ipl-logo

Capital Punishment Essay: Race And The Death Penalty

1085 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Social justice inequality

There have been many controversies on the topic of capital punishment and its role within society. It is not likely that there will ever be a unified view on this topic. One of the first reasons why the death penalty should never be imposed is because of the possibility of killing an innocent person. True enough the DNA technology has decreased this probability but due to administrative bias innocent people can still be killed. There is no retribution for a dead man who was wrongly put to death. You cannot undo that once it is done. Statistical data shows that since 1976, over forty percent of prisoners executed in American jails have been African American or Hispanic (Ogletree, 2006). This information alone makes one question the overall connection between race and the death penalty. It has been a strong debate in itself throughout American history and continues to be so currently.
Discrimination is an overall plague to our society. It shows its head on every front of life. The death penalty process is not excluded. Racial and economic bias is a valid argument against capital punishment as well. Pretexts to discrimination are provides in this current case of Vernon Madison who is one of Alabama’s longest-serving death row inmates. Vernon was convicted in the April 1985 slaying …show more content…

Quoted from chapter 21 of Exodus, “An eye for an eye, life for life, tooth for tooth” is what some Americans would say concerning the death penalty. Supporters of the death penalty ask the question, “Why should hardworking taxpayers pay to support a murderer for the rest of their life when execution can alleviate this? While many Americans believe that the death penalty is wrong, it seems obvious to some Americans that the death penalty is a just and proper way to give convicted murderers what they

Show More
Related
628 Words | 3 Pages

Name: Instructor: Course: Date: Criminal Justice Stevenson through his book has provided various examples that show that people of color and low-income individuals are more likely to be presumed fully prior to presenting their cases. The author has stated that executions are a good example of how norms and policies are used for the purposes of punishing and controlling the people of color For instance, he argues that one in three black people are expected to be sent to jail in their lifetime. Further on, eighty percent of people on death row are black while 65 percent of homicide victims are black.

Read More
1236 Words | 5 Pages

This disparity perpetuates a cycle of poverty and injustice, as the poor are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system. The death penalty, imposed primarily on minorities and the poor, epitomizes the ethical failures of the criminal justice system (Equal Justice Initiative, 2023). Despite overwhelming evidence of racial and economic bias, the death penalty remains legal in many jurisdictions, wrongfully taking the lives of individuals who have been denied justice (Equal Justice Initiative, 2023). The arbitrary and discriminatory application of the death penalty undermines the fundamental value of human life and exacerbates systemic inequalities that plague the criminal justice system. In conclusion, the book raises profound ethical questions about the death penalty.

Read More
1766 Words | 8 Pages

There are apparent arbitrariness and unpredictability in the outcomes of capital cases. The second flaw is unfairness. Extralegal factors such as race still play a significant role in determining which defendants are sentenced to die and which get to live. The research conducted focuses on those serious flaws and how capital jurors’ lack of instructional comprehension contributes to not only confused decision-making but also to racially discriminatory death sentencing. The authors also conducted a study that focused on the “White male dominance” effect on capital jury deliberations.

Read More
560 Words | 3 Pages

The New York Times Bestseller book, Just Mercy, entails true accounts of a young African- American lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, about the unjust criminal justice system of the United States. Stevenson embarks on sharing his first- hand encounters of racial prejudice and corruption against death row inmates and himself. Thus, giving vivid images of how race and social class can play a big part in the fates of people in America. After reading Just Mercy, it has given me a validation of what I’ve already known about the justice system against African-Americans especially in the South, with prior knowledge of accounts about black Americans and the deep bigotry against them. In which, my race plays an immense part of cruelly punishing black Americans without further consideration of the circumstances that led to the crime

Read More
1343 Words | 6 Pages

This report is helpful because it highlights how race is influenced on the death penalty. It will help me see if the death penalty is racially neutral. Coker, D. (2003). Addressing the real world of racial injustice in the criminal justice system. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology.

Read More
918 Words | 4 Pages

In Georgia, “people convicted of killing white victims are 17 times more likely to be executed than those convicted of killing black victims” (Philips).The death penalty is even seen as the “direct descendant of lynching” because of the significant imbalance in the prosecution of Black Americans for capital murder (Equal Justice Initiative). Given our long history of systemic racism in the justice system, we cannot trust ourselves to be the ultimate arbiter on whether to end a human

Read More
1390 Words | 6 Pages

The color of the skin of the victim or defendant is a significant and unacceptable factor in determining who gets the death penalty in America. We have no knowledge of how a person may think, and giving a judge and jury the power to decide on someone's life can result in unfair judgments. “Today, there is growing evidence that racial bias continues in society, particularly within the criminal justice system. The existence of implicit racial bias among some law enforcement officers, witnesses, jurors, and others allows harsher punishment of minorities, even without legal sanction or intention. Although these prejudices are hard to uproot, the unfair application of the death penalty could be halted by eliminating that sentencing option altogether”(Dunham).

Read More
791 Words | 4 Pages

This is definitely the best definition of justice that has ever existed or ever will exist. Listed above are some reasons found that America should oppose the death penalty alongside of personal views on summarizing what the information means, this should be an eye opener for many. First, to speak

Read More
1145 Words | 5 Pages

Another issue that was discussed is the inequality of death penalty in practice. There have been serious issues with racial discrimination. For reference in cases with white victims and black defendants convictions occurred twenty two percent of the time while with black victims and white defendants with percentage dropped to a measly three

Read More
2057 Words | 9 Pages

Over the years the death penalty has been used way more than it should, especially with African Americans. Not only were they treated unfairly in court but they were often killed by mobs of white men for ridiculous crimes. In the past juries were not unbiased.

Read More
1136 Words | 5 Pages

The intention of my research is to expose the racist tactics in the criminal justice system that have been camouflaged. I am prepared to explain how racism contributes to the vast number of incarcerated African Americans, and other minorities. The criminal justice system has created and perpetuated racial hierarchy in the United States, and has done so throughout history. I propose the question: Are minorities being targeted within the Criminal Justice System? African Americans are criminalized and targeted because of their skin color, and it is not fair.

Read More
1671 Words | 7 Pages

ime and again studies have shown that racial bias in the death penalty is more often against people who kill White victims that African American or Hispanic victims. This means that the biases and prejudices affect our society’s belief and influence the determination of who is sentenced to death. However, considered statistical evidence that racial bias towards the death penalty is a significant factor, there are people that still believe that is not a racial bias. Pros believe that any person who commits harm should pay the equivalent price, it doesn’t matter the race.

Read More
754 Words | 4 Pages

In the essay “The Death Penalty Is a Step Back” the author, Coretta Scott King expresses her feelings about capital punishment and states reasons to back up her argument that the death penalty is both a racist and immoral practice. King believes that capital punishment is immoral and illegal, and that it by no means serves as a deterrent for other possible criminals. The author then further talks about how there have been numerous incidents where the mistakenly convicted is put down in the name of American justice. King then argues that by sentencing someone to death, one is assuming that the person convicted is not capable of rehabilitation. The

Read More
815 Words | 4 Pages

“The law may be color-blind as it is written, but not as it is enforced.” Racial bias in the death penalty can be traced back to Furman v. Georgia, where handing down the death penalty sentence, unfairly, constituted as a cruel and unusual punishment, violating the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. The reinstatement of the death penalty with its new sentencing guidelines, implemented by the Supreme Court, was to ensure that the death penalty sentence was used in a constitutional way. Despite these guidelines, somehow, racial bias has found a way to thrive. It has been documented that an individual is more likely to receive the death penalty in a case where the victim is White than in cases where the victim is Black.

Read More
1267 Words | 6 Pages

The Death Penalty, loss of life due to previous crimes and actions, is believed by some to be extremely costly, inhumane, and cruel unlike some others whom believe it is just, right, and provides closure. The Death Penalty is not a quick and easy process. Most who get sentenced to deaths row wait years for their ultimate punishment of death. Some believe that it is not right to punish and kill a human for actions they have done because, they believe that the inmate should have another chance. Then others believe that it is right to punish someone for their actions especially if their actions involve killing another or multiple humans.

Read More

More about Capital Punishment Essay: Race And The Death Penalty

Related Topics

Open Document