The Effect of the Death Penalty in Texas

The article, ‘Judge: Cop Killer Brandon Daniel competent can dismiss lawyers’ published in July of 2015, talks about Daniel’s case—overall punishment. This article is about a twenty-six year old man, Brandon Daniel, who murdered an Austin, Texas police officer. The police officer, Jaime Padron, received a call involving shoplifting at a Wal-Mart in the north side of town. Both, Brandon Daniel and Padron were wrestling on the floor when the officer was shot dead. In this situation, this murder is considered capital murder. When an individual is sentenced with capital murder, they are sentenced execution or in other words the death penalty. Texas is known for having the highest number of death penalties since 1976. However in this case,

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

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.

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).

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).

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.

Death Penalty in Texas According to Wikipedia, since the death penalty was re-instituted in the United States with the 1976 Gregg v. Georgia decision, Texas has executed more inmates than any other state. Since 1982, 537 people have been executed in Texas. All executions occur at the Huntsville Unit. [1] Death Penalty is when someone is punished for a harsh crime they have committed including murder and rape.

Despite its firm stance on severe criminal penalties, Texas has the 12th highest crime rate in the nation. There have been debates and arguments about whether the capital punishment is a deterrent for crime, but there are

-Cost, like previously mentioned above it cost allot, not just financially but physically and emotionally for all those involved. The trials, the appeals and don’t forget the heightened security on death row, commuting all death sentences to life in prison would save hundred of millions of dollars per year Texas.

During the 1920s to the 1950s, most Texans had viewed capital punishment as a just punishment for any horrific act to teach others not commit the same crimes but instead got most innocent African and Mexican Americans convicted and sentence to death. Most Texans had a sense of a strong sense of moral character, which they believe an immoral act deserves a punishment based on the nature of the crime. For example, Most Texans believed that people who committed crimes like murder and rape deserved severe punishment for their actions. Due to the fact that crimes such as rape and murder are the highest intolerable acts of all. For instance, murder involved a person taking another person’s life which too many Texans deserved the ultimate punishment,

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

In this paper, the authors examine how the death penalty argument has changed in the last 25 years in the United States. They examine six specific issues: deterrence, incapacitation, caprice and bias, cost innocence and retribution; and how public opinion has change regarding these issues. They argue that social science research is changing the way Americans view the death penalty and suggest that Americans are moving toward an eventual abolition of the death penalty.

For anyone living in Texas, it is common to hear about convicted criminals being sentenced to death. Is justice being served? When someone has committed a heinous murder, justice must prevail. But that ideal becomes harder to achieve as we scale the moral high ground and look all around, from behind the jail cell bars to the crushed life of the murdered victim.