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Racial Biases In Death Penalty Essay

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Racial and wealth biases in the death penalty Since the Mayflower first set foot on the shores of North America in 1620, white settlers have relied upon the death penalty for the punishment of those who have been convicted of the most heinous of crimes. The death penalty was supposed to be fair and equal, with Lady Justice seeing nothing but that justice. Rather than fairness, the death penalty has been unequal in function, with African Americans being sentenced at much higher rates and the poor getting unequal access to legal resources. The death penalty has been a failed experiment that, rather than necessary to improve society through deterrence, targeted the vulnerable. To understand minority discrimination with the death penalty, one needs to understand the role of minorities in the history of the United States of America. United States history is a lesson in racism, with application of the death penalty another example of the history of this racism. Taken to this nation as the property of white landowners, African Americans were sentenced to death for a long …show more content…

The Supreme court case of United States v Bass (1971) mandated that if a defendant claims that he was prosecuted improperly based on discrimination, they must prove intentional discrimination and that those intentions had an impact on the case. Essentially, the ruling outlined that recieving a prison sentence with discrimination was legally permissible, so long as it wasn’t an intentional act of discrimination that affected the case (Schaeffer 376). This ruling still stands and is one of the main case precedents used when lower courts consider appeals based on discrimination or bias of the prosecution. Unless a defendant can prove the prosecutor intentionally discriminated and that intention negatively impacted the case, the odds of getting a judgement vacated or a new trial is

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This article critically examines the racial disparities in sentencing during the late 20th century and highlights how biased judgments influenced judges' decision making processes. "Just Mercy" aligns with these findings by emphasizing how racial bias affects sentencing outcomes. The author Bryan Stevenson explores implicit bias and cultural stereotypes illustrating their impact on judges' perceptions and judgments of African American defendants. Through concrete examples. "Just Mercy" vividly exposes instances of racial bias within the criminal justice system and reveals the unjust consequences faced by people of color.

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This article analyzes the systemic abuse of executed Black ladies from the most punctual periods of American history. The most reliable consider Black female executions all through U.S. history is criminal equity specialists ' executions of Black ladies to a great extent for testing gendered what 's more, bigot abuse. This article also promotes our comprehension of the crossing point between gendered prejudice and the death penalty in the U.S. criminal equity framework by inspecting the relevant eccentricities offering ascend to Black female executions since the most punctual times of American history. From the times of servitude in which dark individuals were viewed as property, during that time of lynching’s and Jim Crow laws, the death penalty has dependably been profoundly influenced by race.

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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.

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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.

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Can a system designed to deliver justice be its own worst enemy? Nearly 87% of Black adults and 61% of white adults believe the U.S. criminal justice system is biased against Black people. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, the courtroom becomes a battlefield where racial prejudices overshadow the search for truth, while Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy exposes the systemic failures that condemn innocent men and women to death-row. Through the harrowing stories of Tom Robinson and Walter McMillan, these works truly reveal how the legal system can be the beacon of hope and a source of profound injustice.

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In ninety-six percent of states where they have reviewed cases of race and the death penalty there had been a pattern of race-of-victim or race-of-defendant discrimination, or even both (DPIC). The race of a defendant or a victim should not influence people in whether or not someone should die. Even if they have done terrible things, a life is still a

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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).

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