Liebl MA
ERH-102
Mrs. Mattie Smith
Help Received: None
Capital Punishment in Today’s Society
The death penalty is a highly contested issue in regards to legality, ethics, and methods throughout the world. Currently, the sentencing of people to death is used only against the world’s toughest criminals and in most cases the general public can agree that the executions are justifiable. Executions have been known to act as a deterrent for future criminal acts and put to death those who really are dangers to society. However, issues surrounding the legality and morality of the death penalty have arisen. The methods in which criminals are executed, people being found innocent following incarceration and whether it works as an effective deterrent have been contested amongst scholars and editors constantly. The death penalty has been responsible for more issues than positive results to society. As a deterrent, little evidence has shown significant reduction in violent crime and spending the rest of your life locked in a prison is viewed by many as a worse punishment than execution. The death penalty does little benefit to society in terms of crime rate and solving financial issues and has no place in the modern judicial system as a form of punishment no matter the crime.
The death penalty has also been subject to much scrutiny in recent years. This has been due to many factors including financial issues, the deterrent factor and the fact that it sends the wrong message to the public about executing those who have killed others as a way of justification. The execution of even the world’s most dangerous criminals is most often viewed in a negative light due to its barbaric nature and the fact that it costs taxpayers large sums of money. This is due to the longevity of the trials and the countless appeals processes that may result. According to BalancedPoltics.org, it is not uncommon for death row criminals to be held for upwards of 15-20 years (Messerli). Additionally, the endless hearings, trials and appeals lead to a clog in the court system since cases involving in capital punishment tend to get the most attention by judicial officials. Abolishing the death penalty would free up the court system, allowing citizens the right to a speedy trial as granted in the constitution. We live in a society based on second chances. The days of sentencing people to death have long since passed except for rare cases involving extremely violent crime and even then only a few states support capital punishment. It serves little purpose in showing those found guilty the true consequence of committing a violent crime which should be, instead of death, a lifelong term in prison in the most extreme cases.
Aside from the judicial issues, the death penalty is often falsely advertised to be a deterrent from violent crime when most evidence has shown no connection to execution halting violent crime. According to one source, “…violent crimes such as murder are often illogical and expressive acts…” (Smith). Which means that in most cases acts of violent crime are not premeditated, proving that there is no relationship between execution rates and violent crime rates. Some see the death penalty as a justifiable way of punishing a criminal for their acts, but some see it in a different light. Those supporting the abolishment of the death penalty would agree that capital punishment is barbaric in nature and that the “eye for an eye” mentality behind the execution of violent criminals is cruel and unnecessary. Executing convicted criminals will only send a message that it is acceptable to use killing as a way of settling crime, bringing our current post-modern society back into the dark ages. The general public needs to understand that there are more ways than one to solve a court case involving violent crime rather than just executing the convicted felon. The death penalty sends the wrong message to society. It attempts to show the population what the consequence is for committing a crime against another human being can be, when it only promotes violence towards one another.
One case that questions the credibility of the death penalty is the case of Marvin Wilson, who in 2012 was wrongfully executed. The journal describes how Wilson was denied a stay of execution even after it was revealed that his IQ was equivalent to that of an elementary school child. (Smith). According to the source, Wilson’s lawyers cited the 2002 court case, Atkins v. Virginia which grants a stay of execution to the mentally impaired. The Court denied this request and Wilson remained on death row until his execution in 2012. This case goes to show how the voice of one, outweighs the voices of many. The Supreme Court denied the stay of execution despite evidence and a federal court case that outlaws the execution of the mentally impaired proving the death penalty to be illegal in his case. Cases such as Marvin Wilson’s are real world examples of why the death penalty should be outlawed in our society.
In November of 1959, a very brutal and unexpected event occurred that forever changed the way the public views capital punishment. In a small town in Kansas called Holcomb, the Clutter family was brutally murdered in their home. After a lengthy investigation and months of tracking, the police took into custody two suspects who were later tried and found guilty of murder of the family. This case inspired author Truman Capote to write the acclaimed novel, “In Cold Blood” following his research. His work captured the attention of the nation and peoples view on capital punishment. Capote, who is against capital punishment, was interviewed by William Buckley on the show, Firing Line in 1968 where he discusses capital punishment as a deterrent for future crime. Truman Capote tells Buckley that he is against capital punishment but, “for quite different reasons than are usually advanced…” (Capote). Having seen firsthand and interviewed Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, the two men convicted of murdering the Clutter Family, Capote describes that if systematically applied, the death penalty would be an effective deterrent. However, because of the endless appeals process and lack of public sentiment, the cases are prolonged up to fifteen years in some cases giving those willing to commit such crimes, more motivation to kill knowing that he or she won’t be executed right away. Capote goes even further saying that this prolonging of capital punishment can be considered cruel and unusual. In the book, “In Cold Blood”, Capote describes how the death penalty was abolished in Kansas, but reinstated in the 1930’s due to increasing levels of criminal activity in the Midwest (Capote 310-311). However the Governor of Kansas at the time of the murders, George Docking, who was against the use of capital punishment lost the gubernatorial race partly due to his stance on the issue. Once he left office in 1960, the execution of Smith and Hickock, took place later that same year. Truman Capote dedicated a large portion of his life to studying the Clutter Family murder case and what set off the Death Row inmates to commit such acts of violence. He has a unique stance on the issue, because argues the way the United States deals with death row inmates. In Capote’s interview with Buckley Capote states, “… be a singularly effective deterrent if it were, in fact, systematically applied.” (Capote), meaning if it were carried out expediently instead of stretched out over the course of many years due to appeals processes, capital punishment would do a better job as a deterrent in our society.
The death penalty is a very highly contested issue across the nation. As of now, the nation is divided in which states allow it and which states don’t. While it is effective in eliminating the most dangerous convicted felons from our society, it is ineffective in solving the issue of violent crime. Murders and other types of violent crime are still omnipotent today and portions of the general public living in high crime areas continue to live in fear of a shooting or stabbing whether premeditated or not. Capital punishment only provokes the “eye for an eye” mentality justifying the execution of convicted criminals. The death penalty only hinders the ability for our judicial system to seek justice because it is a medieval way of dealing with issues in our post-modern society.
Works Cited
- BMJ: British Medical Journal, Vol. 305, No. 6855 (Sep. 19, 1992), pp. 717-718
- Welsh, James. “The Death Penalty.” The Lancet. 362 (2003): s24-5. ProQuest. 23 Feb. 2015.
- Herbert, Bob. “Who Gets the Death Penalty?” Who Gets the Death Penalty? Death Penalty Information Center, 13 Mar. 2002. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
- Smith, Candace. “Sociology Lens.” Sociology Lens RSS. The Society Pages, 14 Aug. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
- Messerli, Joe. “BalancedPolitics.org – Death Penalty (Pros & Cons, Arguments For and Against, Advantages & Disadvantages).” BalancedPolitics.org – Death Penalty (Pros & Cons, Arguments For and Against, Advantages & Disadvantages). N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
- Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. Boston, MA: G.K. Hall, 1993. Print
- Capote, Truman. Interviewed with William Buckley. Firing Line (1968). Web.