Death Penalty :: essays research papers

DEATH PENALTY The death penalty has been a staple in the justice scheme of Americasince its inception. Though very controversial, it has stood the test of time asthe ultimate punishment. Many countries are currently abolishing their deathpenalty practice. America, on the different hand, has thirty-eight of fifty stateswith laws regarding the death penalty. It seems the United States requires thedeath penalty to a greater extent than ever due to the increased rate of violent crime. Since cardinal ninety more than trinity hundred fifty people have been put to deathwith another three thousand three hundred in the waiting on death row. On alarger scale, since nineteen seventy-six five hundred fifty-two executions haveoccurred in the United States, the breakdown is as follows three hundredninety-four by lethal injection, one hundred forty-one by electrocution, elevenby gas chamber, three by hanging, and two by firing squad. Half of the post-nineteen seventy-six executions have occurr ed within the last five years,including fifty-two so far this year. Although the death penalty has broughtmany viscid criminals to a fitting end, the process by which the deathpenalty is based upon is an inconsistent one. The system of tangled appeals,court orders, and last minute pardons has rendered the entire systemineffective. As displayed by the swelling of the stagnant pool of death rowinmates, criminals are not deterred by the punishment. An evil deed is notredeemed by an evil deed of retaliation. Justice is never advanced in thetaking of human life. Morality is never upheld by legalized murder. Many loopholes exist in the anatomical structure of the death penalty. Theoutcome of the case is decided by the quality of the lawyer defending theaccused. Many criminals cannot afford a competent lawyer, resulting in agreater chance of that particular person being issued the death penalty, asopposed to life in prison. A fine line separates these two charges, and a defendant who ca n afford a competent lawyer stands less of a chance of beingassigned the death penalty than one who cannot. Also studies tape that theapplication of the death penalty is racial biased. The amount of violentcrimes are split almost equally between the white and black ethnic groups. Since nineteen seventy-seven eighty-two percent of the criminals assigned thedeath penalty have committed the crime in question against a Caucasian. Another glaring geological fault of the structure of the death penalty system in Americaare the laws regarding the sentencing of criminals under the age of eighteen. Minors can be sentenced to death in two dozen states.