To Kill Or Not To Kill, Capital Punishment
September 2nd, 2015
There is a distinct difference between killing and murder. You kill a fly or a deer when hunting for meat. You kill when in defense of your life. So if capital punishment is none of these is it murder? Yes, but only if the defendant is innocent. If the defendant is guilty it’s just another case of killing. Much like a rabid dog.
All of that being said, I do not support capital punishment at this time. If in our criminal justice system we could be 100% positive about guilt I would surely support it. Every convicted felon receiving LWOP (Life Without Parole) is worth not murdering even one innocent life. I compare it to murdering a civilian in war and stating that he looked just like the enemy. Our court system is the soldier who fires upon the civilian. The civilian is someone innocent of the charges brought against them. The act of killing them is murder.
Here is a death penalty fact sheet from Amnesty International. Let’s get started.
The death penalty and human rights standards: fact sheet The first fact states the death penalty is out of sync with international human rights. 141 countries have abolished the death penalty. I tried finding something else 2/3 of the world did that was still inherently wrong or right to spite the numbers but let’s face it 2/3 of this world doing anything together is rare, and a spectacle. I tried to see if 2/3 of the world ever owned slaves. The answer is no. Only 1/7 of the world drives cars so I tried to look for something positive to contrast it to. On this map 2/3 of the world is neither democratic or other than democratic. So in conclusion the sheer numbers of countries that don’t practice the death penalty is something to consider. It would be nice to know each country’s reasoning. Could be that it’s the same as mine.
The death penalty is racially bias: fact sheet The death penalty is racially biased is a concern on the fact sheet. I agree. I think ethnical bias is so shrewd it can escape the knowledge of it’s host. I became aware of mine during the final sentence of the summation for the defense in “A Time to Kill”. The crime seemed far worse when Jake (Matthew Mcconaughey) said, “now imagine she’s white”. I think with honesty leading the way most people would tell you there was significant shock value for them as well. The next statistic tells us that we place a higher value on Caucasian -lives; this includes African American jurors and judges. 77% of death row inmates have been executed for murdering a Caucasian victim while African Americans make up about 50% of all homicide victims. Also African American judges were slightly less likely than Caucasian judges to send offenders to jail. This judicial leniency, however, did not favor African American defendants. African American defendants were sentenced more harshly than Caucasians by both African American and Caucasian judges. Ethnical bias is deeply rooted and even genetically reinforced. The Rule of Socialized Genetics on the Environment page explains.
The death penalty claims innocent lives: fact sheet I think the death penalty becomes murder when the defendant is later proven innocent. Even if the sentence is carried out by mistake it’s still negligent homicide. If it is not by mistake (withholding evidence) it is blatant, unsuppressed murder and the people or person withholding should be charged as such. For this reason and this reason alone I can not support capital punishment.
The death penalty is not a deterrent: fact sheet The fact sheet states that the death penalty is not a deterrent. I’m not convinced because they compare incidence at the state level to incidence at the national level. I want to see a comparison of states that use capital punishment to states that do not.
The death penalty cost more and diverts resources from genuine crime control: fact sheet Amnesty International says it is more costly to utilize the death penalty than a sentence of life without parole (LWOP). This should not be the case. The balance of guilt or innocence should be tipped by forensics not litigation. Lawyers should not be getting some absurd amount of money because it’s a murder trail or appeal. It’s the same as saying that cases with lesser pay aren’t decided as fairly because it takes a boatload of money to get the truth.
The death penalty disregards mental illness: fact sheet Inmates with mental illness are not supposed to be executed. If a person doesn’t understand what they did they should get life in a mental facility because they are too dangerous to live with the rest of society. One that isn’t on the fact sheet is amnesia. If a person can’t recall the crime they can not defend themselves. They should live out life in an institution that will try to help them regain their memory. If they regain their memory they should stand trial. If they never regain their memory, sadly they should be detained for life after assessing the possible danger to society.
The death penalty is arbitrary and unfair: fact sheet Almost all death row inmates could not afford their own attorney at trial. A social scientist named Alan J Lizotte found that the length of sentencing was more if a defendant could not make bail leaving those with less money to serve more time in jail. Lizotte also said that “to view extra-legal characteristics of the defendant as the prime mover in the criminal justice system would be as naïve as claiming that they have no effect at all on criminal sanctioning”. It really is a battle of methodology. The one thing that can’t be accounted for today is if an arrest takes place at all. A police officer has the discretion to book one person while letting another go for the same exact crime. I also think corruption plays a role. Politicians and cops can be paid off in multitude of ways; favors or out and out money. This effects capital punishment. Still not the reason that I don’t support the death penalty. This paragraph just means society has to use a system of economics and governing that will minimize the filth and corruption. The only system that will work is Occupational Parenting. The system thrives on and drives on the truth.
The death penalty and foreign nationals: fact sheet It’s a problem when folks who get arrested are not informed of their rights. I don’t believe this happens more to foreign nationals than it does to native born Americans.
The death penalty can never be voluntary: fact sheet If someone who has been arrested for murder wants to be killed; kill them. It’s ridiculous to have a rule that says if someone wants to be killed that you can’t kill them. I can safely say this is where I agree with the death penalty. If the person is innocent they shouldn’t have asked to be killed. If they are mentally ill, that should be assessed and of course they shouldn’t be killed.
The death penalty is arbitrary and overreaching: fact sheet The decision for capital punishment should remain in the hands of the State unless someone has murdered across State lines.
Some would say it’s impossible to be 100% sure of guilt. I say it’s definitely possible in the future depending on forensic technology (DNA matching, computer models ), methods of criminology, and fairness of law (Body Cams, Social sciences, the Constitution).
We can provide a safe and everlasting existence for our posterity. Until next time, keep your homes well.
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