Capital Punishment Essay - The Fatal State of the...

The Fatal State of the Death-Penalty System In 1997, the state of Florida botched Pedro Medinas execution. When the switch was flipped on the 50-year-old electric chair, nicknamed Old Sparky, the mask covering Medinas face caught on fire. Flames up to a foot long shot of his face for 6-10 seconds. A thick, black smoke filled the room, and the prison guards closed the curtain, hiding the rest of the job from the shocked witnesses. Bob Butterworth, then Floridas attorney general, said that Medinas agonizing death would be a deterrent to crime. People who want to commit murder, he said, better not do so in Florida because we may have a problem with our electric chair. Such cases are likely to horrify death penalty†¦show more content†¦There is no telling how many more of the approximately 3,600 people awaiting execution are not guilty, but it is worth noting that 87 men have been freed from death row since 1977, with three already released this year. †¢ A newly-released study of 62 inmates cleared by DNA evidence demonstrates that mistaken eyewitness testimony was involved in 84% of the wrongful convictions (San Francisco Chronicle, 2/16/00). †¢ A February 2000 Gallup Poll showed that death-penalty support is at a 19-year low. †¢ The United States is the only Western democracy that still carries out executions. Since 1976, 41 other countries have abolished the death penalty. †¢ Every year, New Jersey pays $22.8 million for the death-penalty process. Per person, life imprisonment costs about $850,000. (National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty). †¢ There is no conclusive evidence that the death penalty deters crime. The murder rate remained constant in Texas between 1984, when the state started speeding up its execution rate, and 1997. †¢ In 1998, there were 18, 209 murders. Prosecutors ask for the death penalty in a fraction of cases, juries only approve it in a third of those, and one-half of theShow MoreRelatedThe Death Penalty : A Fact Finding Report Essay1514 Words   |  7 PagesThe Death Penalty: A Fact-Finding Report The Death Penalty, also, known as, Capital Punishment, is the sentence of execution, for serious crimes punishable by death, through means prescribed by congress, through laws agreed upon by state legislatures (uslegal.com). Since, the first laws were established in the eighteenth-century, the topic of capital punishment has been met with vast amounts of controversy. Many Americans, have fought correspondingly, to repeal, change, and reinstate, capital punishmentsRead MoreSummary Of Raymond Bonners Anatomy Of Injustice1546 Words   |  7 Pages For my second essay, I chose to critique Raymond Bonner’s Anatomy of Injustice. It was published in 2012 in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House Inc. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It goes into the profound problems with the Death Penalty in criminal justice. Such as incompetent lawyers, racial profiling, and wrongful convictions. In particular, the Case of Edward Lee Elmore. In January 1982, a white South Carolina widow named Dorothy Edwards was found deadRead MoreCapital Punishment Is The Most Severe Form Of All Sentencing2525 Words   |  11 Pages Capital Punishment Directed Research: CCJ 2910 Instructor: Dr. Neal Jaresia Marks 19-NOV-14 Capital punishment is the most severe form of all sentencing. It was first introduced in 1700 B.C. 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Some argue that the death penalty is a justly act against dangerous criminals while others argue that the penalty is immoral, playing the role of God, and does not even lower the crime rate one bit. In fact, the death penalty is a severe punishment with some negative outcomes at timesRead MorePut Capital Punishment to Death Essay2143 Words   |  9 Pagesman awaits his death. The man lies on a metal table, strapped down like a wild animal. The straps cut into his wrists and legs, but no one cares. He is not scared—not anymore. He has no time for fear now. He vows to think only of the things that matter most—his daughters, his wife, his mother, the sunsets he will never see again, the ice cream he will never again enjoy. He knows he does not deserve to die. Yet nobody in the room cares; not t he doctor who prepares the IV, the state official who staysRead MoreGeorge Orwell s A Hanging Essay2293 Words   |  10 Pagesprime example of this type of work, as the 1931 essay provokes thought on the issue of capital punishment. The story details an experience Orwell had during his work in Burma in which he was present for one prisoner’s execution. There is certainly conflict within Orwell for taking part in this event, and for being in relation to the functionaries responsible for carrying out the sentence. While Orwell does not make his belief on capital punishment clear, there is fair reason to argue that he is,Read MoreDeath Penalty Synthesis Essay with Documents5074 Words   |  21 Pagesintegrate a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written essay. Refer to the sources to support your position; avoid mere paraphrase or summary. Your argument should be central; the sources should support this argument. Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations. Introduction: The death penalty has been implemented since ancient times and punishes criminals. Some people wonder if it deters violent crime in the states it is legal, but does it have a noticeable effect on violent