According to Jamail Center for Legal Research, “In Texas, the district courts have original jurisdiction for all criminal felony cases. If an individual is convicted of a capital felony, he or she may be subject to punishment by death, if the State sought such punishment. A capital felony is one in which an individual "intentionally or knowingly causes the death of an individual," under special circumstances.”
I absolutely respect our ancestor’s idea of “an eye for an eye;” however, I still can’t help but to question it. I don’t believe that killing a person as a result of a crime(s) he/she committed is just enough. In my opinion, it is an easy way out of the problem for not only the government, but also, the person that committed the crime. The felon only experiences a minor period of fear followed by a peaceful death. That just doesn’t sound fair to me. I understand that there are expenses to harboring a prisoner, which is what maintains the fight for the right to the death penalty so consistent; however, what some of us are forgetting is that we are fighting for justice, and freeing them from a lifetime of guilt and suffering in a small cell isn’t justice. Sentencing them to a lifetime in prison has far more penalizing repercussions. It is painful and lifeless.
In addition, we should be concentrating on repairing problems now, particularly mental, for the future of our society. Whether the criminal is charged with mental incompetence or not, anyone that rapes an individual, murders a stranger, is addicted to drugs, steals, etcetera is mentally sick. If we work on improving the stability of their psyche, making them mentally healthy, it will prevent problems from arising later, whether it is them, their children, or their grandchildren. A lot of mental disorders are genetic. It is our duty to create a healthier environment. This can only be accomplished through our citizens. Just like a disorder is passed on so is a person’s healthy perspective of life. We must instill more of this in society. If we just simply murder the person, we are not addressing the problem; it will resurface.
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As much as I respect your point of view and ideas, I have some different opinions on some things. First things first about the death penalty. I support this right one hundred percent, however, I do not support our method of lethal injection. Which is made to put you in a state of unconsciousness so you can’t register pain, afterwards you receive more injections to stop breathing and heartbeat. Using this humane method on criminals doesn’t seem fair when they probably weren’t so humane whenever they committed their crimes/murders. No I think they should suffer, and I don’t mean rotting in jail for their entire life. Nowadays prisons are like another home for most inmates, just with more walls. You still have prison gangs and smuggling going on inside. I don’t think life in there is as painful as it should be. Perhaps our prison guards should start expressing some serious brutality towards the prisoners who misbehave. In my eyes, serving justice means that the criminal should suffer just as much as the victim did if not more. If the criminal beats someone to a pulp, we should beat them. If they raped someone, rape them. If they killed someone, put them to death. Why do I think like this? Because I believe the potential criminals in Texas today aren’t afraid of the police, prison, and a painless death sentence. Therefore, they see little consequences if they have little or nothing to lose, or just don’t care.
ReplyDeleteAs for repairing the problems… We can try to improve their mental health. But I question how far this would take us. If we applied help to criminals currently in prison, it would help some possibly, but most I think would be a lost cause. Those who are mentally sick who aren’t in prison yet can’t really get help unless they seek it, and who likes to admit they have mental problems or that they want to (seriously) kill someone?
Executing an inmate might not be addressing the problem, but that doesn’t mean every inmate deserves the right to live. And as long as Right and Wrong exists in this world, wrong is never going to go away. Also everyone’s idea of justice isn’t going to be the same. It’s just something we’re going to have to live with whether we like it or not.
Last but not least, your article was well written and thought out, which made for a good read. Nice job.
A few of my classmates has recently put in a blog covering the death penalty. One of them is by Nayaram whose blog could be visited at Texas, O Texas. In the beginning she gives a quote from the Jamail Center for Legal Research. By paraphrasing, the quote states that Texas district courts would have original jurisdiction for all criminal felony cases. The State could decide to give an individual the punishment of death, if they are convicted of a capital felony. In order to reach a capital felony, one would have to “intentionally or knowingly causes the death of an individual,” under special circumstances.”
ReplyDeleteNayaram then gives reasons to abject this statement by sharing her opinions on the matter. She feels that the death penalty “is an easy way out of the problem for not only the government, but also, the person that committed the crime.” Nayaram also understands the reasons to have the death penalty. One example is the expenses to harbor a prisoner. She is absolutely right. According a PBS article, the average yearly cost per prisoner in the U.S. in 2001 was $22,650. Regardless of facts, she believes that freeing inmates “from a lifetime of guilt and suffering in a small cell isn’t justice. Sentencing them to a lifetime in prison has far more penalizing repercussions.” I could understand her reasoning and agree with the no death penalty, but I might look at it differently.
To fix the problem, Nayaram suggested concentrating on repairing the problems now. She says, “If we work on improving the stability of their [inmates] psyche, making them mentally healthy, it will prevent problems from arising later, whether it is them, their children, or their grandchildren.” There are jails where inmates could decide to come in for rehabilitation. This is a long term commitant that ask them to retell their crime among peers. In the end of the rehabilitation process, the inmate visits the victim’s family. I believe that there should not only be an rehabilitation for inmates, but we should also focus on rehabilitating the victim’s families. More specifically we need to learn how to heal through reconciliation, forgiveness.
There was an interesting article called “An Argument Against Allowing the Families of Murder Victims to View Executions,” by Michael Lawrence Goodwin. He says that families generally give one or two reasons to attend an execution. One is to have an opportunity for closure. Other family members may view their presence in the execution chamber as a final opportunity to represent their murdered family member in the criminal justice process. Does viewing the execution really heal or does it make it worst? No matter what I don’t believe one could simple have closure with a violate loss of a love one. However, there is a different between carrying the burden with you to allowing the burden to consume you. This article is a fairly easy read with real quotes from people that has live through it. The quote that jumped out at me was to the second general reason to view the execution. One mother said, “It’s the last thing we can do for the girls…It’s not going to be easy, but it may help us,” as she prepares to watch the execution of her daughter’s killer.
I can’t help, but to make a connection from this quote to another. They said that “Healing has to be bigger and better than reducing ourselves to participating in gruesome acts.” This was by Brooks Douglass who had a sense of satisfaction after meeting with George Ake, the other man convicted of killing his parents. I agree with his statement though. If you do something, do it all the way and don’t just stop for less. Like me writing this blog. Man… I am way over due with this. I already have what I need to get a good grade (I hope). Now I’m just slowly torturing the people who are foolish enough to continue to read this. Hahaha Well, all I’m saying is that forgiveness is a powerful thing. Not a lot of people can do it. I can only imagine how big a burden it would be if it where to fall on my shoulders. I'm still blessed to have all my grandparents along with the rest of REALLY BIG family. If we execution the inmate before we give them a chance to decide to go into rehabilitation, then that visit between the killer and the victim’s family will never happen. The memory of the love one is too great to end it with a bloody act.
I’ll end it with a powerful story… Step by Step A Jounrey of Hope: Marietta Jaeger
nayaram,
ReplyDeleteMurderers disagree with you on which punishment is worse.
What percentage of capital murderers seek a plea bargain to a death sentence? Zero or close to it. They prefer long term imprisonment.
What percentage of convicted capital murderers argue for execution in the penalty phase of their capital trial? Zero or close to it. They prefer long term imprisonment.
What percentage of death row inmates waive their appeals and speed up the execution process? Nearly zero. They prefer long term imprisonment.
This is not, even remotely, in dispute.
What of that more rational group, the potential murderers who choose not to murder, is it likely that they, like most of us, fear death more than life?
Life is preferred over death. Death is feared more than life.