Heinous Acts Costing an Arm and a Leg By: Lee Ann Higgins
Crimes are committed every day however some are simple enough to sometimes have a sentence of a couple of years accompanied by maybe a sight of parole. For others, a sentence that is for the most offensive crimes are put into place. As we all know the death penalty is the euthanizing or lethal injection of a criminal that has had a fair trial and is seen as guilty. Although this is known, the death penalty has gone unnoticed by the public in recent years.
The death penalty is used as a last resort for wicked crimes. Due to the system, some believe criminals can be targeted wrongfully without having committed any crime. According to eji.com also known as the Equal Justice Initiative, “Some crimes have been distorted to pronounce individuals as “guilty” even though they are innocent.” The process of conviction is done with lawyers supporting both sides. Lawyers are one of the biggest parts in a trial. Without a decent lawyer this could cause the opposing side to become increasingly unfair and biased. Some individuals get lawyers that have little to no experience in the field, so the person is in higher risk of being accused of the crime.
Along with states not having assets for lawyers, the death penalty has several factors that play a role in the discussion of having it still being a form of execution. A couple factors consist of morals, race, religion, and a lesser sentence of life in prison. Morals establish if an individual feels that the death penalty is right or wrong. According to ProCon.org, Edward Feser from the Associate Professor of Philosophy at Pasadena City College, states “…to sentence killers like those described above to less than death would fail to do justice because the penalty – presumably a long period in prison – would be grossly disproportionate to the heinousness of the crime.” He explains how the death penalty needs to be enacted due to the crime being extreme and life in prison does not do the crime fairness. Race is part of the controversial mix of death penalty. Some believe the criminal justice system is to blame. The mayor of Maryland (Martin O’Malley) has spoken outwardly about the system being a main cause to a person’s devastating end. He observed from the perspective of an inspector stating, “more than 40% black — nearly three times the proportion of the general population.” Mr. O’Malley is not the only one that has an opinion on this same topic, but with a different outlook. A quote from a tenth grader at McEachern High School explains, "I would believe not currently, though not to say it hasn't happened eventually. White women/men, black women/men, or other races have been accused wrongly and hanged to where we have found rightful evidence this day to prove their innocence.” There are two amendments that were and are relied on when looking at the death penalty.
Those amendments are the fourteenth and the eighth. These are used to consider the fact that due process is to keep the state from infringing on citizen’s rights. According to an eleventh-grade student named Kaitlyn Blanton from Copper Hills High School, “... it is killing them without giving a second chance. people make mistakes & it goes against one’s first amendment right, freedom of speech. despite what the person may say in court, the jury can still decide to give them the death penalty.” The death penalty is not taken seriously by some people, because they may see it as justifiable, others may just simply not care.
The death penalty has been active, and in our lives, we just cannot see it. The death penalty does not only take a life but depending on the situation it can keep a killer out of being in society. The issue at hand of keeping the death penalty a liable thing can go both ways. Most are on edge when it comes to this topic which is normal due to the circumstances. There is no one answer to a big problem like this. We will have to wait and see if this punishment can ever be properly justified.
The death penalty is used as a last resort for wicked crimes. Due to the system, some believe criminals can be targeted wrongfully without having committed any crime. According to eji.com also known as the Equal Justice Initiative, “Some crimes have been distorted to pronounce individuals as “guilty” even though they are innocent.” The process of conviction is done with lawyers supporting both sides. Lawyers are one of the biggest parts in a trial. Without a decent lawyer this could cause the opposing side to become increasingly unfair and biased. Some individuals get lawyers that have little to no experience in the field, so the person is in higher risk of being accused of the crime.
Along with states not having assets for lawyers, the death penalty has several factors that play a role in the discussion of having it still being a form of execution. A couple factors consist of morals, race, religion, and a lesser sentence of life in prison. Morals establish if an individual feels that the death penalty is right or wrong. According to ProCon.org, Edward Feser from the Associate Professor of Philosophy at Pasadena City College, states “…to sentence killers like those described above to less than death would fail to do justice because the penalty – presumably a long period in prison – would be grossly disproportionate to the heinousness of the crime.” He explains how the death penalty needs to be enacted due to the crime being extreme and life in prison does not do the crime fairness. Race is part of the controversial mix of death penalty. Some believe the criminal justice system is to blame. The mayor of Maryland (Martin O’Malley) has spoken outwardly about the system being a main cause to a person’s devastating end. He observed from the perspective of an inspector stating, “more than 40% black — nearly three times the proportion of the general population.” Mr. O’Malley is not the only one that has an opinion on this same topic, but with a different outlook. A quote from a tenth grader at McEachern High School explains, "I would believe not currently, though not to say it hasn't happened eventually. White women/men, black women/men, or other races have been accused wrongly and hanged to where we have found rightful evidence this day to prove their innocence.” There are two amendments that were and are relied on when looking at the death penalty.
Those amendments are the fourteenth and the eighth. These are used to consider the fact that due process is to keep the state from infringing on citizen’s rights. According to an eleventh-grade student named Kaitlyn Blanton from Copper Hills High School, “... it is killing them without giving a second chance. people make mistakes & it goes against one’s first amendment right, freedom of speech. despite what the person may say in court, the jury can still decide to give them the death penalty.” The death penalty is not taken seriously by some people, because they may see it as justifiable, others may just simply not care.
The death penalty has been active, and in our lives, we just cannot see it. The death penalty does not only take a life but depending on the situation it can keep a killer out of being in society. The issue at hand of keeping the death penalty a liable thing can go both ways. Most are on edge when it comes to this topic which is normal due to the circumstances. There is no one answer to a big problem like this. We will have to wait and see if this punishment can ever be properly justified.
