Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Abstract
In the following paper the reader will encounter the answer for four questions about death penalty. By
providing the history of the topic may help with understanding the pros and cons concerning this form
of punishment. The following paper will inform statistics about the subject and let us deepen more in
the pros and cons by citing important personalities and trustable websites.
Death Penalty is not only an issue in the United States is in the entire world but in the following paper
therell be special attention to this country.
Capital Punishment has its origin in the arrival of British settlers to America. In England since the 10th
century A.D the consequences of a great amount of crimes ended in hanging, that is why when British
arrived to the new world they brought the death penalty as a punishment method.
The first execution registered in the United States was Capitan George Kendall, in Jamestown colony on
1608. The captain was executed for being a spy and years later Jane Champion was the first executed
woman in 1632, even though not many years passed in between the two first executions, the rate of
women killed because of death penalty is much lower than of mens. The number of women executions
represents only 3% of the total executions in the United States. (Death Penalty Information Center,
2004)
With the arrival of Cesare Beccaria's 1767 essay, On Crimes and Punishment the abolitionist movement
started and this result in a number of states, starting with Pennsylvania, deciding to stop executing
inmates in public and instead carry the executions in correctional facilities (Death Penalty Curriculum,
2001). After this publication the belief of death penalty as a deterrent for criminality began to cease.
During the following years the abolitionist movement gained followers, and in 1846 Michigan became
the first state to abolish Death Penalty. To this day from the 50 states that compose the United States,
32 maintain the death penalty and in 18 it is no longer applicable. Among the states that enforce it are
Alabama, California, Florida and Texas. Since 1973 more than a hundred penalties have been revoked
(Death Penalty Information Center, 2014).\
As the number of followers of the abolitionist movement grows, so does the number of persons in favor
of death penalty, and the number of executions around the country keeps on growing. In July 2014
there were a total of 3070 inmates sentenced to death, in California there were 743, Florida 404 and
Texas 277. Texas has been on the first position on executed since 1976 with 515 and the ones in death
row. (Death Penalty Information Center, 2014)
A survey in 2010 showed that 61% of American voters would choose a different punishment than death
penalty in a case of murder. But within these groups against death penalty there are also the groups in
favor of death penalty. In Fig. 1 a survey was realized showing the difference of opinions among young
citizens.
Fig. 1
To analyze this topic in a more formal way is appropriate to answer the following questions
1.
2. How do death penalty compare between those of different races/ethnicities, genders, and
economic status?
3.
How does the United States handle foreign-born nationals convicted of capital crimes?
4.
According to Xiaohua Zhu in his publication in Economic and Political weekly the death penalty serves at
least two useful purposes. The first is to punish those who have committed atrocious crimes like murder
or genocide, against other individuals or a society. And the second purpose the death penalty serves is
as a deterrent against would-be perpetrators of heinous crimes. As explained by Zhu the Death penalty
increases the possibility of making the potential felons think twice and give up before they commit such
acts. (Xiaohua Zhu, 1998) With these words he displays Death Penalty as a protection for the society.
On the other side opponents of capital punishment argue that the execution of criminals is no less
barbaric than the murders they are convicted of, it will not restore the life of the victims anyway.
Another argument is that capital punishment is the irreparable consequence of an error in the process
of justice. The thought of executing an innocent person by mistake may override any consideration in
favor of such a punishment in many peoples mind (Xiaohua Zhu, 1998)
How does death penalty compare between those of different races/ethnicities, genders, and economic
status?
According to Capital Punishment: Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection statistical studies showed that
African Americans in Georgia were 4.3 times more likely to receive death sentences when they killed
whites than when they killed other African Americans (Capital Punishment: Opposing Viewpoints
Online Collection, 2014). This was the case of McCleskey v. Kemp in 1987.
In 1990 the Government Accountability office conducted a study of capital sentencing procedures, and
they concluded that 82% of the studies found that the victim's race influenced the likelihood of the
defendant being charged with capital murder or receiving the death penalty. They also concluded that
the synthesis of the studies showed a pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in capital
sentencing (National Coalition to Abolish Death Penalty, 2014).
A study in California found that those who killed whites where over 3 times more likely to be sentenced
to death than those who killed blacks and over 4 times more likely than those who killed Latinos. (Pierce
& Radelet, Santa Clara Law Review, 2005).
A black person who kills a white person is 13 times more likely to be executed than a white person who
kills a black person.
How does the United States handle foreign-born nationals convicted of capital crimes?
According to the Death Penalty Information Center: local authorities must inform all detained foreigners
"without delay" of their right to have their consulate notified of their detention and to communicate
with their consular representatives. At the request of the national, the authorities must then notify the
consulate of the detention without delay; they must also facilitate consular communication and grant
consular access to the detainee. Consuls are empowered to arrange for their nationals' legal
representation and to provide a wide range of humanitarian and other assistance, with the consent of
the detainee. (Death Penalty Information Center, 2014)
The case of Edgar Tamayo is a clear example of how the system actually works:
He was Mexican citizen executed in Texas for killing a Houston police officer and despite pleads and
diplomatic pressure from Mexicos government to halt the punishment, the execution happened.
Tamayos case drew criticism from the Mexican government and pressure from the U.S. State
Department after attorneys argued that he wasnt immediately advised he could seek help from the
Mexican consulate when he was arrested in 1994 (Graczyk, 2013)
According to Amnesty International: the number of executions in 2013 on the countries where death
penalty is performed there has been a 15% increase compared to the past year meaning 778 executions
were recorded. (Amnesty International, 2013)
Also there was an increase in death sentences even though one of the 58 countries abolished the
penalty: In 2013 there were 1,925 sentences compared to 1,722 in 2012. (Amnesty International, 2013)
States without Death Penalty have not had higher homicide rates than states with the death penalty,
states without capital punishment have homicide rates below the national average. (The New York
Times, 2000) This contradicts the main argument of people in favor of death penalty.
Conclusion
In conclusion this literature review has analyzed important information and has answered four popular
questions about the subject. Through this paper the reader was also able to understand more the line of
thought of persons pro death penalty and against it.
The citations are based on sources with credibility may it be an expert or a governmental institutions;
this is why those citations will be useful in a future paper.
The previous citations give us a more profound knowledge about the issue and by reading them we will
be able to form a better opinion.
REFERENCES
The Death Penalty in 2013. (2014). Amnesty International [Youtube]. Retrieved from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtBNSyZIRH8
Xiaohua Zhu (1998). Death Penalty another view. Economic and Political Weekly. Vol. 33 No. 19.
Retrieved from: http://0www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/10.2307/4406746?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&&searchUri=%2
Faction%2FdoAdvancedSearch%3Facc%3Don%26amp%3Bq6%3D%26amp%3Bc6%3DAND%26amp%3Bq
2%3D%26amp%3Bq1%3D%26amp%3Bf5%3Dall%26amp%3Bq5%3D%26amp%3Bf3%3Dall%26amp%3Bf
2%3Dall%26amp%3Bc1%3DAND%26amp%3Bc4%3DAND%26amp%3Bpt%3D%26amp%3Bc2%3DAND%2
6amp%3Bisbn%3D%26amp%3Bq0%3Ddeath%2Bpenalty%26amp%3Bc3%3DAND%26amp%3Bf4%3Dall%
26amp%3Bsd%3D%26amp%3Bar%3Don%26amp%3Bf0%3Dall%26amp%3Bed%3D%26amp%3Bla%3D%2
6amp%3Bq3%3D%26amp%3Bc5%3DAND%26amp%3Bf1%3Dall%26amp%3Bf6%3Dall%26amp%3BSearc
h%3D%26amp%3Bq4%3D%26amp%3Bwc%3Don
Death Penalty Information Center (October 2, 2014) . Facts about Death Penalty. Retrieved from:
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/FactSheet.pdf
"Capital Punishment." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2014.Opposing Viewpoints
in Context. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.
National Coalition to abolish death penalty. Race of the Victim. Retrieved from:
http://www.ncadp.org/pages/race-of-the-victim
Graczyk, M. Texas death row inmate Edgar Tamayo of Mexico executed after appeals denied.
Statestaman.com Retrieved from: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/texas-death-rowinmate-edgar-tamayo-of-mexico-exec/ncyWG/
Death Penalty Information Center (2014). Foreign Nationals and the Death Penalty in the US [Data File]
Retrieved from: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/foreign-nationals-and-death-penalty-us
Death Penalty Information Center (2014). Death Row Inmates by State and Size of Death Row by Year.
[Data File] Retrieved from: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-row-inmates-state-and-size-deathrow-year
Death Penalty Information Center (2014). States With and Without the Death Penalty. [Data File]
Retrieved from: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/states-and-without-death-penalty Death Penalty
Information Center (2014). Women and the death penalty. [Data File] Retrieved from:
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/women-and-death-penalty
Death Penalty Curricula for High School. (2001). Michigan State University Comm Tech Lab and Death
Penalty Information Center. Retrieved from: http://deathpenaltycurriculum.org
Bonner, Raymond. ABSENCE OF EXECUTIONS: A special report; States With No Death Penalty Share
Lower Homicide Rates The New York Times. Sept 22, 2000: Print