The Bottom Line: Innocence
A debatable issue in today's society is the death penalty. Should our nation obtain or refrain from this "cruel and unusual" punishment? It all comes down to people's social construction. People are socially constructed in their beliefs as to which side they stand on this issue. The people who are for the ultimate punishment of death for a heinous crime are socially constructed to believe that justice has taken place. For those people who are against the death penalty are socially constructed to believe that justice is not served by taking another human life even though a crime such as murder, aggravated assault, and kidnapping has been committed. Capital punishment is a tough issue to side with because of the fact that innocent lives are being taken according to recent research. The death penalty has been around since the beginning of time. However, the first available statistics in death penalty cases was in 1930 by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. During the period 1930 to 1967 there were 3,859 people executed under civil jurisdiction in the United States. At the end of the 1960's, all but ten states had laws approving capital punishment. This resulted in moratori
Many of the reversed convictions in Illinois were supported by DNA testing and other evidence. If you look at how many states support the death penalty as a form of punishment one would see that most of our society supports capital punishment. I strongly support the death penalty; however, I do not feel that innocent people should take the fall for an atrocious crime. In the article written by Barbara McCuen the Governor of Illinois, George Ryan, put a hold on executions in the state after thirteen inmates on death row had their convictions overturned. People who are socially constructed to support the death penalty believe justice has been served. People who are proven to be guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, including DNA test that prove guilt, deserve to be put to death. There are currently 38 states with the death penalty leaving only 12 that do not. It contains ones beliefs and values on which they were constructed to believe in society. The cause of Cooke's distress came from the probability of convicting an innocent person. Our criminal justice system needs to take the time and review each capital punishment case to make sure the people are guilty of the crime committed. After thirty years of helping Texas shape capital punishment laws, "Senior State District Judge C. Cooke made the comment during a statewide legal colloquium in Corpus Christi. " Although Furman nullified the death penalty for several hundred criminals on death row at the time, it also gave the states a chance to bring their capital punishment laws up to constitutional principles. " The jurors now claim they wouldn't have found him guilty.
Common topics in this essay:
Barbara McCuen,
Eighth Amendment,
Line Innocence,
George Ryan,
Patrick Leahy,
Rick Perry,
Bible Graham,
Corpus Christi,
Gregg Georgia,
death penalty,
Gary Graham,
capital punishment,
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dna testing,
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people death,
capital punishment laws,
biological evidence,
innocent people,
believe justice,
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support death penalty,
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cruel unusual punishment,
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Acceptance Essays
