to protect.
Immigration continues to grow through out Texas and so does politicians, however despite the growing population and growing supporters for Republicans, the death penalty does not. The death penalty has taken the lives of many criminals but does not continue to do so. Through out the nation, the death penalty has been a wide debated topic on whether or not it is in violation of the eighth amendment and also has been considered cruel and unusual punishment. Texas, among other states, has used and continues to use the death penalty costing taxpayers millions. The death penalty is cruel and usual punishment and is costing taxpayers millions of dollars.