Jennifer Benitez
Mr. John Hardison
American Literature
(Honors)
30 November 2012
The
Mighty Gavel
Death,
the simple mentioning of this morbid word conjures up images of ways and
situations that humans and creatures have passed away throughout the ages of
the world. Some peaceful, others violent and crude, animalistic in a sense. But
the time of barbarism with death has supposedly past and been forgotten
correct? Well, according to the United States government, it hasn't and it is
an efficient way of means for charging a criminal and spreading fear to those
who are at the point of committing a crime. Murder is the best word to call it,
but as a veterinarian uses the term euthanizing to sugarcoat death, the charge
is better known as the death penalty. Capital punishments in the United States
are limited under the eighth amendment, which prohibits the federal government
from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishments
to cases of homicide, crimes against the state, and crimes against humanity
committed by mentally competent people. Now this sounds pretty straight forward,
but the fact is, are all the sentences handed by the judges truly just in the
eyes of those who are having the mighty gavel of justice falling down on them?
Humans are unreliable and fallible, the risk of executing the innocent is
always at bay, and even if they are guilty with undeniable evidence, do you
think you honestly believe in the eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth saying? I
believe it a load of unreasonable judgment and that no one has a say in taking
the life and last breath of a human being unless you are death itself.
Out of the fifty states located in the United States,
capital punishment was legal in thirty seven. Statistics show that in 2008,
thirty-seven execution took place, 2011, thirteen states executed forty-three
inmates, and in 2010 forty-six were executed, meaning that unfortunately, the
number of executions have been on the rise. Another subtle fact to know, is
that ever since the year 1976, one-thousand-three-hundred-seven executions have
taken place in the U.S. Fortunately, in 2012, seventeen-states have banned It's
use, leaving the remaining numbers at thirty-three. But why do the other states
still persist that this is what is best? A national poll showed that 61% of
Americans would choose a punishment other than the death penalty. Does the
government not hear the public's voice for change in the system? Death penalty
cases often cost 70% more, a median of 1.26 million, than non-death penalty
cases, a median of 740,000. When death penalty trials result in something less
than death, taxpayers first become subject to all the extra costs of the
pretrial and proceedings. Now, if you’re a millionaire with pockets full of
money and don't mind paying money for the governments mistake of putting
someone on a death penalty trial, you can argue my statements and not mind.
But, like more of the average day Americans who don't have miscellaneous
amounts of money to be spent, giving it to the government would not be
favorable. In many opinions, paying taxes to keep a criminal alive in a prison,
would be a less amount than that of a failed capital punishment trial.
There are the statements, an eye for an eye, why keep
them alive when they've committed some act horrendous, and they're nothing but
criminals. But I myself see these comments as ignorance in the human mind and
another form of being closed-minded. What in fact does the death penalty prove
and how exactly does it discipline a person who is going to die? Of course,
there's always the fact that the months or years before their execution, the
knowledge of an oncoming death could haunt and torture their minds but what
kind of country supporting liberty, life, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness
would want to cause a person that kind of treatment? I believe that true
punishment is making someone stay in a jail cell trapped in their own mind, but
at least not having the fear of death blowing down their spines. As Elie
Wiesel, the author of the book, Night, stated,
"I do not believe any civilized society should be at the service of death.
I don't think it's human to become an agent of the agent of the Angel of
Death."
Around the world, the
use of the death penalty is a largely split in two. Many countries do not
acknowledge it, viewing it as a sin or simply inhumane, while others embrace it
and use it in means of reforming their country. The United States was
categorized fifth around the world with the total highest amount of executions.
In Iran, three prisoners were recently publicly hanged, a total of twenty-eight
that week with an unofficial report of forty-seven more not released to public
ears. In Singapore, the calls to abolish executions were rejected, saying that
it was needed to deter serious crimes and that if abolished, it would send the
wrong signals to potential criminals. Uganda passes the "Kill the Gays'
bill", which supports anti-homosexuality and is where gays acts committed
by parents or authority figures, HIV-positive people, pedophiles, repeat
offenders, same-sexual acts, or being in a gay relationship will face the death
penalty. Now, in the U.S, the laws on how the death penalty shall be put up for
possible punishment are much more serious than that of the "Kill the Gays'
bill" in Uganda, but it doesn't make taking the life of an individual
okay. Not only does it separate countries but dominations of religion. There
are those Christians whom believe that the death penalty is a sin under the
eyes of their God because he is our creator and thus the only one who can take
a life. "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her
first."(John 8:7, NKJ).Then there are the Christians that agree with the
death sentence, relating it back to the Bible verse, "Whoever shed man's
blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He mad
man."(Genesis 9:6). The issue of capital punishment for me, is not solely
based from what other countries support and what religious views I share, but
from what my conscious deems morally right.
In conclusion, without
this wretched death penalty, our ailing government would have more money for
crime prevention, mental health treatment, education and rehabilitation, and
drug treatment programs. Not to mention the taxpayer's money would not have to
be forced for failed capital trials. But in the end, the ultimate rejoice for
the abolishment of the death penalty would be the simple fact that another
human life would not be slain. There are other means of punishment for
criminals, so why do the victim's family immediately race for death? Taking the
life of one who has taken your loved ones, sounds like a joyous and revengeful
idea. But, it won't bring back the person the criminal has hurt and will you be
able to rest easy knowing your decision can end the life of another? As for the
government, with capital punishments charges for those who are traitors and
other crimes relating to national security, this nation has been filled with
nothing but countless bodies and bloodshed since the beginning it was first
founded. This country we are all so proud and privileged to live in, is one
that has been raised and fed off violence and malice and shall continue so long
as we allow it into our legal systems. Not only is it cruel and unusual, but an
honest hypocrisy for a country to be wanting unity and peace when it can't even
come to peace and non-violence with itself."Tyranny, like hell, is not
easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the
conflict, the more glorious the triumph."(Thomas Paine 160). There will
always be a fight to free this great nation from the death penalty, and until
that day comes, myself and millions of others will tune in and give our
undivided attention to continue on in the hopes that this country will rise to
greater heights. "All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor
will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this
Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us
begin."(John F. Kennedy 200).
~(Thank you for
reading! ^~^ )~
~Is the thesis
strong and clear?
~Did I support my
body well?
~Did I wrap up my
paper and well conclude it?
~What are my
strengths and weaknesses as a writer?
~Agree or disagree?
Why?
(**Please note, no
foolish, childish, or rude comments will be acknowledged. Be professional.**)
~Thank you.
Works
Cited
Kennedy,
John F. "Inaugural Address." Timeless Voices Timeless Themes.
Saddie River: Prentice Hall Literature, 2002. 196-200. Print.
Paine,
Thomas. "The Crisis, Number 1." Timeless Voices Timeless Themes.
Saddie River: Prentice Hall Literature, 2002. 160-62. Print.
"Amnesty
International." Amnesty International | Working to Protect Human Rights.
Amnesty International, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. <http://www.amnesty.org/>.
"Wiki."
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki>.
