Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the killing of a person by judicial process as a punishment for a capital offense which includes such crimes as murder and rape. Hammurabi, the sixth king of Babylon, created one of several sets of laws in the ancient near east. With the “eye for an eye” clause, the codes served as the standards in which a person would be punished for committing a crime. These laws were the first of their kind that lead to the standards for capital punishment that we now have today. Although there are some countries that have abolished the death penalty from their law, there are still many which still practice the act of killing a person for crime. Capital punishment is common in the US, Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Some of the ways of executing criminals are hanging, shooting, electrocution and lethal injections. People have different opinions on the issue of capital punishment given to a convict. While some think that the death penalty is necessary for those who have committed a terrible crime, there are others who consider it as an immoral act that goes against the values of humanity. Capital punishment is still drawing intense local and international attention due to the judicial system’s inability to successfully reprimand the appropriate offender.
“Capital punishment kills immediately, whereas lifetime imprisonment does so slowly. ”
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Is capital punishment ethically acceptable?
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Is capital punishment beneficial or detrimental to society?
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Is capital punishment a moral or an immoral act in a cultured society?
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Has DNA testing led to significant improvements in the criminal justice system?
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Is the death penalty constitutional or a violation of the Eighth Amendment? *
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Does clemency serve as a safeguard in capital punishment cases?
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Does a person’s race affect the likelihood of him/her receiving the death penalty?
One may receive capital punishment if he or she commits a premeditated murder in cold blood, however the standards for these actions are still indistinct. This raises the question if capital punishment is immoral or not in the idea that it is ethically acceptable based on what are government, religion, and society’s standards are when involving another human beings life.
* The Eighth Amendment is the part of the United States Bill of Rights which prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines or cruel and unusual punishments.
Research In order to better understand the entire controversy of capital punishment/death penalty, we have broken up the research into sub sections to organize our research. The research categories are as followed:
• Pros and Cons - We first look at the positives and negatives of capital
punishment from both sides of the controversy.
• Timeline - The history of the death penalty from the beginning of time.
• State Standards - How the death penalty is implemented according to each
• Country Standards - How the death penalty is implemented according to
wrongfully accused innocent through DNA testing.
• Illinois Moratorium - The governor of Illinois, George Ryan, puts an end to
death penalty.
• Innocence Project - A non-profit organization with the goal of proving the
each country around the world.
• Racial Inequality - How race affects the outcome of cases involving the
individual state in the United States.
the death penalty in the state of Illinois.
• Case Studies - Different case studies showing different outcomes and
different circumstances where the death penalty was
implemented.
• Films - How the film industry portrays the death penalty in block buster films.
“ The most glaring weakness is that no matter how efficient and fair the DP may seem in theory, in actual practice it is primarily inflicted upon the weak, the poor, the ignorant and minorities. ” – Pat Brown, former CA governor
Pros and Cons Pros Word List Justice
Some think capital punishment acts as a deterrent, lowering crime in certain areas.
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Criminals who receive the death penalty are typically violent individuals. There is always
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the chance of escape, or even an appeal, giving these dangerous individuals the chance to do more harm. So, logic suggests capital punishment is the best way to ensure
Consequence
the safety of the public.
Righteous
The accuracy of modern forensics and DNA testing makes it very unlikely for an innocent
Law
free is equal to the number of innocent people that may be killed.
Punish
While people argue that capital punishment is simply an act of revenge, some view it as
Punishment
they killed did not get a second chance at life, so the offender shouldn’t either.
Revenge
It helps the people keep their faith in the law enforcement agencies and the judicial
Retribution Offense Defense Verdict
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person to be put on death row. It’s also argued that the number of criminals that are set
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‘retribution’. It gives the offender the punishment they deserve. The innocent person that
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system. While at first glance the cost of executing a prisoner may seem more than life in prison,
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in the long run the costs of keeping that person in captivity can amount to 3 to 10 times more than an execution. This includes the costs of trials and appeals. The death penalty is an effective method of ensuring justice is not overturned, in societies
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where the rule of law is fragile and the government’s hold on power is insecure.
Escape Rage Victim Power
Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment
Cons •
Biased jury members that occupy capital punishment trials can result in very one-sided rulings.
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It violates the Eight Amendment, which restricts the severity of punishments that state and federal governments may impose upon persons who have been convicted of a criminal
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Crime
Some argue that the costs of putting a criminal in prison for life is far less for taxpayers
Cruel
According to criminologists, the death penalty is not a deterrent. In fact, states with the
Torture
Executing a person can be both quick and painless, or slow and painful. The method, of
Innocent
Two wrongs do not make a right. Killing the criminals makes us no better than the
Murder
criminals themselves.
Death
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The death penalty violates the “cruel and unusual” clause of the Bill of Rights.
Uncertain
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It could be considered immoral and barbaric to allow people to be killed by the state,
Equality
no matter how violent the crimes they have committed. •
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The appeals and additional procedures required to deal with criminals that have been
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Freedom
A life of suffering and little freedom in prison could be considered to be a better
Immoral
A persistent issue of incapable lawyers, as well as other failings in the conviction system, can lead the possibility that innocent people are put to death.
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Race
condemned to death fill up the US legal system, which could be put to better use.
punishment and deterrent to criminals than death row.
Death Penalty
Unconstitutional
death penalty prove to have higher homicide rates.
capital punishment is also subjective to society’s norms. •
Unjust
offense.
than having them executed. •
Word List
Rights Unnecessary
Financial power will always have its say in the court system. The rich can usually afford the best lawyers and can sometimes hold sway over proceedings with their financial status to avoid death row. The poor are not as fortunate, and some view this as an unfair determining factor of who gets the death penalty and who does not.
Death Penalty
Timeline
1700s BC
June 25, 1790
1852
Aug. 14, 1936
July 2, 1976
June 29, 1988
Jan. 25, 1996
Jan. 31, 2000
Code of Hammurabi codifies
First person executed under US
Rhode Island becomes
Last public execution
US Supreme Court reaffirms
US Supreme Court rules
Last execution by hanging
Illinois governor George Ryan
the death penalty for the first
federal death penalty
the first state to outlaw the
constitutionality of death
executions of individuals under
declares a moratorium on
death penalty for all crimes
penalty
age of 16 unconstitutional
executions
time
Mar. 1, 2005
June 18, 2010
Death sentence for offenders
Last execution by firing squad
under the age of 18 is ruled unconstitutional
(including treason)
1846
June 29, 1972
Jan. 25, 1993
Dec. 21, 2000
Jan. 21, 2011
Michigan becomes the first
US Supreme Court rules death
US Supreme Court rules that
Texas and Governor George
Sole firm stops making key
US state to abolish capital
penalty unconstitutional as
new evidence of innocence
W. Bush lead the US with
death penalty drug
punishment (except for treason)
administered and overturns
does not entitle prisoners to be
most executions (150 men
over 600 death sentences
freed unless it also shows a
and 2 women)
constitutional violation
April 30, 1790
Feb. 8, 1924
First US Congress establishes
First US execution by gas
federal death penalty
chamber carried out in Nevada
Dec. 2, 1982
Mar. 3, 1999
Mar. 18, 2009
Texas performs first lethal
Last execution by gas chamber
New Mexico repeals the
injection
death penalty
Illinois Moratorium In January of 2003, Governor George Ryan of Illinois imposed a moratorium of the imposition of the death penalty in Illinois. The former Governor’s decision has sparked a heated and emotional debate on the legalization of jailhouse executions, which is present in today’s debate over capital punishment. In evaluating cases of execution pending from 1977, the governor determined that 13 death row inmates had been cleared of murder charges in comparison to the 12 inmates who had been put to death. The 13 inmates were removed from death row after DNA evidence cleared them of their charges. Ironically, the Republican governor campaigned in support of the death penalty. However, Governor Ryan has reduced all death sentences to life imprisonments or less in January of 2003. The former governor stated: “Because our three year study has found only more questions about the fairness of the sentencing; because of the spectacular failure to reform the system; because we have seen justice delayed for countless death row inmates with potentially meritorious claims; because the Illinois death penalty system is arbitrary and capricious - and therefore immoral - I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death... Because of all of these reasons today I am commuting the sentences of all death row inmates. This is a blanket commutation.” Former Governor Ryan doesn’t believe the capital punishment system is just, due to the cases of several wrongly accused individuals facing the death penalty. He contested the legalized lynching that this country continues to practice by granting moderation to over 150 prisoners on Death Row and four Death Row members who were later found innocent of the crimes for which they have been sentenced to death. Now, in the aftermath of Ryan¹s historical decision, this idea of “justification in capital punishment” is still drawing intense local and international attention.
“ I now favor a moratorium, because I have grave concerns about our state’s shameful record of convicting innocent people and putting them on death row. ” – Governor Ryan
Alabama
State Standards
Arizona Arkansas California
Alabama - Intentional murder with 18 aggravating factors.
Colorado
Oklahoma - First-degree murder in conjunction with a finding of at least 1 of 8 statutorilydefined aggravating circumstances; sex crimes against a child under 14 years of age.
Hanging
Arizona - First-degree murder accompanied by at least 1 of 14 aggravating factors. Oregon - Aggravated murder.
Delaware
Arkansas - Capital murder with a finding of at least 1 of 10 aggravating circumstances; treason.
Pennsylvania - First-degree murder with 18 aggravating circumstances.
California - First-degree murder with special circumstances; sabotage; train wrecking caus-
South Carolina - Murder with 1 of 12 aggravating circumstances
Firing Squad
South Dakota - First-degree murder with 1 of 10 aggravating circumstances.
Colorado - First-degree murder with at least 1 of 17 aggravating factors; first-degree kid-
Revision: Revised the code ~of criminal procedure. Changes included establishing proce-
napping resulting in death; treason.
dures to be used by circuit judges in determining whether to stop an execution because the inmate is mentally incompetent and clarifying that persons carrying out executions are
Florida Georgia
ing death; treason; perjury causing execution of an innocent person; fatal assault by a prisoner serving a life sentence.
Connecticut
Gas Chamber
Lethal Injection
Idaho Illinois
Connecticut - Capital felony with 8 forms of aggravated homicide.
immune from civil and/or criminal liability, effective 7/1/2008.
Indiana
Delaware - First-degree murder with at least 1 statutory aggravating circumstance.
Tennessee - First-degree murder with 1 of 15 aggravating circumstances.
Kansas
Florida - First-degree murder; felony murder; capital drug trafficking; capital sexual battery.
Texas - Criminal homicide with 1 of 9 aggravating circumstances.
Georgia - Murder; kidnapping with bodily injury or ransom when the victim dies; aircraft
Utah - Aggravated murder.
Louisiana
Revision: Amended the criminal code to allow aggravating circumstances to be treated
Maryland
hijacking; treason.
Electrocution
Kentucky
Idaho - First-degree murder with aggravating factors; first-degree kidnapping; perjury result-
as separate acts from the capital offense which can be prosecuted as a separate offense,
ing in death.
effective 2/26/08.
Mississippi
Illinois - First-degree murder with 1 of 21 aggravating circumstances.
Virginia - First-degree murder with 1 of 15 aggravating circumstances.
Missouri
Indiana - Murder with 16 aggravating circumstances.
Washington - Aggravated first-degree murder.
Montana
Kansas - Capital murder with 8 aggravating circumstances.
Wyoming - First-degree murder; murder during the commission of sexual assault, sexual
Nebraska
abuse of a minor, arson, robbery, escape, resisting arrest, kidnapping, or abuse of a Kentucky - Murder with aggravating factors; kidnapping with aggravating factors.
minor under 16.
Nevada
Louisiana - First-degree murder; treason.
New Hampshire
Maryland - First-degree murder, either premeditated or during the commission of a felony,
New Mexico
provided that certain death eligibility requirements are satisfied. Mississippi - Capital murder; aircraft piracy. Missouri - First-degree murder. Montana - Capital murder with 1 of 9 aggravating circumstances; aggravated sexual
New York North Carolina Ohio
intercourse without consent.
Oklahoma
Nebraska - First-degree murder with a finding of at least 1 statutorily-defined aggravating
Oregon
circumstance. Nevada - First-degree murder with at least 1 of 15 aggravating circumstances. New Hampshire - Murder committed in the course of rape, kidnapping, or drug crimes; killing of a law enforcement officer; murder for hire; murder by an inmate while serving a sentence of life without parole. New Mexico - First-degree murder with at least 1 of 7 statutorily-defined aggravating
Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee
circumstances.
Texas
New York - First-degree murder with 1 of 13 aggravating factors.
Utah
North Carolina - First-degree murder.
Virginia
Ohio - Aggravated murder with at least 1 of 10 aggravating circumstances .
Washington Wyoming
State Standards
NH 0
WA 5 OR 2
CA 13
MT 3 ID 1
NV 12
ND
WY 1 UT 7
AZ 23
MN
SD 1
WI
CO 1
PA 3
IA
KS
OK 92
NM 1
NY MI
NE 3
TX 463 HI
VT
IL 12 MO 67 AR 27
OH 40
IN 20
WV
KY 3
VA 107 NC 43
TN 6 MS 13
LA 28
AL 48
GA 47
SC 42
FL 69
AK Number of Executions in the US from 1976 - 2010 Retentionist State
Abolitionist State
Abolitionist-in-Practice State
ME MA RI CT 1 NJ DE 14 MD 5 DC
Country Standards Africa
North America
Asia
Algeria- Treason; espionage; attempts to change the regime or actions aimed at
Antigua and Barbuda- Murder.
Afghanistan- Murder.
Pakistan- Murder; sodomy; gang rape; mutiny.
Bahamas- Treason; Piracy; Murder.
Bahrain- Premeditated murder; plotting to topple the regime; collaborating with a foreign
Palestine- Murder, rape, collaborating with Israeli forces.
incitement; destruction of territory; sabotage to public and economic utilities; massacres and slaughters; participation in armed bands or in insurrection- ary movements; counterfeiting; Terrorism; acts of torture or cruelty; kidnapping; aggravated theft.
hostile country; threatening the life of the Emir; defiance of military orders in time of war Barbados- Murder;Treason.
or martial law.
Qatar- Espionage; Threat to national security; Apostasy.
Belize- Murder.
Bangladesh- Murder; drug offences; Trafficking in children for immoral or illegal
Saudi Arabia- Murder; apostasy; drug offenses; witchcraft; sexual misconduct.
Benin- Armed robbery; Murder; traffickers involved in “labor exploitation�. Botswana- Murder; treason; attempt on the life of the head of state; mutiny; desertion in the face of the enemy. Burkina Faso- Treason. Central African Republic- Treason; espionage; charlatanism; witchcraft; assassination;
purposes; trafficking in women for purposes of prostitution. Singapore- Murder; kidnapping; treason; certain firearm offenses; trafficking in more
Jamaica- Murder. Brunei- Murder; unlawful possession of firearms and explosives; possession of heroin or
than 15 grams of heroin or morphine, 30 grams of cocaine or 500 grams of cannabis.
morphine of more than 15 grams, cocaine of more than 30 grams, cannabis of more
Thailand- Regicide; sedition or rebellion; offences committed against the external security
than 500 grams, syabu or methamphetamine of more than 50 grams, or opium of more
of Thailand; murder or at- tempted murder of a foreign head of state; bribery; arson;
Saint Lucia- Murder; Treason.
than 1.2 kg.
rape; murder with intent; kidnapping; robbery.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines- Murder; Treason.
China- Embezzlement; rape of children; fraud; bombing; people trafficking; piracy; theft;
United Arab Emirates- Murder; Drug offences; Rape; treason; aggravated robbery;
corruption; arson; murder; poaching; endangerment of national security; terrorism.
terrorism.
India- Murder; instigating a child’s suicide; treason; acts of terrorism; a second conviction
Vietnam- Treason; taking action to overthrow the government; espionage; rebellion;
for drug trafficking.
banditry; terrorism; sabotage; hijacking; destruction of national security projects;
Saint Kitts and Nevis- Murder.
murder. Chad- Murder. Trinidad and Tobago- Murder; Treason. Egypt- Rape, if accompanied by kidnapping of the victim; murder; treason; organized drug trafficking.
United States-Murder; conspiracy to commit murder; rape; armed robbery.
undermining peace; war crimes; crimes against humanity; manufacturing, concealing Ethiopia- Murder, Treason, armed conspiracy, genocide, outrages against the constitution. Gambia- Treason. Ghana- Murder; treason; armed robbery. Guinea- Murder.
South America Guyana- Terrorist acts; Murder; mass murder; rape; willful murder; treason; torture. Peru- Treason,Terrorism,Espionage,Genocide,Mutiny,Desertion in times of war.
Indonesia- Murder; Drug trafficking; Terrorism.
and trafficking in narcotic substances; murder; rape; robbery; embezzlement; fraud.
Iran- Murder; armed robbery; drug trafficking; kidnapping; rape; paedophilia;
Yemen- Murder; Adultery; homosexuality; Apostasy.
homosexuality; espionage; terrorism; apostasy; prostitution. Iraq- Murder; endangering national security; distributing drugs; rape; attacks on transport convoys; financing and execution of terrorism. Israel- Crimes against humanity[58], high treason, genocide, crimes against the Jewish
Kenya- Murder, armed robbery; treason.
people, terrorism.
Liberia- Armed robbery, terrorism, hijacking.
Europe
Japan- Multiple murders, or single murder with aggravating circumstances.
Libya- High treason; attempt to forcibly change the form of government; premeditated
Belarus- Acts of aggression; murder of a representative of a foreign state or international
Jordan- Murder.
murder.
organization with the intention to provoke international tension or war; international terrorism; genocide; crimes against the security of humanity; murder with aggravating
Mauritania- Sodomy; apostasy.
Kazakhstan- Terrorism, crimes in wartime.
circumstances. North Korea- Prostitution; drug transactions.
Morocco- Terrorism.
Latvia- Murder with aggravating circumstances if committed during wartime. South Korea- Murder.
Nigeria-Sodomy; kidnapping.
Transnistria- Murder; attempt to murder a state or public official; armed rebellion; attempt to murder a magistrate or investigator; attempt to murder a law enforcement agent;
Sierra Leone- Treason; Murder; aggravated robbery.
Kuwait- Drug trafficking; rape; murder.
genocide. Laos- Drugs trafficking.
Somalia- Murder and Adultery.
Northern Cyprus- Treason during wartime, acts of terrorism and piracy. Lebanon- Murder.
Sudan- Sodomy; Waging war against the state; apostasy; prostitution; treason; acts that may endanger the indepen- dence or unity of the state; murder; armed robbery;
Malaysia- Kidnapping; consorting with a person carrying or having possession of arms
weapons possession and smuggling.
or explosives; waging or at- tempting to wage war or abetting the waging of war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Swaziland- Murder; treason. Maldives- Murder. Tanzania- Murder; treason. Mongolia- Terrorist acts committed for political purposes; terrorist acts against Tunisia- Murder; violence and aggression; attacks against the internal security of the
representatives of a foreign State for political purposes; sabotage; premeditated murder
state; attacks against the external security of the state.
committed with aggravating circumstances; rape with aggravating circumstances; armed robbery.
Zambia- Murder; aggravated robbery; high treason. Myanmar- High treason. Zimbabwe- Drug trafficking; treason; murder; mutiny. Oman- Murder; Drug trafficking.
Country Standards
Retentionist Country
Abolitionist Country
Racial Inequality Despite efforts and attempts at control, racial bias continues to exist in capitalism. Out of 3,300 people on death row, nation wide, are people of color. Forty-two percent of those 3,300 people are African American, and ten to fifteen percent of them are estimated to be mentally incompetent. Over twenty thousand people have been legally executed since the beginning of the colonial era, but a mere four hundred of them have been women, including twenty-seven women who were found guilty of witchcraft. 5,569 death sentences have been given in the twenty-three years since capital punishment has been reinstated. Only one hundred and twelve of those sentences were given to women, and of these only one has been executed. Even though women make up thirteen percent of murder arrests in the United States, they account for only two percent of the death sentences, making up only a small portion of all persons currently on death row. Poverty also plays a key role, because those with a higher financial status can afford a better defense, and may avoid the death penalty, whereas the less fortunate cannot. The fact that most areas where poverty is an issue, are areas where minorities reside, specifically African Americans. While white victims account for about one half of all murder victims, a huge eighty percent of those cases involve white victims. As of October 2009, twenty people have been executed where the defendant was white and the murder victim was black. Even so, 184 African American defendants have been executed where the cases involved
20 184
20 people have been executed where the defendant was white and the murder victim black.
184 black defendants executed for murders with white victims.
white victims. The court made a landmark ruling stating that the constitution does not allow the execution of mentally retarded killers, even though thirty-eight states still support the death penalty. While a large number of Americans are for the death penalty, state statistics show that most of those supporters would make an exception for the mentally disabled, even in the fiercely pro-death penalty state of Texas.
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27 of the 3,300 people that have been lawfully executed in America have been women.
Innocence Project The Innocence Project is a non-profit legal organization that is dedicated to proving the innocence of wrongly convicted people through the use of DNA testing, and to the reform of criminal justice systems to prevent future injustice. Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld founded the Innocence Project in 1992 at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York City. Some of the Innocence Project’s successes have resulted in rescuing innocent people from death row. The successes of the project have fueled American opposition to the death penalty and have likely been a factor in the decision by some American states to institute moratoria on judicial executions.
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To date, the Innocence Project has exonerated 266 people in the United States, 17 of those people being on death row. The true suspects and/or perpetrators have been
African Americans have been exonerated.
identified in 117 cases of the 266. The average length of time served by exonerees is 13 years, with the total number of years served is approximately 3,471. The average age of exonerees at the time they were found innocent was 27. In more than 25% of cases in a National Institute of Justice study, suspects were excluded
80
once DNA testing was conducted during the criminal investigation (the study, conducted in 1995, included 10,060 cases where testing was performed by FBI labs). 22%
Caucasians have been exonerated.
of cases closed by the Innocence Project since 2004 were closed because of lost or missing evidence. About half of the people exonerated through DNA testing have been financially compensated. 27 states, the federal government, and the District of Columbia have passed laws to compensate people who were wrongfully incarcerated. Awards under
21
these statutes vary from state to state.
Latinos have been exonerated.
DNA exoneration cases have provided undeniable proof that wrongful convictions are not isolated or rare events, but begin from systemic flaws that can be specifically identified and addressed. For more than 15 years, the Innocence Project has worked to pinpoint these trends. Eyewitness misidentification testimonies, invalidated or improper forensic science, false confessions and incriminating statements and snitches all play a
5 2
role in wrongful convictions.
Unknown Race have been exonerated.
Asian Americans have been exonerated.
Case Studies
Name: Theodore Robert Cowell Date of Birth: 11/24/46 Race: White Gender: Male State(s) Crime was Committed: Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington
Name: Judy Buenoano
Summary of Incident:
Date of Birth: 04/04/43
A wolf in sheep’s clothing. There is no better phrase to describe Ted Bundy, a
Name: Stanley Tookie Williams III
man who viciously assaulted and murdered forty people. After selecting his victims,
Date of Birth: 12/29/53
State(s) Crime was Committed: Texas
Bundy would lure them to his car, usually by faking an injury by way of a sling or
Race: Black
a cast. Sometimes, he would even pose as a policeman or other authority figure.
Gender: Male
Summary of incident:
He would strike these unsuspecting women with an object, before raping them,
State(s) Crime was Committed: Los Angles; Countrywide
Buenoano, known as the “Black Widow,” was executed in Florida’s electric chair
strangling them, and sometimes mutilating their bodies.
Race: White Gender: Male
Summary of Incident:
following her 1985 conviction for poisoning her husband, Air Force sergeant James
Bundy had been a good student, growing up in Vermont with his mother and his
Tookie was a young man of 17, known around South Central Los Angeles as a
grandparents. He was devastated when his first love left him, and spent years try-
fighter of South Central’s west side. Around this time, Tookie helped create a gang
ing to win her back. When he finally did though, he began to kill innocent people,
that became known the as Crips. While the Crips had started out as a small Los
found to contain arsenic.
before dumping her just as she dumped him.
Angeles gang, they grew rapidly to become a well-organized group that spanned
In 1984, a jury convicted Buenoano of killing her partially paralyzed 19-year-old
Ted Bundy said that addiction to pornography led him to do the horrible things he’d
like those they swore to protect their own communities from. In 1979, Tookie was
done. He was finally executed in 1989 after confessing to the 40 murders.
arrested and charged for murdering four people, and was placed on death row just
“We serial killers are your sons. We are your husbands. We are everywhere. And
a few short years later.
Goodyear in 1971. Goodyear had died barely three months after returning from Vietnam suffering from symptoms staff physicians never quite identified. His body was exhumed 12 years later after Buenoano became a suspect in another case and
all across the state of California. They had also become terrifying gangbangers; just son, Michael Goodyear, and sentenced her to life in prison. Michael wore heavy metal leg braces and he was unable to walk or use his hands. On May 13th, 1980
Name: Charles Frederick Albright
Judi took Michael and his younger brother James canoeing on the East River. Sadly
Date of Birth: 08/10/33
the canoe capsized. James and Judi were able to get out from under the upturned
Race: White
canoe but Michael, weighed down by the heavy braces didn’t stand a chance and
Gender: Male
drowned.
State(s) Crime was Committed: Texas
In 1984, a jury convicted Buenoano of attempting to kill her boyfriend, Pensacola
there will be more of your children dead tomorrow.” –Ted Bundy While in a six and a half year stay in solitary confinement, he began to take a step Number of Victims
back to look at not only he, himself, but the choices he’d made. He began to care
26–35+
about the families he’d hurt and the lives he’d destroyed, and even regret the terrible legacy of the Crips he’d left behind.
Race and Gender of Victim
businessman John Gentry, and sentenced her to 12 years imprisonment. On June 25th 1983 Judi announced she was pregnant and John went out to get some
Summary of incident
champagne to celebrate. When he started his car a bomb exploded and he was
December 13, 1990 – Mary Lou Pratt, 35, a well-known prostitute in the Oak Cliff
seriously injured as a result. John later said Judi had been giving her vitamins. In fact,
neighborhood (in Dallas). Her nude body and dark-hair, lying face-up, and wearing
she was not pregnant and had booked a cruise for herself and her children. She
only a T-shirt, was shot in the back of the head with a .44-caliber bullet. The medi-
had also recently been telling her friends that John had a terminal illness. Several
cal examiner would discover that this killer had removed both eyes without making
of the alleged vitamin capsules were recovered and found to contain the arsenic.
much of a mark on the lids and apparently had taken them with him.
Number of Victims
February 10, 1991 – Susan Peterson, a prostitute, was found nearly nude, with her
3
T-shirt pulled up to display her breasts in the same manner as Pratt. She’d been shot
White Females
book, Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence, is his first attempt to prevent Punishment
young people from becoming gangbangers, getting arrested, or even killed. He is
Death Penalty
determined to guide young people in the right direction, away from the path that he’d chosen for himself, the road that lead him to death row. “Don’t join a gang”, he tells all who read his books. “You won’t find what you’re looking for. All you will find is trouble, pain and sadness. I know. I did.”
Number of Victims
three times: in the top of the head, in the left breast and point-blank in the back of Race and Gender of Victim
the head. One bullet had pierced her heart and another entered her brain. A clump
White males
of her hair lay on her chest. She had been dumped in south Dallas, just outside city limits, and the ME found that this victim bore another grisly similarity: her eyes had
Punishment
been surgically removed.
Death Penalty March 18, 1991 – Shirley Williams, a part-time prostitute, was found naked, lying on her side near a school, and blood pooled from her face onto the street. The medical examiner who came to the scene rolled back her eyelids, fearing the worst, and discovered that the eyes were gone. Williams also had facial bruises and a broken nose, and she had been shot through the top of her head and in the face. Number of Victims 3 Race and Gender of Victim White females Punishment Life imprisonment without parole
Tookie reached out, desperate to make up for some of the wrong he’d done. His
4; but responsible for the vast gang murders throughout the U.S.
Name: Robert Ladd Date of Birth: 3/19/57 Race: Black Gender: Male State(s) Crime was Committed: Texas Summary of incident On September 25, 1996, in Tyler, Ladd robbed and murdered a 38 year old female. The victim was beaten to death with a hammer inside her home and her body set on fire. Prior to her death, the victim’s legs and wrist had been bound by a cord. Several items were stolen from her residence following the murder, including electronic items, kitchen appliances, jewelry and food. Number of Victims 1 Race and Gender of Victim White female Punishment Death Penalty
Race and Gender of Victim African Punishment Death Penalty
Capital Punishment: Films Dead Man Walking
In the Bedroom
The Green Mile
Though Capital Punishment is such an enormous topic, it’s not one that we see highly
The days count down to the execution of Matthew Poncelet. He befriends a nun, Sister
In the Bedroom, directed by Todd Field, is a drama about a young man who has just
Paul Edgecomb is head guard of the Green Mile when John Coffey is brought into his
publicized, unlike some of the other debates that exist today. The topic of Capital punish-
Prejean, as they try desperately to get a stay of execution from the governor. Sister
graduated from high school and is working during the summer as a fisherman. Frank is
custody. Coffey is convicted of murdering two young girls, but aside from his enormous
ment is one that hides in plain sight, but can be found in our culture and media. Dead
Prejean visits with this convicted murder, trying to reach out and guide him to his salva-
involved with a woman named Natalie who is separated from her husband Richard,
size, there isn’t much that is menacing about him. He seems to be a kind person, more
Man Walking, In the Bedroom, and The Green Mile, are just three of many films where
tion, during the final week before his execution. In time she becomes his spiritual counsel-
though their divorce is not yet final. Frank’s parents, Matt and Ruth, wonder if their son’s
like a child than a killer. Edgecomb begins to notice certain healing miracles that Coffey
the plot line revolves around the heart of the debate. While at first glance the stories
or, connecting Matthew with a lawyer who helps to appeal the conviction. Unfortunately
relationship to the older woman is wise, especially with him leaving for college in a few
is able to perform, leading him to think about what kind of person Coffey really is, and
may be touching and of course, entertaining, a closer look will show how they lead to
the action was not a success. After visiting with the families of the victims, Sister Prejean.
short months. One tragic day, Richard breaks into Natalie’s house, finding Frank there
if he could have really committed the crimes he his being charged for. It’s through these
deeper, underlying issues of the Capital Punishment debate.
Armed with the knowledge of what those families have been through, Sister Prejean
and killing him. Instead of getting the punishment he deserves, Richard is later released
supernatural abilities that Coffey shows Edgecomb the true killer of the two girls, and
helps Matthew come to turns with what he had done, allowing him to walk to his death
on bail partly because of his well-to-do family, leaving both Matt and Ruth deeply dis-
also punishes that killer for what he’s done. Coffey requests that he die anyway, because
as a rehabilitated man.
traught. Their anger grows as they see Richard around the town and intensifies still when
there is “too much pain in the world”.
they learn that a lack of a direct witness is the cause of the killer’s easy escape from
Literature The Innocent Man - John Grisham A Lesson Before Dying - Ernest J. Gaines Conviction - Richard North Patterson The Crying Tree - Naseem Rakha Sleep Toward Heaven - Amanda Eyre Ward Ultimate Punishment - Scott Turow The Confession - John Grisham In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
Con:
murder charges. In an attempt to bring justice, Matt kidnaps and kills Richard, before
Con:
returning home to his wife where she asks if the deed has been done. Some might view that towards the end of this film the man had come to terms with, and had accepted responsibility for the murders and the rape he had committed. This proves
The Green Mile is a perfect example of the inequality of capital punishment. Race, Con:
that the death penalty is only a negative response to crimes, and that there may still be
poverty, and lack of evidence are some of the key factors that lead to the execution of innocent people. John Coffey was put to death by choice, and his miracle-like powers
hope for those that have done wrong, giving them a second chance to do some good
In this particular plot line, the parents killing the man who took the life of their son is an
proved his innocence. For most people that is not the case, and an innocent man would
for society. Putting someone to death does not accomplish anything.
act of revenge. Some hold the opinion that revenge, though while understandable in
still have been put to death for a crime he didn’t commit. This is something that happens
some cases, is not a rational response to a critical situation. Killing Richard makes them
needlessly even today.
Pro:
no better than he was, and could help their anger to grow, not dissolve.
The law can sometimes seem more sympathetic towards criminals than to the victims’
Pro:
families. The criminal is being put to death because he/she has taken the life of another. There is no reason for the justice system, or others to show sympathy for the offender.
Some argue that the punishment should fit the crime. Due to a wealthy family, Richard
They are merely facing the consequences for their actions. Though Matthew may have
didn’t receive a punishment equal to the crime he committed (such as the death penalty).
been able to face what he had done, he still had to be punished for it.
By taking matters into their own hands, Frank’s parents delivered justice, restoring the idea of each person getting what is due to him.