One of the things Texas is known for, unfortunately, is the death penalty. Unsurprisingly, Texas leads the nation with over 500 executions since 1976. However, we are seeing a decline in the number of executions and death penalties. So, are they becoming a thing of the past?
It may be; this year, Texas has gone the longest in a calendar year without a new death sentence. Consider this, in 1999, Texas juries sentenced 48 people to death. Today, it has be more than seven months since the Texas Department of Criminal Justice acquired a new inmate on Death Row. We are seeing that with cases today that would have guaranteed the death penalty ten years ago, are receiving, at most, life without parole.
But what exactly is spurring this change? I believe that more and more people, including jurors, are starting to become aware of the fact that the death penalty might not be 100% justice. New studies have shown that at least 4% of those receive the death penalty are innocent. That’s 4 out of 100 people that would be executed for something they didn’t do. Convicting someone innocent to death is basically a crime itself. We are humans, and humans make mistakes. The rising number of condemned people released because new evidence proves their innocence makes this obvious.
Another reason why I think jurors are swaying away from the death penalty is because Texas adopted the possibility of life in prison without parole in 2005. They’re seeing this as a viable option to punish those without being completely barbarous.
In the end, I believe that jurors are going in the right direction. With the death penalty, justice isn’t guaranteed, there are faults in human nature, and this has readily been proven. There is no acceptable margin of error with the death penalty, and people are realizing this. The death penalty has been abolished in 19 states, and I think Texas should join.
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/elizabethlopatto/2014/04/29/how-many-innocent-people-are-sentenced-to-death/
2 comments:
One of my classmates, Don, has written about how the death penalty in Texas has declined over the past few years on his blog, Gone to Texas [Government]. Don supports the idea of Texas doing away with the death penalty for reasons including lack of justice, inaccurate convictions, and life in prison without parole being an acceptable option for these individuals.
Don, I agree with you 100% on your notion to end the death penalty in the state of Texas. Even though I have a tendency to follow traditional values and social conservatism ideology, I believe that changes are in order for our state's future. There are so many different reasons as to why a life-sentence without parole serves as the better option with these cases.
As you mentioned, the death penalty puts lives at risk. We live in a country in which there is an imperfect justice system. Innocent individuals do receive false convictions, there is no doubt about it. Since judges, prosecutors, and jurors all run the risk of making the incorrect decision regarding an individual charged with a serious crime, why should we give them the ultimatum of death?
Furthermore, there are plenty of other reasons as to why the death penalty should be abolished. Research and statistics show that individuals who murder whites end up receiving the death penalty more often than individuals who murder African-Americans. The Death penalty costs us a large amount of tax money. Usually, those receiving the death penalty are of the minority class, and have poor defense attorneys to begin with. Also, capital punishment under the death penalty does not serve the community well by deterring these serious crimes.
I could go on and on about the negatives associated with the death penalty. However, I will conclude by saying that even though the death penalty may seem like the most just way to many, I think there is a better option for us. Instead of giving these criminals a "quick and easy way out", I think a life sentence without parole serves to punish them appropriately. Instead of the death penalty, let these murders reflect on their actions for the rest of their lives behind bars.
I disagree with the idea that the death penalty in Texas should be abolished. In this post, Is life without the death penalty in Texas a possibility? ,some very valid points are made. I agree 100% that justice isn’t guaranteed and mistakes are made. I also agree 100% that some people don’t deserve to live. Life in prison isn’t always a just punishment in my opinion. People in prison live a much better life than a lot of people that aren’t in prison.
Is it possible to put more requirements on cases that are sentenced with the death penalty? For example solid evidence that cannot be disproven. Like DNA, video’s or admittance by the defendants, along with all of the other things that prove guilt beyond a doubt. As technology advances more solid evidence should be easier to come by therefore preventing innocent people from death via the justice system.
Please don’t mistake my pro death penalty stance as support for the wrongly convicted dying because I am not okay with that. It is very sad that so many wrongly accused have faced death but that doesn’t deter me from believing in the death penalty. In all honesty I believe the death penalty should be an option for crimes other than capital murder, in particular crimes against children.
There is no justifying the costs of death penalty cases but in my opinion there is no justifying the costs of people that are doing life sentences for minimal crimes. If 2.3 million dollars is what it costs to get rid of a person that has no sense or care of the meaning of life of someone other than themselves then by all means we as citizens should continue to pay our portion of taxes to make sure it’s done.
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