...explanations for why Texas executes far more people than any other state and is doing so at a pace that has no parallel in the modern era of the death penalty in the U.S. What follows is a summary of the analyses. Texas has become ground zero for capital punishment. Between 1976 (when the Supreme Court lifted its prohibition on the death penalty) and 1998 Texas executed 167 people. Next in rank was Virginia which executed 60 during the same period. (**my note** as of today, Texas has executed 237 individuals, and Virginia has executed 80) Why do capital murder cases proceed through the Texas state court system with a speed unimaginable in other parts of the country? Brent Newton, in an article entitled "Capital Punishment: Texas Could Learn a Lot from Florida,"1argues that there are three procedures unique to the state's judicial system that enable it to execute convicted murderers with astonishing frequency: 1. Texas' appellate judges are elected to office and hence serve according to the pleasure of the public. Not surprisingly, they require a record of toughness on criminals in order to win re-election. Also, there are many indications that elected appellate judges generally are of a lesser quality than their appointed counterparts in other states. Newton even claims that these elected judges do not carefully consider the complexities of each specific death penalty case. As evidence, Newton argues that "[e]specially during the past few years...the Texas Court of Criminal...
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...Death Penalty. Death penalty, capital punishment, or execution is the legal process of putting a person to death as a punishment for a crime. It is an issue that has the United States quite divided, while there are many supporters of it, there is also a large amount of opposition. But like in the United States, death penalty has been traditionally used in almost every country. One of the most common method of execution has been lethal injection. Europe is one of the countries that is opposed to the death penalty yet they manufacture many of the drugs used in lethal injections. Yet they prohibit exporting said drugs for executions. Although the United States is not opposed to the death penalty, it is not legal in all States. Current inclinations suggest that the number of States that execute prisoners is decreasing, in 2013 the executions dropped by 10%. Executions were carried out in 9 states, with 59% occurring in Texas and Florida. One of the reasons for fewer executions in 2013 was the continuous problem that States have had in finding an unfailing method of carrying out executions. The eight amendment to the United States Constitution prevents cruel and unusual punishment but it is likely these trends will continue as more States will likely reconsider the decision of keeping this expensive and useless practice. I believe the death penalty should be legal throughout the nation. I’m a strong believer that the death penalty saves lives and give closure to the victim’s...
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...What is the death penalty? Its prisoners being sentenced to death for their crimes. Prisoners aren’t put to death as much as they were back in the day. We believe the death penalty is needed because, it keeps prisoners from rotting in jail there whole life. Another reason is an eye for an eye. The last reason is that it will lower the crime rate. People think that the death penalty is bad saying it’s morally wrong and no one deserves it. The truth is, it is right. People should have to pay for what they have done. Why sentence a guy to life in prison when you could just give him the death penalty instead. It keeps prisons from getting full and keeps them from wasting space. Putting a person in prison for the rest of their life is basically the same as letting them go free. They are in prison but that just means there are stricter rules than the outside life....
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...Texas Death Penalty – Deterrent or Not Extra Credit Essay GOVT 2306-21402 Autherene E. Webster November 26, 2013 Throughout the history of time the death penalty has always been a hotly debated topic. At one point every state in the nation banned it through a federal mandate but later dismantled the ban and state by state began bringing it back. The state of Texas is well known for being the state which has executed more people than anyone in the history of the nation. Texas, known for its penchant for enforcing laws and carrying out sentences has long since had the reputation for executions that are done more swiftly and more often than anywhere else in the nation. When the nation reinstated the death penalty in 1976 each state determined whether or not they wanted to reinstate it. Since its reinstatement there have been 1335 executions. The state of Texas was responsible for 507 of those executions. Prior to 1976 the death penalty had been made illegal in every state. The 1972 United States Supreme Court banned death penalty executions because it felt there had been many years of racial bias and other procedural faults within the capital punishment system (Nolen 2000). Interestingly enough, that is still the feeling surrounding death penalty executions today. The punishment was banned until 1976, when the court ruled that applying capital punishment to first degree murder was not a violation of...
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...English 1301-TR 9:10 02 October 2012 Death Penalty in Texas The death penalty is a way of justice to those victimized. It is a crude action that decides the fate of individuals. It is an important issue because there are people for it and against it. For those living in the State of Texas there are certain regulations for crimes to fit the capital punishment. Whether these laws are 100% correct is the issue I want to bring up. History of the death penalty dates back to colonial times, but for Texas as far back as 1800’s. Between the years 1819-1923 hanging was the means of execution. In 1923, the State of Texas authorized the use of the electric chair, and executed the first offender by “electrocution.” The electric chair was in effect until 1964 after 361 inmates were executed. In 1972, the U.S Supreme Court declared capital punishment as “cruel and unusual” and all people on death row were commuted to life sentences. In 1973, revision to the Texas Penal Code allowed executions to resume and the State of Texas adopted lethal injection in 1977. In 1996, close relatives and friends of the deceased were allowed to witness executions by means of justice. People have argued over the death penalty since it began, but in 1958 it was suggested against the eighth amendment. People complained that it offended society’s sense of justice, religious views and human rights. Therefore, the Supreme Court began “fine tuning” the way the death penalty was administered. Several cases were brought...
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...Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a Government department of the U.S. state of Texas. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is responsible for the entire states criminal justices for all adult offenders, including governing offender in state prisons, jails and other private correctional facilities, funding and certain oversight of community supervision of offenders released from prison on parole or mandatory supervision. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice runs the largest prison structure in all of the United States. Texas Department of Criminal Justice houses death row inmates in the Polunsky Unit and female death row inmates in the Mountain View Unit. The Huntsville Unit is the location of the state of Texas execution chamber The Polunsky death row has about 290 prisoners. The State of Texas began housing death row inmates in the Huntsville Unit in 1928. In 1965 the male death row inmates moved to the Ellis Unit. 1999 the male death row moved Polunsky. Capital punishment has been used in the state of Texas since 1819. As of April 2014 1,270 people have been executed. The state of Texas has executed more inmates than any other state in spite of that two states California and Florida have a larger death row population than Texas. Since 1923 TDCJ has been in charge of executions in the state. TDCJ houses death row prisoners after they are transported from their counties of conviction, and administers the death penalty on a condemned person’s...
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...Texas has been long regarded as a state fond of the death penalty ever since the establishment of capital punishment. The circumstances in which a person can be subject to capital punishment are clearly defined in section 19.03 of the Texas Penal Code. (5, Metze.) Most of the reasons for executing an inmate pertain to the act of intentional/premeditated murder. Despite the fact that Texas legislature strongly supports capital punishment and the idea of retribution, the issue is growing to be quite controversial to the general public. The Texas legislature largely supports the death penalty and their voting tends to indicate this as fact. A spring 1985 poll conducted in Texas reported that 74% of the Texas electorate support and favor the...
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...States of America, death penalty has been used as far back as the eighteenth century B.C. This was under the rule of King Hammaurabi of Babylon ruled, who codified the death penalty for twenty-five different types of crimes. Within the US, there are 32 states who employ death penalty, and only 18 who don’t. Death penalty has been an ordinary way to deal with extreme criminals in order to end their crimes, for a longer time. Capital punishment has for long been a component of the government. In American history, there have been numerous methods of capital punishment. Everything from electrocution, hanging, firing squad to beheading, and even gas chambers. Capital punishment has always been a brutal and unnatural thing. Luckily, lethal injection is what most states use today. They have done since post-Gregg (Gregg v. Georgia), but electrocution, gas chambers and hanging are still practiced as well. One large motive for supporting capital punishment is economy. It is much cheaper to have someone executed than having him or her imprisoned. This is, though, extraordinarily inhuman. What about the family and friends of the executed? This is where the ethical aspect begins to play a role. The government needs to think about whether this should be accepted as being ethically correct. Because of the ethical aspects, capital punishment is one of the few massively discussed subjects in American politics. In the southern states, especially in Texas, death penalty has been the most...
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...Death Penalty: the easy way out Capital punishment is one of the most controversial issues discussed in the United States. Capital punishment or the death penalty, is used throughout most of the U.S. The debate is over if the death penalty is humane or cruel and unusual. Those against the death penalty believe the death penalty should be removed from the United States all together. There are also some who are against the death penalty because of their religion. Anti-death penalty activist are not only against the death penalty because of the inhumane acts associated with it, but also because of the expenses. I, too, am against the death penalty. With the death penalty part of our country, I believe that we are no better than any other country. The death penalty is wrong and so are the methods used to execute those sentenced to it. There are many reasons to why the death penalty should be abolished from the United States. This year alone, twenty-eight people were executed. Last year forty-three were executed and in 2005, sixty people were executed. The year of 1990 has the most executions at an outstanding number of ninety-eight executions. Since 1976 there have been 1,305 executions. Out of the fifty states, only seventeen are without the death penalty. There are still about 3,170 inmates on death row right now. Throughout the years, the numbers have raised. Those states that are for the death penalty actually have higher crime rates than those who have abolished it. The murder...
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...The death penalty has origins in the very beginning of civilization. King Hammurabi of Babylon created a code of laws to help keep the peace and create organization in society. His code allowed the death penalty for 25 crimes. Interestingly enough murder was not one of them. The death penalty has been part of the American justice system since the very beginning of our country. Right after the end of the Revolutionary War each state created it own constitution. This was before the writing of the United State Constitution that centralized a national government. Every one of these early state governments included the death penalty as a punishment for certain crimes. The death penalty is a long standing method for crime prevention and deterrence. It is the responsibility of our government to protect it citizens from the threat of violent crime. The death penalty is a crucial part of that in both deterrence of those wishing to commit these crimes and ridding our country of those who have committed these horrible crimes against innocent people. Some people believe that in the past innocent people have been put to death. Modern criminal science and DNA testing effectively eliminate uncertainty as to a person's guilt or innocence. The death penalty is a key component of our justice system for upholding peace and for the protection of American citizens. Civilized society has relied on capital punishment as a means of deterrence for those who want to commit violent crimes resulting...
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...Brandon Sullivan Texas Government October 29, 2013 Texas Death Penalty Texas is still one of the thirty two states with the death penalty, without much room for change as the majority of Texas still believes in keeping it. There have been many popular cases that have occurred to where people may think the execution was well deserved and others not so much because the person may have been innocent. There has been a lot of controversy through the states on whether or not the death penalty should be a part of our constitution of the United States, either for or against it, but since it is controversial on both sides, being a part of the constitution is not something that is foreseeable. People that are for the death penalty have many arguments. One argument includes the fact that some may be scared to commit that crime due to the fact their life is at stake, so therefore it prevents future murders to some extent. They also may argue that what the murderer did per say was grounds for revenge and they deserve to die. On the other hand, those against the death penalty seem to have more logical arguments such as it’s not right to take a life just because they took one. These people think that the person committing the crime would be more miserable if they were put in prison for life. They also argue that it’s inhumane to kill someone through the ways that they do. The fact that one looks for revenge by killing the person that committed the crime is also not a logical and “American”...
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...are many reasons why the death penalty should not be implemented. It is Inhumane, Ineffective against crime, proven not to be a deterrent, and it is Irreversible. These things will be explained by my group mates in their speeches. I however will be talking about the people that get convicted and sent to death row for crimes that they did not do. The danger that innocent people will be executed because of errors in the criminal justice system is getting worse. In the US a total of 69 people have been released from death row since 1973 after evidence of their innocence emerged. 21 condemned inmates have been released since 1993. There is no way to exactly tell how many people that were executed may have been innocent, because courts do not generally entertain claims of innocence when the defendant is dead. And lawyers move on to other cases where there is still a chance to save lives. However, I have a small list of people that were given the death penalty, which after their death, very strong evidence that proved their innocence turned up. There are many reasons why innocent people are convicted. There can be lack of eye-witness testimonies, heightened publicity, limited resources for defense attorneys, and there is always great pressure on police and prosecutors to solve cases which lead to them settling on the wrong suspects. I have come to the conclusion that the steady stream of errors that we see in cases in which defendants are sentenced to death is a consequence of our...
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...Controversy regarding the death penalty has been prevalent in the United States for centuries. Those in favor of capital punishment, a term synonymous with the death penalty, argue that its practice provides a “fair” punishment for certain crimes and serves as a deterrent for heinous acts. However, there has been growing opposition in America. The death penalty, implemented in thirty-two states, should be prohibited in the United States due to the financial cost of death penalty trials and executions, the possibility that those sentenced are innocent, and the inhumanity of failed executions. The implementation of the death penalty in America dates back to the colonial era and is largely attributed to British influences. The first recorded...
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...After reading about the Andre Thomas case, I was first horrified by how critical Thomas' mental illness had become. The Texas tribune has listed a timeline of Thomas' life. It is clear that he had severe mental health issues and for whatever reason was allowed to be without care. The Pros and the Cons of the Death Penalty Morality is often at the center of the debate of the Death Penalty. Many believe that the death penalty is morally wrong due to the government's decision to take another life (Top). But, it's also morally wrong to commit the crimes that those on death row have committed. For example, Andre Thomas, although mentally ill, murdered his wife and family. It's also morally wrong to take innocent lives. The costs could also be a factor. While keeping a person in prison for life can be costly, the death penalty will keep control of the costs of tax payers (Top). Tax payers have to pay for the cost of living for the incarcerated, and with rising numbers, their are rising costs. The death penalty allows for...
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...Death Penalty in US Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a Genevan philosopher, once stated, “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” The quote establishes that as a human, one is free however no one is completely free. Laws are established to set boundaries on freedom. A lethal injection however goes beyond setting limits. Jon Sorenson and Rocky LeAnn Pilgrim define Lethal Injection in “Lethal Injection: Capital Punishment in Texas During the Modern Era” as a “injection of a lethal dose of prussic acid [cyanide]” (Sorenson & Pilgrim 2). Lethal Injection precludes the possibility of freedom for a prisoner who is later acquitted for murder as said in the Fifth Amendment, “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in...
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