...(Berger & Luckmann, 1966). Institutionalization occurs when these normalized meanings become formalized within the institutions of that society (Berger & Luckmann, 1966). Finally, internalization is when an individual integrates these objective, institutionalized meanings into their subjective consciousness as a result of socialization (Berger & Luckmann, 1966). A Social Constructionist approach is relevant to explaining the portrayal of serial killers within the media because it takes into consideration how the...
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...Dan Mask 02/28/2012 Persuasive Speech Outline Using Problem-Solution Speech Organization Pattern Topic: Death Penalty Organizational Pattern: Problem-Solution Specific Purpose: To persuade you’ll that the death penalty should be abolished. Primary Audience Outcome: I want you’ll to become willing to contact their local lawmakers to make the necessary change to eliminate the death penalty as form of capital punishment. Introduction (Attention Getter) After committing a capital crime which is defined as a crime such as first-degree murder or rape of a child, a large percentage of people are sentenced to capital punishment. The end result is absolute death! But what if you were actually innocent of the crime? This unsettling tombstone could be on the grave as a result of the death penalty! (Thesis Statement) There has been a nationwide decline in capital punishment, but unfortunately potentially innocent people are still often executed. (Preview of the main points) This afternoon, I will first share with you some of the injustices that are occurring in the American legal system. Then I will explore with you reasons why we should consider adopting life without the parole as the only form of punishment for capital crimes. Body The death penalty has more victims than just the person who was convicted of the crime. A. Wrongly convicted people are often exonerate, but more than not executed. 1. The 100-plus innocent people exonerated from death row represent...
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...have. And when something or someone is taken from you, payback is the only answer. Violence begets violence, when someone shoots up your homeboy, the only way to get pay back is to return the violence. In a 1990 examination of death penalty sentencing conducted by the United States General Accounting Office noted that the race of the victim was more likely to be charged with capital murder or given the death penalty on those whom murdered whites than those who murdered blacks (Capital Punishment in Context, n.d.). The best explanation for high incarceration rates for Blacks compared to their percent of the general population is that because there is still discrimination and racism still exist, Blacks and minorities experiencing poverty have higher incarceration rates than the general population coming from a wealthy and well-educated background. Some Blacks rely on selling drugs as their income, to pay for education, or to provide for their families. When incarcerated, a good amount of blacks are not able to afford a great lawyer so in turn just ride out their jail/prison time. Institutionalized racism is to blame for these disparate rates, because to this day there is a bias that one person, or one color is not as good as another. In the text book it...
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...right to take life from those whom society have deemed undeserving of one is of constant debate. Many Christians find it easy to accept this practice for the worst of criminals. So one is left to question rather this practice of “an eye for an eye” as described in the Holy Scripture is appropriate or if it is just outright murder (sin). My perspective lies somewhere in the middle. On one hand I do not believe any human being has the right to take another’s life, yet on the other hand, there are some crimes so heinous that there seems to be only one appropriate punishment. In this paper I will examine the Christian perspective, practical applications and moral implications. DEATH PENALTY AND MORALITY Some people believe that if there were no death penalty than our country would fall into anarchy. The death penalty, in their mind seems to be moral in the sense that it treats the defendant as a “free moral actor” in control of his/her own destiny. Dr. Ernest Van Den Hagg of Fordham University is an outspoken advocate of the death penalty. He stated that "Common sense, lately bolstered by statistics, tells us that the death penalty will deter murder... People fear nothing more than death. Therefore, nothing will deter a criminal more than the fear of death... life in prison is less feared. Murderers clearly prefer it to execution -- otherwise, they would not try to be sentenced to life in prison...
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...Pierce as part of the Capital Punishment Project showed that patterns of racial disparity were not confined to southern states. In Ohio, for example, 22 percent of blacks convicted of killing a white received a death sentence comparted to 5 percent of whites who killed whites and 0.6 percent of blacks who killed blacks. No whites who killed blacks were sentenced to death. In almost all of the states where there have been reviews of race and the death penalty, data shows a pattern of race effects. A 2003 study by Amnesty International covering all U.S. jurisdictions concluded that even though blacks and whites are victims in nearly equal numbers, 80 percent of the people executed since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976 have been for murders of white victims. Furthermore, more than 20 percent of executed blacks were convicted by all-white juries. A 2001 report by the New Jersey Supreme Court concluded: “There is unsettling statistical evidence indicating that cases involving killers of white victims are more likely to progress to a penalty phase than cases involving killers of African-American victims.” The effects of the race of the victim and the race of the defendant are not always found, but their discovery in multiple jurisdictions gives cause for concern. This concern was brought to the Supreme Court. (Death is Different : Juries and Capital Punishment) In the 1987 case of McCleskey v. Kemp, the Supreme Court did not dispute finding by Professor David Baldus and his two...
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...Critically examine the title of Marquez’s novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1981) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a short novel written in the form of a chronicle. It is an instrument that combines Marquez’s journalism skills with those of fiction writing-the work depicts a murder investigation that took place around thirty years ago and, revolving around this probing, are the major problems that Marquez wants to address- lapses in the social and administrative order. The death, which was “foretold” to almost every member of the town, by the murderers, could not be prevented- it is a clear mirror to the moral disorder which was contained in and rather, dominated the society. As the title exposes, it is about a death- it becomes a natural curiosity as to why the death takes place. In this social order, that the narrator is interviewing, it is very apparent that the culture is marked by “male privilege and domination”; here women were not allowed to exercise their “free will”- “…they have been raised to suffer.” The status of the women was, therefore, reduced to an object. Angela Vicario is reluctant to marry Bayardo San Roman because she didn’t love him. However, she is forced to marry him because he is a man of large fortune and immense power. The death in the story is caused because of an outdated “code of honor” – on the night of wedding if the bride failed to prove her virginity, she was returned back. Consequently, the person responsible for...
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... Team C: CJA/354 August 26, 2013 Prosecuting Argument Paper Enough evidence was obtained to make the arrest of Mr. Dents. The state has now charged Stu Dents with the following: Homicide, assault of a police officer, kidnapping, burglary, and crimes related to drugs. Homicide is “The killing of one human being by the act, procurement, or omission of another human being” (Schmalleger, 2010). Murder is a type of homicide. Below is the Georgia state law on murder. Murder; felony murder: A person commits the offense of murder when he unlawfully and with malice aforethought, either express or implied, causes the death of another human being. Express malice is that deliberate intention unlawfully to take the life of another human being which is manifested by external circumstances capable of proof. Malice shall be implied where no considerable provocation appears and where all the circumstances of the killing show an abandoned and malignant heart. A person convicted of the offense of murder shall be punished by death, by imprisonment for life without parole, or by imprisonment for life ("Georgia Code", 2013). On October 18th, two eyewitnesses said the defendant Stu Dents entered into apartment number 156, which was the victim’s apartment. Uma Opee’s body was found October 19th; it was located behind an abandoned building, which is approximately 5 miles from her residence. The victim’s mouth was stuffed with a cloth, her arms...
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...Penalty still in effect in 34 states, this raises the question, if violent crimes are down in the states that don’t have the Death Penalty why is it still in existence? When an offender commits a violent crime, it is the responsibility of our government to punish the offender, and keep the rest of us safe. There are many factors the government has to consider when sentencing a violent offender to death. If the government is picked by the people, should the families of the victims, and the offender have a say in the Death Penalty laws? Even though a violent crime is a violent crime, race and demographics play a big part in the Death Penalty. Studies show that 80% of people executed since the Death Penalty was reinstated have been executed for murders involving white...
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...Sentencing Proposal (Preparation) There are many different types of homicide, which makes it difficult to have just one sentence or sanction. In Louisiana there are five types of homicides: First degree murder, second degree murder, manslaughter, negligent homicide, and vehicular homicide. As far for first degree murder, this type of homicide should carry the heaviest sentence with life imprisonment without the possibility of probation or parole. Second degree murder, should carry 40 years to life imprisonment, without the possibility of probation or parole. Manslaughter should carry 20 to 40 years in prison with the possibility of parole after serving half of the sentence. Negligent homicide should carry a sentence of a fine of $10,000 and up to 20 years in prison. Last, Vehicular homicide should carry a fine of $10,000 and up to 10 years in prison. Kidnapping laws and punishment differ all across the United States of America. Some states carry very harsh punishments such as life in prison depending on the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping. Depending on the elements of the crime in this case Mr. Dents can be charged with either simple kidnapping or aggravated kidnapping. In the case State v. Stu Dents, Mr. Dents restrained the victim Uma Opee , her legs and arms were bound with rope also stuffing her mouth with a cloth he stabbed the victim 13 times, and evidence shows that a struggle took place in her apartment prior to her being removed. The victim was forcibly...
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...justice system. The death penalty has been in existence for thousands of years and has gained wide acceptance in the United States since early colonial times. Even those who framed the Constitution specifically the Fifth Amendment approved of it though implicitly (McCord and Latzer 9). Despite the growing acceptance of the death penalty as an appropriate punishment for certain kinds of crimes such as first degree murders, there are still some people who argue against it on certain grounds. The debate as to the justification of the death penalty has raged on for a long time. On one hand, there are those who are of the opinion that the death penalty is a cruel punishment which is morally wrong and a violation of the right to life for its victims. Others defend their opposing views by citing the wave of abolition of other types of corporal punishment such as branding and flogging and propose that imprisonment should also replace the death penalty (McCord and Latzer 9). However, the death penalty has proved to be a punishment befitting certain crimes such as horrific murders as it is the ultimate punishment. It has taken many harmful elements off the streets besides acting as a deterrent for both the convicted criminals and other potential murderers out there. In essence, it has saved many innocent lives that otherwise would have fallen prey to the evil schemes of murderers. Indeed, there is no course more worthy than saving innocent lives. This essay presents an argument in support...
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...says prevention, the other side says there's a potential of executing an innocent man; one says justice and punishment; the other side says execution is murder. However, c0rime is an evident part of society, and everyone is aware that something must be done about it. In several parts of the world, the death penalty has been apportioned to those who have committed a variety of felonies. The Roman Empire made use of the death penalty liberally, as did the Church of the Middle Ages. As history tells us, capital punishment is an acceptable and efficient means of deterring crime. Today, the death penalty remains an effective method of punishment for murder and other terrible crimes because it helps lower the rate of violent crimes, makes the streets safer and provides us a better environment to live in. People will rob, take advantage of others, and commit crimes as long as it is in their best interest to do so. The purpose of our entire criminal justice system is to protect the rights of life, freedom, and property for all its citizens. To be able to accomplish this, the punishment for crime must be harsh enough to deter potential criminals. Under this mindset, the death penalty makes perfect sense because it truly makes a criminal pay for his crime and prevents the criminal from committing it again. The punishment for murder is getting to be shorter and shorter, that made criminals not fear the life sentence punishment anymore because nowadays life in jail became known as ten...
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...Throughout the start of the novel Capote introduces the Clutter family and characterises them, giving the reader an emotional attachment to them, even though the reader knows that the fate of the Clutters results in their brutal murder. The last character we read about before the death of the Clutter family is Nancy, during this time, we learn more about her as a person, giving us more of an emotional attachment to her. Nancy’s death is quite ironic ‘she set out the clothes she intended to wear to church the next morning’ it’s ironic, because the reader knows that she won’t be wearing it to church the next morning, because she will be murdered during the night – ‘it was the dress in which she was to be buried’. This end focus simple sentence creates sympathy for Nancy, because instead of wearing it to church the next day like intended, she wore it to be buried. We are shown just how selfless Nancy is in this extract ‘the midnight hours were her ‘time to be selfish and vain’. The fact that Nancy thinks that having a miniscule amount of time to herself is selfish and vain shows just how selfless she is because she’s always busy caring for others instead of caring for herself, and is seen as a motherly figure, ‘invariably the last of the family to retire’ this continues to show her selflessness and how she is a motherly figure as it implies that she is still awake after the rest of her family doing household duties and helping out other people. When thinking about Nancy...
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...In 1972, Russell Maroon Shoatz was accused of killing a police officer and imprisoned for murder. He has been in jail for about 30 years for a crime he did not even commit. Russell’s daughter, Theresa Shoatz, had a lot to say about her father and his situation. She told us that her father did not commit the crime, but he knew who did. Russell refused to give names about who killed the police officer because he knew it would just create more problems. Instead, he went to a detective hoping to receive help, but the detective told him that because he was part of the group who murdered the police officer, that he would have to be put in jail. During his time in prison, Russell escaped, not to hurt anyone, but just because he wanted freedom and did not feel like he deserved to be in prison. The Black Panthers played a big role during Russell’s lifetime. They were a group of African Americans who did not want any help from the government, because they felt it was a messed up system. They provided protection for themselves and for others who called upon them. This story of Russell Shoatz is very similar to some of the stories told in Rios’s book, Punished. In Punished, Rios talked to a young boy named Darius who was arrested for robbing a kid. Darius continued to tell Rios that he did not rob the kid and he was not even present during the robbery. The police were just suspicious so they arrested him. Just like Shoatz, Darius was arrested for a crime he did not commit. Just like the...
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...Introduction -defines execution as the act or an instance of putting to death or being put to death as a lawful penalty. There are various hot debates on this issue especially criticizing Muslims but that doesn’t end as capital punishment exist in most western countries like USA and UK. -shouldn’t we think of the families that are broken apart now because of the merciless acts of these criminals? Body Incapacitation of the criminal. Capital punishment permanently removes the worst criminals from society and should prove much cheaper and safer for the rest of us than long term or permanent incarceration. It is self evident that dead criminals cannot commit any further crimes, either within prison or after escaping or being released from it. Some criminals are beyond rehabilitation; it may be that capital punishment should be reserved for serial killers, terrorists, murderers of policemen and so on. There is evidence that Major religions also support death penalty as a principle depending on circumstances. Costly. Money is not an inexhaustible commodity and the state may very well better spend our (limited) resources on the old, the young and the sick etc., rather than on the long term imprisonment of murderers, rapists, etc. key advantage of the death penalty over life imprisonment: it saves tax-payers the huge cost of keeping murderers locked up. Why should the taxpayer bear the cost of supporting a murderer for an entire lifetime? Huge opportunity...
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...Conrado Valido Frederick Knowles English Composition: Response Paper 11 February 2011 The Death Penalty According to David Bruck, “neither justice nor self-preservation demands that we kill men” and I beg to differ. Death penalty is considered as a controversial topic today. Death penalty is the best way to bring justice because it is cheap, it serves as justice for the victims, and it gives a higher regard to the victim’s suffering in the hands of the murderer. Although some people oppose death penalty saying it is immoral and a waste of life, it is still the best way to bring justice to the victims of heinous crimes. Death penalty is the best way to bring justice because it is cheap. The government can save a lot of money with death penalty. When prisoners get sentenced to death, taxpayers would not have to pay tax to supply the needs of the prisoners who did a heinous crime. Instead of using the money to sustain murderers, the money could be use in many other projects that can help the citizens of the United States. We can use the money to make roads and give the budget to financial aid, towards education, and projects for the future of the country. We do not have to pay for these killers and murderers. Death penalty serves justice for the victims of these heinous crimes. If someone takes a life of another person with no reason, that person deserves to die too. If that person values his/her life, he/she should not take another person’s life. The idealism...
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