Abstract
The death penalty is a topic
that is very controversial through-out the United States. The majority of the
states see the death penalty as a legal procedure that can be applied when a
felon committed something savage that requires capital sentence which is death.
However, research and statistics show that the death penalty has its pattern
that involves racism. Many sources describe how an African American is more
likely to receive a death penalty sentence than a white citizen. This
represents the racism that has been going on since the 1800 hundreds and is
still going on today.
Death
Penalty Injustice Based on Race
When it comes to death
penalty discussions the topic is very controversial. Many think that the death
penalty should be illegal, other believe the death penalty should be applied in
certain crimes. Weather you against it or in favor of it, there is one reality
that is simply not fair. Numbers show that race injustice is coming into play
when sentencing an individual to the death penalty. It is absurd that when
someone is facing the law it is better for them to have killed a black or a
Hispanic person in order to not get punish accordingly. According to Feingold,,
r “ a defendant was several times more likely to be sentenced to the death
penalty if the murder victim was white”. How is it possible that after all the
racial inequalities this country suffered in the past, this is still going on in
a court room? This is one example of many others that shows how racism still
exists today.
History
of the Death Penalty
The first recorded execution
in the United States happened in 1608.The guy was executed for being a spy for
Spain. In 1612 the governor of that time passed a ruled that enable for the
government to execute for even minor crimes, such as stealing, fighting or
simply for trading products with Indians (Source). After that it was not until
when Thomas Jefferson became President took control that the death penalty laws
changed by setting certain requirements in order for an execution to proceed. By
the mid-nineteen century the majority of the states had abolished slavery. From
1907 to 1917, six states had completely outlawed the death penalty except for
three times of crimes committed of treason, first degree murder or murder of a
law enforcement official.
Death Penalty today
Today the death penalty is prohibited by many states but in
others it is not. However, the death penalty injustice continues growing day by
day. Even though we are in 2012 and racism has supposedly ended, racism acts
are being showed by jury in the court rooms. As shown in the graph
below.
This chart gives us the
numbers that proves that in the courtroom there is happening injustice trials
that give the death penalty more often to people that have killed a white
citizen. In my opinion the death penalty should be legalized, though this
doesn’t matter, what really matter is that to the government a life of white has
a greater value than a life of a Hispanic or a black citizen. This racial
discrimination is a fact that is not being hide from anyone like this article
stated.
“In
North Carolina, statistics don’t just tell a story; they can let a death row
inmate challenge his conviction. A 2009 state statue allows death row inmates to
claim that racial bias unduly influenced the outcome of their trails”. (Persky,
A. (01Ma).
Even
though in some states you can defend yourself, others don’t have this
right.
Even though white and blacks
are murder per year in a very similar number, 80% of the time murderers that killed a
white person are more likely to suffer a death penalty sentence. Also more than
20% of African Americans that where sentence, were sentence by white juries
(Antonin, S. 2012, January 22). This makes the world
wonder that the sentence
might probably have been an unfair trial and sentence.
There have been many cases where discrimination has been a big factor of
the outcome, yet United States government seems to not care so much in giving
criminals a fair trial. For example, many death penalty cases that happened in
Pennsylvania are in the city of Philadelphia. In this city eighty-three percent
of those on death row from Philadelphia are African Americans. As reported in a
1995 New York Times article “The Deadliest D.A.,” Philadelphian
African Americans where most likely to death penalty sentence even though
people from other races committed similar crimes. The article it also stated
that racial unfairness happens more in early stages of the trial, and that “the
death penalty tends to occur more when the defendant is black and when the
victim is white, unless when the victim is a black police officer (Dieter, R.
(1998, June).
As we know the death penalty is the last resource officials used when it
comes to a psychotic criminal. Even though the death penalty is much more
expensive than having to feed an inmate for 30 years, almost all of states using
when it comes to people that have committed harsh crimes. However this makes us
wonder, if the death penalty is such a difficult process for the authorities,
then why does there continue to be unjust in trial results? Research, files, and
documents show that the death penalty equalities exist, but why can’t we do
anything about it? In many different cases African Americans have been
convicted to the death penalty for
simply
killing
a white individual. Of course he did wrong and he needs to pay for what he did,
but if a white person kills a black person, why does the white felons not
receive a death penalty sentence? What this government says by these penalties
is that a white persons’ life is worth’s more than an African American’s life.
This to big portion of society this is called racism toward blacks.
How can we change this
ongoing problem?
The solution of this ongoing
problem might be as simple as letting equal members in jury decide on a certain
case. For example, the jury can be half African American and the other half
white. By this the criminal is going to be charged with a penalty that both
side of the jury can agree. This is not an easy task because there are rules,
and we know that rules that apply on government issues have to pass through a
lot of people in order to be approved. However, it is this inequality,
unfairness, injustice and racism act has to be stopped at some time. Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. fought until he lost his life in order for African Americans to
simply be able to sit in the front of a bus. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his
life for his people and he was able to make this world easier for them. Racism
is an ongoing problem that hopefully one day it could be fixed, so that lives
of many people don’t depend on an unfair jury that can take their lives.
Abstract
The death penalty is a topic
that is very controversial through-out the United States. The majority of the
states see the death penalty as a legal procedure that can be applied when a
felon committed something savage that requires capital sentence which is death.
However, research and statistics show that the death penalty has its pattern
that involves racism. Many sources describe how an African American is more
likely to receive a death penalty sentence than a white citizen. This
represents the racism that has been going on since the 1800 hundreds and is
still going on today.
The death penalty is a topic
that is very controversial through-out the United States. The majority of the
states see the death penalty as a legal procedure that can be applied when a
felon committed something savage that requires capital sentence which is death.
However, research and statistics show that the death penalty has its pattern
that involves racism. Many sources describe how an African American is more
likely to receive a death penalty sentence than a white citizen. This
represents the racism that has been going on since the 1800 hundreds and is
still going on today.
Death
Penalty Injustice Based on Race
When it comes to death
penalty discussions the topic is very controversial. Many think that the death
penalty should be illegal, other believe the death penalty should be applied in
certain crimes. Weather you against it or in favor of it, there is one reality
that is simply not fair. Numbers show that race injustice is coming into play
when sentencing an individual to the death penalty. It is absurd that when
someone is facing the law it is better for them to have killed a black or a
Hispanic person in order to not get punish accordingly. According to Feingold,,
r “ a defendant was several times more likely to be sentenced to the death
penalty if the murder victim was white”. How is it possible that after all the
racial inequalities this country suffered in the past, this is still going on in
a court room? This is one example of many others that shows how racism still
exists today.
History
of the Death Penalty
The first recorded execution
in the United States happened in 1608.The guy was executed for being a spy for
Spain. In 1612 the governor of that time passed a ruled that enable for the
government to execute for even minor crimes, such as stealing, fighting or
simply for trading products with Indians (Source). After that it was not until
when Thomas Jefferson became President took control that the death penalty laws
changed by setting certain requirements in order for an execution to proceed. By
the mid-nineteen century the majority of the states had abolished slavery. From
1907 to 1917, six states had completely outlawed the death penalty except for
three times of crimes committed of treason, first degree murder or murder of a
law enforcement official.
Death Penalty today
Today the death penalty is prohibited by many states but in
others it is not. However, the death penalty injustice continues growing day by
day. Even though we are in 2012 and racism has supposedly ended, racism acts
are being showed by jury in the court rooms. As shown in the graph
below.
This chart gives us the
numbers that proves that in the courtroom there is happening injustice trials
that give the death penalty more often to people that have killed a white
citizen. In my opinion the death penalty should be legalized, though this
doesn’t matter, what really matter is that to the government a life of white has
a greater value than a life of a Hispanic or a black citizen. This racial
discrimination is a fact that is not being hide from anyone like this article
stated.
“In
North Carolina, statistics don’t just tell a story; they can let a death row
inmate challenge his conviction. A 2009 state statue allows death row inmates to
claim that racial bias unduly influenced the outcome of their trails”. (Persky,
A. (01Ma).
Even
though in some states you can defend yourself, others don’t have this
right.
Even though white and blacks
are murder per year in a very similar number, 80% of the time murderers that killed a
white person are more likely to suffer a death penalty sentence. Also more than
20% of African Americans that where sentence, were sentence by white juries
(Antonin, S. 2012, January 22). This makes the world
wonder that the sentence
might probably have been an unfair trial and sentence.
There have been many cases where discrimination has been a big factor of
the outcome, yet United States government seems to not care so much in giving
criminals a fair trial. For example, many death penalty cases that happened in
Pennsylvania are in the city of Philadelphia. In this city eighty-three percent
of those on death row from Philadelphia are African Americans. As reported in a
1995 New York Times article “The Deadliest D.A.,” Philadelphian
African Americans where most likely to death penalty sentence even though
people from other races committed similar crimes. The article it also stated
that racial unfairness happens more in early stages of the trial, and that “the
death penalty tends to occur more when the defendant is black and when the
victim is white, unless when the victim is a black police officer (Dieter, R.
(1998, June).
As we know the death penalty is the last resource officials used when it
comes to a psychotic criminal. Even though the death penalty is much more
expensive than having to feed an inmate for 30 years, almost all of states using
when it comes to people that have committed harsh crimes. However this makes us
wonder, if the death penalty is such a difficult process for the authorities,
then why does there continue to be unjust in trial results? Research, files, and
documents show that the death penalty equalities exist, but why can’t we do
anything about it? In many different cases African Americans have been
convicted to the death penalty for
simply
killing
a white individual. Of course he did wrong and he needs to pay for what he did,
but if a white person kills a black person, why does the white felons not
receive a death penalty sentence? What this government says by these penalties
is that a white persons’ life is worth’s more than an African American’s life.
This to big portion of society this is called racism toward blacks.
How can we change this
ongoing problem?
The solution of this ongoing
problem might be as simple as letting equal members in jury decide on a certain
case. For example, the jury can be half African American and the other half
white. By this the criminal is going to be charged with a penalty that both
side of the jury can agree. This is not an easy task because there are rules,
and we know that rules that apply on government issues have to pass through a
lot of people in order to be approved. However, it is this inequality,
unfairness, injustice and racism act has to be stopped at some time. Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. fought until he lost his life in order for African Americans to
simply be able to sit in the front of a bus. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his
life for his people and he was able to make this world easier for them. Racism
is an ongoing problem that hopefully one day it could be fixed, so that lives
of many people don’t depend on an unfair jury that can take their lives.
Abstract
The death penalty is a topic
that is very controversial through-out the United States. The majority of the
states see the death penalty as a legal procedure that can be applied when a
felon committed something savage that requires capital sentence which is death.
However, research and statistics show that the death penalty has its pattern
that involves racism. Many sources describe how an African American is more
likely to receive a death penalty sentence than a white citizen. This
represents the racism that has been going on since the 1800 hundreds and is
still going on today.