Texas Death Penalty

Why is the death penalty used as a means of punishment for crime? Is this just a way to solve the nations growing problem of overcrowded prisons, or is justice really being served? Why do some view the taking of a life morally correct? These questions are discussed and debated upon in every state and national legislature throughout the country. Advantages and disadvantages for the death penalty exist, and many members of the United States, and individual State governments, have differing opinions. Yet it seems that the stronger arguments, and evidence such as cost effectiveness, should lead the common citizen to the opposition of Capital Punishment.

The moral and ethical debate on the sentencing and enforcement of capital punishment has long baffled the citizens and governing powers of the United States. Throughout time, the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, and the vast majority beliefs of Americans, have been in a constant state of perplexity. Before the 1960s, the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution were interpreted as permitting the death penalty. However, in the early 1960s, it was suggested that the death penalty was a "cruel and unusual" punishment and therefore unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment. Many argue that capital punishment is an absolute necessity, in order to deter crime, and to ‘make things right’ following a heinous crime of murder. Despite the belief that capital punishment may seem to be the only tangible, permanent solution to ending future capital offenses, the United States should remove this cruel and unnecessary form of punishment from our current judicial systems.

There are laws and decisions of United States government and higher orders that present controversy to the people of America. In the state of Texas the application of the death penalty is difficult to interpret, especially for the mentally ill, because there is no written law or bill that explains the execution implication in complete detail. The death penalty is a capital punishment of death for those who have committed such high crime. This penalty goes for everyone who does such act no matter who you are, how rich how poor, or where you stand in society. For the longest time, even with the mindset and understanding that those who commit crime to a certain level can receive the execution punishment, the concern and debate whether the mentally

The death penalty is the punishment of execution. The death penalty was authorized by 32 states, the Federal Government, and the U.S. Military. Throughout the years, the method of the death penalty has changed. Not only has the way it is performed been altered, but also the way our presidential candidates view the death penalty. For example, when George Bush was governor of Texas in the 1990s, he approved executions. He sent some to death who might have been innocent. Death sentences in Texas have dropped nearly 80% since 1999. In 1977, Oklahoma became the first state to adopt lethal injection as a form of execution. Lethal injection is the primary method used. On December 2, 1982, Charles Brooks became the first person executed by lethal injection in Texas. Besides the deadly injection, the electric chair nicknamed "Old Sparky," was also an execution method. Texas, along with Louisiana, Ohio, and Illinois used the electric chair. The electric chair was in use from 1924 until 1964. Old Sparky was said to have taken 361 prisoners life's (TexasTribune).

Death penalty violates the eighth constitutional amendment. Death is both unusually severe punishments, unusual in pain, in its enormity and its finality. It does not serve as a penal purpose effectively but a less severe punishment. The constitutional infirmity in the death punishment is that it treats human race members as nonhumans and as objects that need to be toyed with and discarded. It is thus not in consistent with the fundamental premise of the Clause that even the criminal who is the vilest still remain a human being possessed of common human dignity. Death penalty, therefore, subjects human beings to a fate that is forbidden by the principle of civilized treatment that is guaranteed by the clause. It is, therefore, clear that according to this clause, death today is cruel and unusual

There have been many different types of forms used when it comes to punishing the accused offender. In the past the punishment methods used ranged anything from stoning to death, to setting someone alive on fire, hanging, or the beheading of someone, alongside with the attaching of the offender’s arms and legs to four separate horses, or oxen only to be pulled apart. In all these barbaric and inhuman acts by our standards today, were performed within the towns square so that the community and visitors would be able to witness these executions.

Texas pay for Capital Punishment and kills prisoners more than California. Capital Punishment costs more for the taxpayers than keeping prisoners in prison. Texas kills more prisoners than any other state and has also done the most to minimize the time between trial and execution (Costanzo, pg.61). If Texas reduced the number of executed inmates, there would not be a large amount of money being spent because it is cheaper to keep prisoners in jail than it is to execute them. In Texas each taxpayer pays around $2.3 million, almost three times more than the cost of imprisonment in a maximum security cell for forty years (Costanzo, pg.61). Taxpayers paying so much, makes them angry and upset because the state is spending an exorbitant amount

Having to execute prisoners in Texas is a critical issue in our criminal justice system. The executions are carried out on capital murderers. It all started back in the 1800’s when counties carryed out their own exectution method; prisoners were hung. Than, in the1920’s the state of Texas ordered that all executions were to be carried out to Walls Unit, Huntsville for “The Electric Chair.” Ever since 1982, Texas was the first U.S state to execute with the “Lethal Injection.” The executions in Texas are carried out in various ways, but the primary way of executing inmates now is by lethal injection.

The first person to ever get execution in the state of texas was in november of 1819. When this was first put into effect they executed offenders by hanging them. Until 1923 ,they began using the electric chair to execute murderers. In the 1970’s that’s when they began using the lethal injections. In the beginning of the death penalty people were only executed for murder and stealing. But now you don’t have to commit a murder to get put on a death row sentence. Although most people who are on death row have committed a murder. Some of the felons who have been on death row have committed a crime such as several rapes, assault and battery, and attempted sexually batter.

Did you know that since 1976, there have been a total of 518 executions in Texas alone? However in 2014 Texas only executed ten people. This is because they are seeing how much of a mistake the death penalty is. The death penalty is a useless form of punishment. The cost of it vastly overshadows that of the costs for life without parole, also yearly more and more death row inmates are being exonerated (released), and lastly it fails to deter criminals from committing crimes.

I think Texas needs to discriminate certain behaviors. Many people spent so many years in prison waiting to be executed. I think the government needs to reduce the waiting period for only those people who they are sure that they committed the crime and needs to be executed. Most of the time it’s unfair because those people spend their years waiting and enjoying in prison while the family members are still waiting for justice. It’s unfair that sometimes the family members don’t even witness the justice because they die before the person who committed the crime is executed. The Texas government also needs to reduce jail length for people arrested because of possession of drugs. The government needs to punish them, instead of putting them in

-Cost, like previously mentioned above it cost allot, not just financially but physically and emotionally for all those involved. The trials, the appeals and don’t forget the heightened security on death row, commuting all death sentences to life in prison would save hundred of millions of dollars per year Texas.

The death penalty has existed in different forms dating back to Eighteenth Century B.C. Burning, hanging, beating, etc. were all means to an end to achieve this retribution. In today’s society, the debate over whether the death penalty is a viable punishment is still to be determined. Many scholars suggest that it fails to act as a deterrent and should be abolished while others cling to the idea that it continues to serve as retribution to those affected by the acts of criminals. Within this paper I will study the changing attitudes towards the death penalty as well as look into Texas and California as examples as they both portray interesting cases of the death penalty. While both actively sentence criminals to death row, California rarely executes while Texas has the highest execution rates in the country. Do these states have lower crime rates because of this or will this prove that the death penalty is unnecessary and violates the eighth amendment and is out of line with current views.

In 1976 a law was passed by the state of Missouri and 25 other states. This was called the Death Penalty. Since then we have put 62 total people to death using the Death Penalty. Some states have only used this penalty 1 or 2 times, others states like Missouri, Texas, and Virginia, have used this penalty more than 5 times. Texas is even up to 11 since its legalization. The Death Penalty should not be allowed because, it violates the 8th amendment, what if someone gets falsely accused, and it violates a physician's oath to protect.

My policy brief is looking at the continued use of the death penalty the U.S. state of Texas. The use of this punishment is a violation of Article 3 and Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is also a violation of the United States constitution 8th Amendment because of the pain cause from the lethal injection. This is also a human right violation because of the amount and uncertainty of the guilt and many people that are sitting on death row today. In order for the U.S. to be consistent with the documents that it claims to have ratified it must abolish the use of capitol punishment.