Death or Life

Most of the comments that have been made about the death penalty have been mostly positive except for the opinion of some. Some believe that the death penalty is wrong because the criminal is getting murdered for committing murder. In my first blog, some skeptics believed that "two wrongs don't make a right". Well I still believe the death penalty should be used, slightly modified, like in my last post, but still used. "A 13 year old girl was shot to death in South Carolina by her neighbor who had already served ten years of a life sentence for murdering his half-brother." If the criminal had been put to death for murdering an innocent person in the first place, this young girl would have never died. The death penalty could do away with the criminals who walk the street, waiting to strike again. Towns, and cities will be safer to live in. It would not be used for revenge but for safety. With altercations to the way criminals are put to death, the cost of the death penalty would be an astonishing amount cheaper than life in prison. Those who kill the innocent, deserve to be killed themselves.

Death or Life

The death penalty is one method of punishment that sentences the criminal to death for certain extreme offenses. Some countries see the death penalty as wrong, and have abolished it in their country. In the United States, the death penalty is not abolished, but there are many arguments as to if it should still be used. In 2008, only 37 states in the U.S. still used the death penalty. The 13 states in which abolished the death penalty are of the following: Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Nebraska and New York has claimed that one method of execution violated their states' constitution. A criminal can be sentenced to death row by one main crime, murder. In Georgia, "murder, kidnapping with a ransom when the victim dies, aircraft hijacking, and treason" are all crimes punishable by the death penalty. Other states include more and less crimes, but the basis is murder. Call me old fashioned, but if you are able to take the life of another and it was not forced, the death penalty is just. Americans who disbelieve in the death penalty claim that is should be abolished because "people make mistakes, and killing someone is wrong, and two wrongs do not make a right." On the other hand, in which I strongly agree, killing with the intentions of killing, is not a mistake. "They deserve to die, and not sentencing to death will only give that person another chance to commit the same crime." Sarah Palin, a U.S. Politician and former Alaskan Governor quotes "We have a right to know that someone who rapes and murders a child or kills an innocent person in a drive-by shooting will never be able to do that again." Along with agreeing with Palin, I also agree with George W. Bush, Former U.S. President, that "the death penalty is not about revenge, but about saving other people's lives." The death penalty should not abolished. The punishment of it will keep some criminals in line and delete criminals who choose to still offend this law.

Death or Life

After further research, the death penalty may still be abolished. It won't be abolished because of the debate of whether or not it is ethical, but due to the United States' budget. According to Associated Press, life imprisonment is "tens of millions of dollars cheaper" than executing a criminal on death row. Associated Press also reveals that criminals wait "an average of 20 years from conviction to death row." Richard C. Dieter, Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center claims that "everything needed for an ordinary trial is needed for a death penalty case, only more so." This includes more "pre trial, more attorneys, jurors will have to be quizzed about their knowledge of the death penalty, and the case will take longer." Even though surveys have shown how life imprisonment will be more cost efficient, others like Dudley Sharp, Death Penalty Resources Director of Justice For All, still disagree. Personally, I believe the system of the death penalty needs to be refined. There are no reasons that a criminal should wait for their time of being punished. A revision in the way criminals are executed would cost less than life imprisonment. Why don't we use such approaches as Chris Clem, Attorney at Samples, Jennings, Ray & Clem, PLLC says? "Executions do not have to cost that much. We could hang them and re-use the rope. No cost! Or we could use firing squads and ask for volunteer firing squad members who would provide their own guns and ammunition. Again, no cost."

Deadly Punishment Part 2: Executed But Could Be Innocent. Has Justice Failed?

The punishment of death is sometimes thrown around just like any ordinary criminal case. There's no room to have doubt or even be the slightest amount of indecisiveness. "There is definitely no mechanism for review of guilt or innocence after someone has been killed."(Cremonesi) Justifying murder with murder is already morally wrong, but doesn't it just sicken you when the convicted person is proven to be innocent after they've already suffered the punishment? Imagine being the person on death row who's awaiting their untimely fate. You're putting forth such a valiant effort to prove your innocence but all witnesses and potential evidence points the finger at you. I'm pretty sure that this doesn't leave such a content feeling. 

According to the Innocence Project, there have been 17 people, who were originally convicted of a crime and sentenced to death, exonerated due to DNA evidence that proved their innocence. They all served a combined 209 years of prison time. People's lives haved been ruined and wasted away in prison because of a lack of effort in a trial, technology, and the lack of DNA evidence.

Pictured above is Charles Irvin Fain. He was convicted and sentenced to death for the kidnapping, murder, and rape of a young girl in Nampa, Idaho. Fain maintained his innocence and was released in 2001 after serving 18 years in prison. It was discovered that the pubic hair found on the victim did not match the DNA of Fain.

How many other innocent men are rotting in prison awaiting their fate?

Larry Griffin was convicted of murdering Quinton Moss in 1980 in a drive-by-shooting. He maintained his innocence but luck was against him and he was executed by lethal injection in 1995. The case was re-opened and there's substantial evidence that may prove him not guilty of this crime. Whether or not this man was innocent doesn't matter anymore because he's already dead. There's no bringing him back. What if someone close to you suffered this same fate? How would you feel?



Executed But Possibly Innocent

DNA Test Proves that Justice Has Failed

Charles Irvin Fain

Deadly Punishment:Should Capital punishment be abolished?

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, has existed since the beginning of recorded human history. It either is still in use or has been by nearly every society. It's the end result of a criminal convicted of a capital offense. People have their own viewpoints about this very controversial topic. They're equally strong from both sides of the spectrum.(supporter/protestors).

But wouldn't any sensible human being would agree that murder is morally wrong. Isn't that all capital punishment is? If it's against the law for citizens to murder one anothen, then it should be the same for the government. One should not justify murder with murder. Amesty International states; "The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights."

You might as well call it a lawful pre-meditated murder if you wanna be technical. Capital punishment contradicts the basic human rights stated in the Declaration of Independence.
Everyone knows that our branches of government are flawed. The branch that decides the fate of a lot of men, the Judicial Branch, is the most flawed. Innocent and guilty men are put away everyday. Some are locked away for the rest of their lives. If a man is wrongly convicted of a crime, he can immediately be released. If a man is wrongly convicted of a crime and is put to death, then there's no bringing him back.

Pictured above is Troy Davis. He was convicted of murdering police officer Mark MacPhail back in 1989 in my hometown of Savannah, Georgia and is currently on death row. Many efforts have been made to keep him alive and appeal his death sentence. Whether he's innocent or not doesn't matter. It is a violation of the basic human rights to lawfully murder someone. See Mark MacPhail below:

Many may argue that one who commits murder has abandoned the principle of individual rights. Whether it is or not, there's no reward for killing an already imprisoned man but satisfaction. Justice shouldn't be served by removing someone. It should be served by promoting growth, happiness, and the welfare of society. Do you agree?

Hero or Accomplice? 14 year-old charged on total of 44 counts.

Bullying. Everyone has been bullied by another, whether it be physical or verbal, while others have been the bully. There have also been others on both sides of that fence. For the past year, a 14-year-old teen girl has been struggling with getting prepared for a trial for bringing a gun on the school bus. In the article by a WAPT reporter, "Athlete Disarms Girl on School Bus" it gives us a brief overview of this teen's story. If you would also view the video to get a more vivid image of what happened, Caught On Tape: Girl Pulls Gun On Bus.
As stated in the article and video, she is being charged with 22 counts of kidnapping and 22 counts of aggravated assault. Should she be tried as an adult? I strongly disagree that she should for the simple fact that she is fourteen and that she acted out of fear. In no way do I condone any kind of violence, but I do not believe she should be tried in this way. To my knowledge as well as witnesses on the bus and other school officials, she had reported to the bus drivers that several students had been picking on her, but the cries went ignored. The main bully in this case is the "hero" Kaleb, the football star that tackled the young woman. Kaleb was allegedly verbally abusing the young lady, while his younger sisters attributed to more physical bullying. Being that I am from Yazoo City, I have family members that attend that school and ride that same bus (the little girl jumping over the seat is a relative of mine). So should Mr. Kaleb be considered a true hero? Or an accessory to the crime?
My opinion is very biased on the entire case. I am eternally grateful that he was able to risk his life to save those of others, however, he was also the "mastermind" behind the entire plot. If he know he is guilty of such bullying accusations, he should not have accepted all the glory he had been given. He should have come clean. But he knew better. A senior football star bullying a fourteen year old girl, looks great on a college transcript eh? If you knew you were the main contributor to such a crime, would that not eat away at your conscience? It would definitely eat away at mine knowing that I put 22 people in danger, 23 if you include the young girl with the gun. Some kids have a low tolerance to being picked on and if complaints went ignored, something drastic was bound to happen one way or another.
As a criminal justice major, I am very intact with the law and fair punishment. I do believe she should receive a harsh punishment, yet not the same as an adult. If you listen closely in the video she says she's tired of being picked on and that she doesn't give a damn anymore. All she wanted was to be left alone. She went about it the right way at first and when that didn't work, she chose a more elusive scapegoat which eventually caused her her freedom.
If parents are not even letting their children testify on their behalf, not letting them make statements, or having anything to do with that day, should the young lady be charged with ALL 22 counts of aggravated assault and ALL 22 counts of kidnapping? If more parents truly gave a damn about the situation then they would have their children saying and doing things to make sure she is not released from jail because she is a threat to society. If it is true she was being bullied, in which I strongly believed she was, Kaleb and his sisters should deal with the guilt that they are the driving causes of the madness.
The young lady on trial happens to be a relative of mine. Kaleb happens to be a former playmate of mine. In no way am I taking sides because I was not on the bus, and the fact that I know both parties personally does not shape my opinion in any way. If I were just reading the article for the first time about two completely different teens, I can guarantee my opinion will be the same.
It is situations like these that drive kids to kill and cause harm to others. In this case, this is no regular hate crime. They weren't picking on her because she's gay or her parent's are gay. Hell her parent's aren't even involved in her life. They weren't picking on her because of where she is from. They weren't picking on her because she is black or because of her religion. They all lived lived along the same dirt road. They all went to the same school. They all wore uniforms to school. So what was the purpose in all of this? There isn't one. Just senseless mistakes and wrongdoing towards many.

During an interview with a mother that heard the chaos due to a call made to her by her 10-year-old daughter, the mother tells the interviewer that her children witnessed Kaleb and his sisters picking on the young girl on multiple occasions. It has been a year since this incident happened, and to date this woman is the only parent that allowed her children to stand up for the fearful young lady. The only mother that agreed to tell her kid's side of the story. In no way did she jeopardize her kid's lives. She simply took matters into her own hands to give statements for the simple fact that what she believes in and her morals in that right is right and wrong is wrong. You don't pick on someone because you never know how far you will push them. The 14-year-old could have committed suicide in front of all 22 of her "victims", scarring them for life. Leaving on their conscience that they could have prevented it in any kind of way, directly or indirectly.

So in conclusion, I do not feel the young lady should be charged as an adult, but she shall be punished severely. Weapons nor violence is ever the answer to anything. Kaleb is not to be considered an actual hero, but the guy that saved the day. There's a difference. A hero doesn't provoke situations and then take credit for saving the day. Kaleb, in my opinion, just happened to be there at the right place and time. He too acted out of fear. He knew the gun was for him and his sisters and he had no choice but to protect them. Fear makes people do crazy things. She should not be tried on all 22 counts of aggravated assault and kidnapping, in my opinion. She could be looking at a minimum of 36 years in prison if tried as an adult. Knowing the Mississippi justice system, she will be given the maximum sentence. The Mississippi system has a habit of giving unjust punishments, such as the the trial of the Scott Sister's back in 1993. Punished? Yes. As an adult? No.