n Cold Blood Death Penalty Essay Example For Students

n Cold Blood: Death Penalty Essay Capital Punishment has been part of the criminal justice system since theearliest of times. The Babylonian Hammurabi Code(ca. 1700 B.C.) decreed deathfor crimes as minor as the fraudulent sale of beer(Flanders 3). Egyptianscould be put to death for disclosing the location of sacred burialsites(Flanders 3). However, in recent times opponents have shown the death penalty to beracist, barbaric, and in violation with the United States Constitution ascruel and unusual punishment. In this country,although laws governing theapplication of the death penalty have undergone many changes since biblical times, the punishment endures , andcontroversy has never been greater. A prisoners death wish cannot grant a right not otherwise possessed. Abolitionists maintain that the state has no right to kill anyone; . The rightto reject life imprisonment and choose death should be respected, but itchanges nothing for those who oppose the death at the hands of the state. The death penalty is irrational- a fact that should carry considerable weightwith rationalists. As Albert Camus pointed out, Capital punishment.hasalways been a religious punishment and is reconcilable with humanism. Inother words, society has long since left behind the archaic and barbouscustoms from the cruel eye for an eye anti-human caves of religion- another factor that shouldraise immediate misgivings for freethinkers. State killings are morally bankrupt. Why do governments kill people to showother people that killing people is wrong? Humanity becomes associated withmurderers when it replicate their deeds. Would society allow rape as thepenalty for rape or the burning of arsonists homes as the penalty for arson?The state should never have the power to murder its subjects. To give thestate this power eliminates the individuals most effective shield againsttyranny of the majority and is inconsistent with democratic principles. Family and friends of murder victims are further victimized by statekillings. Quite a few leaders in the abolishment movement became involvedspecially because someone they loved was murdered. Family of victimsrepeatedly stated they wanted the murderer to die. One of the main reasons- inaddition to justice- was they wanted all the publicity to be over. Yet. if it wasnt for the sensationalismsurrounding an execution, the media exposure would not have occurred in thefirst place. Murderers would be quietly and safely put away for life withabsolutely no possibility for parole. The death penalty violates constitutional prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment. The grotesque killing of Robert Harris by the state of California on April 21,1992, and similar reports of witnesses to hangings and lethal injections should leave So 3doubt that the dying process can be- and often is -grossly inhumane, regardless of method(Flanders 16). The death penalty is often used for political gain. During his presidential gain, President Clinton rushed home for the Arkansasexecution of Rickey Ray Rector, a mentally retarded, indigent black man. Clinton couldnt take the chance of being seen by voters as soft on crime.Political Analysts believe that when the death penalty becomes an issue in a campaign, the candidate favoringcapital punishment almost inevitably will benefit. Capital punishment discriminates against the poor. Although murderers comefrom all classes, those on death row are almost without exception poor andwere living in poverty at the they were arrested. The majority of death-rowinmates were or are represented by court-appointed public defenders- and the state is not obligated to providean attorney at all for appeals beyond the state level. The application of capital punishment is racist. About 40 percent ofdeath-row inmates are black, whereas only 8 percent of the population as awhole are black(Flanders 25). In cases with white victims, black defendantswere four to six times more likely to receive death sentences than whitedefendants who had similar criminal histories. Studies show that the chance for a death sentence is up tofive to ten times greater in cases with white victims than blackvictims(Flanders 25). In the criminal justice system, the life of a whiteperson is worth more than the life ofa black person. .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b , .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b .postImageUrl , .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b , .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b:hover , .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b:visited , .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b:active { border:0!important; } .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b:active , .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4137a997a09b7b9d885dc9072f54127b:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Caucasian Chalk Circle Questions by Nicole Essay The mentally retarded are victimized by the death penalty. Since 1989, when the Supreme Court upheld killing of the mentally retarded, atleast four such executions have occurred. According to the Southern Center forHuman Rights, at least 10 percent of death row inmates in the United Statesare mentally retarded(Long 79). Juveniles are subject to the death penalty. Since state execution ofjuveniles also became permissible in the decision cited above, at least fivepeople who were juveniles when their crimes were committed have executed(Long79). Innocent people can-and have been- executed. With the death penalty errorsare irreversible. According to a 1987 study, 23 people who were innocent ofthe crimes for which they were convicted were executed between 1900 and1985(Long 79). Until human judgement becomes infallible, this problem alone isreason enough to abolish the death penalty at the hands of the state morededicated to vengeance than to truth and justice. Executions do not save money. There are those who cry that we, the taxpayers,shouldnt have to support condemned people for an entire lifetime in prison-that we should simply eliminate them and save ourselves time and money. Thetruth is that the cost of state killing is up to three times the cost oflifetime imprisonment(Long 80). Judges and others are reluctant- as they should be- toshorten the execution process for fear that hasty procedures will lead to theexecutions of more innocent people. The death penalty has been imposed most for murders committed during thecourse of another felony. Aggravating circumstances for murder are defined inthe applicable death penalty statute. Circumstances considered for murderinclude:-The crime was particularly vile, atrocious, or cruel. -There were multiple victims. -The crime occurred during the commission of another felony. -The victim was a police or correctional officer in the line ofduty. -The offender was previously convicted of a capital offense or violent crime. -The offender directed an accomplice to commit the murder or committed themurder at the direction of another person. (Flanders 12)In the novel, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, the main characters Dick and Perry were guilty of several of the circumstances that eventually ledto their demise:-The multiple victims included all four of the Clutter family. -The event occurred during an attempted robbery. -Both were former inmates and had previous dealings with the law. -Dick had chosen Perry for his instinct as a Natural Born Killer. Further,it seems that both Dick and Perry fell almost directly under thecommon background of one convicted of death. The death penalty is flawed inmany facets. Juries in rural counties are more likely to impose the death penalty than those in urban areas. Dick and Perrywere convicted in Garden City, a small to moderate sized town. Both Dick andPerry were unemployed, poor, white criminals whose actions wrecked havoc notonly on the remaining Clutter family and relatives, but on the entire town ofHolcomb and surrounding areas. This only justifies and reinforces the points stated abovethat capital punishment is biased, racist, and is harmful not only to theoffenders themselves, but to the entire community. Opposition to the death penalty finally acheived its goal when in 1972 theSupreme Court struck down death penalty laws, finding fault not with thetheory, but with the method. However, all was lost when four years later, thedecision was once more revised and ruled the death penalty once more legal. Death row will continue to expand. It is almost certain that the rising levelof executions will be widely condemned. The future of capital punishment mayfinally come down to the question of expense. A single capital trial now costsmillions of dollars. The enormous volume of continuing appeals strain both federal and state courtsystems. Unless workable solutions are found to the practical difficultiesinvolved in the administration of the death penalty. American societyeventually may decide to significantly restrict or even abandon capital punishment. .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef , .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef .postImageUrl , .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef , .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef:hover , .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef:visited , .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef:active { border:0!important; } .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef:active , .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u343f1507bc962adf1fbc4667b0b44bef:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Single Emotional poeffect EssaySo 7 Works CitedFlanders, Stephen A. Capital Punishment. New York, NY: Facts on File, 1991. Long, Robert Emmet. Criminal Sentencing. New York, NY: H.W.Company, 1995.