Death Penalty

Looking at the states in which believe in the death penalty, I noticed that many of of those states have large cities, and have a main population of Americans, Hispanics, and Blacks. I feel that states in which contain large cities should enforce the death penalty because the there is often more crime, and simply act as a consequent for a crime. In 1999, 98 executions occurred in the United States, and since the numbers of executions have dropped. I feel that in the near future the number of executions will continue to decrease because new laws may be imposed stating that the death penalty is against ones constitutional rights. I shocks me that the majority of defendants executed was Whites and yet Whites are typically the victims to a defendant on death row. I feel that a state may impose certain regulations such as the death penalty based on what they have previously experienced as a community, and nationally as well. Each state is different from the other, so each state should be able to impose regulations with in reason. These consequences must be reasonable and fair, based on the crimes the defendant caused. I feel that there should be more than one review to a death penalty case because evidence is not often false, wrongly accusing an innocent man. Multiple trials are needed to prove a defendant guilty, and I feel that some of the trials need to be held in higher courts than a state court; and for at least one of the cases the Supreme Court should examine the case to ensures that the defendant is guilty based on the information provided at the time. 

Death Penalty:Innocent Until Proven Guilty

The post-conviction review, is when the jury and other officials get together and review the case to make a final decision, in which they believe the defendant is either guilty or innocent. This a time where issues are brought up, which are not on record giving the court new information to work with hoping to reduce the sentence, and give other information that might influence the jury to think differently about the case. A individual is innocent until he or she is proven guilty, protecting an individual’s constitutional rights, until the court has made a decision. I do not believe that this system is sufficient to guarantee that only the guilty are convicted because the information at the time in which the court has, might not be completely true, therefore falsely accusing a defendant in court. There have been cases in which the defendant has been proven guilty, when actually they truly innocent. Years later when specific evidence is revealed the court may realize that an individual was actually innocent from the crime in which the court believed that individual committed. Firing Squad is a cruel and unusual punishment, in which the states should not be allowed to execute an individual because it inflicts pain, and is mentally disturbing for the defendant who is guilty, and the riflemen. Even though death penalty itself does not violate ones Eighths Amendment rights, some of the ways in which the court decides to kill a person is inhumane and in my opinion tortures. I feel that if a person is sentenced to the death penalty, they should have the option to decide which way they want to die. The states data tells me a lot about how the death penalty is used, because depending of the severity of the crime; one can be sentenced to death, or simply sentenced to life in prison. Looking at some of the data shocks me because depending on the state in which one lives, can determine how he or she will be prosecuted. It is interesting to see how different states and have different rules in which they obey by, which may lead to harsher sentences depending in which state one lives in. the data shows how depending on where an individual lives, different death sentences come into play, which each states decides is responsible or not. I personally am in favor of the death penalty, but am not in favor in some of the methods, in which some states use because some of the methods are cruel to an individual even if that person is a mass murder, because that person is still human. Taking a life is the most severe punishment one can face, so the court must be one hundred percent certain that the defendant is guilty before they sentence a man to the death penalty.

Clifford Boggess: Death Penalty

Clifford Boggess had an extremely had childhood, having been adopted, and then having his adoptive parents get divorced, and having to move in with his grandparents in a new town. Questioning whether Clifford should be sentenced the death penalty; I feel that the jury should look into Clifford’s past life, and get a better understanding what Clifford experienced. Clifford mother was a drug addict, and was also an alcoholic, while she was pregnant with Clifford. Clifford was most likely suffered from some kind of sickness because of his mothers drug habits , not allowing him to mature and grow up in a healthy environment. Clifford stated, that he decided to kill Frank Collier because he needed money  to fix his car, and didn’t want to have to take his own money out of the bank, in which he was saving to in role back into college. Clifford brutally killed Frank by slitting his throat, and then stomped on his face, throat, and lungs. Clifford planned the murder of Frank Collier, because before he went into the store he went to the park, and super glued his finger tips, so that there would be no trace of finger prints. Clifford should be sentenced to the death penalty because he killed a innocent man, simply to get money in order to fix his car instead of using his own money. Clifford told his girl friend that he liked the feeling of the warm blood while he was killing Frank, which is a clear sign that Clifford in mentally unstable and out of control. Clifford then killed another man, Mr. Hazelwood for money again by shooting him in the back with a 12 gage shotgun, and shot him again in the chest. Once the police arrested him they claimed that he acted as if he did not care, and acted as if he was proud to have killed these innocent people, like a John Dillinger. Clifford clearly cannot control himself, and if he is let loose in society, others may potentially be in harm’s way. Clifford should be sentenced the death penalty, because he killed two innocent people, and has a family background that shows plenty violence. Clifford Uncle was arrested and in jail for killing a police officer, and has other members of his family who are in jail for committing other violent crimes.