Capital punishment has been used for many centuries to kill murderers or anyone who has committed a heinous crime. Although this may sound like a good thing, the trial errors are catastrophic. A judge and a jury are the ones to decide if a defendant gets the death penalty or a noncapital punishment. A defendant on trial for this certain punishment, does not get most of their rights of an American citizen. Congress should reconsider capital punishment as unconstitutional because of the amount of money used (1), the racial biases (2), the methods of death (3), and the people who are not being given the freedom of cruel and unusual punishment (4).
Capital punishment has been around on Earth for thousands and thousands of years, which has …show more content…
The first death sentence historically recorded occurred in 16th Century BC Egypt, where the wrongdoer, a member of nobility, was accused of magic, and ordered to take his own life. During this period non-nobility was usually killed with an ax (Reggio 1995-2014). Later on, in 5th Century BCE Rome, death was often cruel and included crucifixion, drowning at sea, burial alive, beating to death, and impalement (often used by Nero). The Romans had a curious punishment for parricides (murder of a parent): the condemned was submersed in water in a sack, which also contained a dog, a rooster, a viper and an ape. The most notorious death execution in BC was about 399 BCE, when the Greek philosopher Socrates was required to drink poison for heresy and corruption of youth (1995-2014). Later on, in the 1500s, if a woman were to be accused of witchcraft- they hung by their necks whilst a ring of fire was surrounding them while most of the time men were hung in the gallows. There are many types of death penalties that are given to guilty defendants. The death penalty now, is not as grotesque as how it was in BCE and in the 1600s and the 1700s, that does not mean that modern death penalties can have horrific and terrible consequences to the death row inmate. A vile type of punishment was in Rome, where a suspect that had committed parricide (murder of a parent) was to be put into a bag with a viper, an …show more content…
The People of the United States of America, are entitled to many rights, those rights are practiced in the court of law. Amendments 5, 6, 7, and 8 are court rights that are given to the citizens, these rights are a right to a grand judge and jury and no abuse of governmental authority, a speedy trial, the reservation of a defendant’s right to a trial with a jury, and forbidding cruel and unusual punishments. “In 1976 the Supreme Court tried to heal the constitutional infirmities, in the death penalty- 40 years years later a survey shows that this has failed and that it is a violation of the 8th Amendment,” as Juris Doctor, Stephen G. Breyer says (“Top” 2016). The 8th Amendment protects our right to cruel and unusual punishment, Court is thinning our rights to create a death penalty to kill someone who is supposed to be protected. “Death Sentences are meted out not only erratically, but also discriminatory, on the basis of race.” (Henningfield 27) Racism has been at the heart of injustice and the death penalty for some defendants besides the loss of amendment rights. In 1976, 56% of people given a death penalty are white, only 35% are African Americans, 7% are Latino, and only 2% are of a different race. "In 82% of the studies [reviewed], race of the victim was found to influence the likelihood of being charged with capital murder or receiving the
Capital punishment has been around on Earth for thousands and thousands of years, which has …show more content…
The first death sentence historically recorded occurred in 16th Century BC Egypt, where the wrongdoer, a member of nobility, was accused of magic, and ordered to take his own life. During this period non-nobility was usually killed with an ax (Reggio 1995-2014). Later on, in 5th Century BCE Rome, death was often cruel and included crucifixion, drowning at sea, burial alive, beating to death, and impalement (often used by Nero). The Romans had a curious punishment for parricides (murder of a parent): the condemned was submersed in water in a sack, which also contained a dog, a rooster, a viper and an ape. The most notorious death execution in BC was about 399 BCE, when the Greek philosopher Socrates was required to drink poison for heresy and corruption of youth (1995-2014). Later on, in the 1500s, if a woman were to be accused of witchcraft- they hung by their necks whilst a ring of fire was surrounding them while most of the time men were hung in the gallows. There are many types of death penalties that are given to guilty defendants. The death penalty now, is not as grotesque as how it was in BCE and in the 1600s and the 1700s, that does not mean that modern death penalties can have horrific and terrible consequences to the death row inmate. A vile type of punishment was in Rome, where a suspect that had committed parricide (murder of a parent) was to be put into a bag with a viper, an …show more content…
The People of the United States of America, are entitled to many rights, those rights are practiced in the court of law. Amendments 5, 6, 7, and 8 are court rights that are given to the citizens, these rights are a right to a grand judge and jury and no abuse of governmental authority, a speedy trial, the reservation of a defendant’s right to a trial with a jury, and forbidding cruel and unusual punishments. “In 1976 the Supreme Court tried to heal the constitutional infirmities, in the death penalty- 40 years years later a survey shows that this has failed and that it is a violation of the 8th Amendment,” as Juris Doctor, Stephen G. Breyer says (“Top” 2016). The 8th Amendment protects our right to cruel and unusual punishment, Court is thinning our rights to create a death penalty to kill someone who is supposed to be protected. “Death Sentences are meted out not only erratically, but also discriminatory, on the basis of race.” (Henningfield 27) Racism has been at the heart of injustice and the death penalty for some defendants besides the loss of amendment rights. In 1976, 56% of people given a death penalty are white, only 35% are African Americans, 7% are Latino, and only 2% are of a different race. "In 82% of the studies [reviewed], race of the victim was found to influence the likelihood of being charged with capital murder or receiving the