Death Penalty #3

There are several  stages that help out the defendants and that are meant to work in their favor. The guilt phase trial assures the defendant a qualified group of jury people. This stage also allows for the defendant to give or present evidence to rebut the evidence being used for prosecution. This stage also ensures that the defendant is in fact innocent until they are proven guilty. A closing statement is given to ask the jury and judge to consider their evidence. Also, this stage also states that guilt must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. Also, in the case mitigating circumstances are facts given in favor of the defendant to help reduce the penalty. This is part of the Penalty Phase trial. The defendant can also appeal. They can directly appeal by getting another trial, petitioning, and taking measures to try and reverse the decision. Also, a post-conviction allows the defendant to take further steps in changing the sentence. Clemency also can help reduce the punishment of the defendant. This process is not enough to determine putting someone to death. Although there are many ways to appeal a case, these opportunities are rarely ever granted. Also, executing for reasons beyond reasonable doubt is not a specific enough circumstance.

The methods of the death penalty are inhumane. They are all killing people that could have been sentenced to life in prison. The death penalty is hypocritical because America values life, and yet is willing to strip the lives of these people from them. All of the methods should be considered cruel and unusual under the Eighth Amendment because death as a punishment is cruel and unusual against all the America stands for. All of these methods go to unnecessary measures to make the deaths of these people more brutal. Instead of one man shooting a place guaranteed to kill the person in the method of firing squad, there are five men and they all aim for their target which is the heart. Also, it would be extremely inappropriate to use gas chambers as a method of killing for the death penalty. This was a main method used during the Holocaust and it is utterly disrespectful to use this method after that. If the death penalty absolutely must be used, although I don't agree with it, lethal injection is the most humane of the inhumane methods. This is the only one form of killing that would ft the requirements of not being as cruel or unusual under the Eighth Amendment. This is because it does not go to unnecessary measures to make a bloody and gruesome death. They inject shots and then they pass away. I never feel it is okay to inflict the death penalty upon anybody.

According to all of these charts, there are about 3x the amount of people on death row than that are actually executed as of 2008. This shows that waiting for the execution date is a long, agonizing process. This shows that someone people were granted pardons or were able to appeal. Fourteen states do not use the death penalty. These states tend to be more north or northeastern, other than New Mexico. Most at first, used the method of hanging (before the reinstatement). Most states currently use the method of lethal injection. Hanging is now the least common method of killing for the death penalty. The most people on death row and the most executions seem to be in the south. Texas, California, and Florida have large numbers for both the amount of people on death row and the amount of people executed. The policies about the death penalty are very similar in the south. Most seem to have life without parole and the juries decide the sentence. Most of the people on death row and executed were either black or white. Blacks killing whites seemed to be taken much more seriously than a case in which a black person was a victim. Very few Asians, Native Americans, and Latinos are on death row or executed. Women are hardly put on death row or executed. The murder rates are much higher in places with more people on death row and executions. There is clearly issues and discrimination in this process. The amount of men and women executed is an absurd difference. The standards for men and women, and punishments are much different in terms of the way they are dealt with and how harsh they are. It is not fair that black murderers who kill white victims are more likely to be put up for the death penalty than whites. This shows injustice in the system. If the system is not equal among all it is not constitutional and the death penalty should not be allowed.

These charts and this information explained and gave more specific statistics and facts about all of the statements above. It gives proof that blacks who kill whites will have much more serious cases and much more severe punishments than whites who kill blacks. There were 246 black men executed for killing whites, and 15 whites for killing blacks. Most (75%) of the victims in death penalty cases were white even though, nationally 50% are white victims. This shows that white victims are more likely to get a black person on trial for the death penalty than the reversed situation. This further demonstrates the injustice of the death penalty system due to discrimination. Also, of the chief justice attorneys 98% of them are white. The death penalty cost way more than putting someone in prison for life. It cost millions per execution. Enforcing the death penalty also costs several million dollars. An alarming amount of taxpayer's money goes to the death penalty. The public is almost equally divided on supporting or not supporting the death penalty. The point of view of the information center is that the death penalty does not reduce or deter people from committing violent crimes. It also the least efficient place for taxpayer's money to be going.This is a convincing argument but I would like to see the specific studies and places they got their information to see how realistic their facts are.