Article Abstract Two: Guilty on All Counts
Guilty on All Counts, written by Elizabeth Hull discusses the death penalty and the randomness and inconsistencies of the punishment. The author outlines in the article the many flaws of execution in the United States. There are many arguments about the logistics of this sentence and whether it is a cruel or unusual punishment.
First, the article explains how the death penalty is gravely flawed. The death penalty has no consistency, and it seems like a random pick of who get executed or not. In a country where we value equality and our rights, this system is not fair. There are several factors that affect how likely a criminal is to be put on Death Row. For example, Hull talks about the “Vagaries of …show more content…
There have been approximately eight to twenty-three cases since 1976, when execution was reinstated, that a person had been executed for a crime they did not commit. Hull brings up a few cases in which an innocent was on Death Row, such the Willingham Case. This case was about a father who was accused of arson of his home and killing his three children in the blaze. It was later found out that testimonies and evidence were a sham, but this was after he was executed. Next, the article moves onto the issue of Clemency boards. These boards are put into place to prevent a wrongful sentence, but these boards are hardly ever used. Without Clemency boards the state loses its fail safe. Overall, Guilty on All Counts shines on the numerous injustices that is the death penalty in the United …show more content…
To me it’s ludicrous to think that two people that committed that same crime, could be given different sentences depending on these factors. This article, presented many facts that Death Row and the trials leading up to it, is not a fair system. I think that in the United States we try to value equality, but in the judicial system there is no consistency. Death or not can be decided differently state to state, and even county to county. I think this is astounding because everyone has the right to a fair trial. I don’t think based on where I live, how much money I make, or what race I am should decide my sentence, that’s not fair or equal. All in all, I think Guilt on All Counts was informative about the injustices of the execution system in the United
Guilty on All Counts, written by Elizabeth Hull discusses the death penalty and the randomness and inconsistencies of the punishment. The author outlines in the article the many flaws of execution in the United States. There are many arguments about the logistics of this sentence and whether it is a cruel or unusual punishment.
First, the article explains how the death penalty is gravely flawed. The death penalty has no consistency, and it seems like a random pick of who get executed or not. In a country where we value equality and our rights, this system is not fair. There are several factors that affect how likely a criminal is to be put on Death Row. For example, Hull talks about the “Vagaries of …show more content…
There have been approximately eight to twenty-three cases since 1976, when execution was reinstated, that a person had been executed for a crime they did not commit. Hull brings up a few cases in which an innocent was on Death Row, such the Willingham Case. This case was about a father who was accused of arson of his home and killing his three children in the blaze. It was later found out that testimonies and evidence were a sham, but this was after he was executed. Next, the article moves onto the issue of Clemency boards. These boards are put into place to prevent a wrongful sentence, but these boards are hardly ever used. Without Clemency boards the state loses its fail safe. Overall, Guilty on All Counts shines on the numerous injustices that is the death penalty in the United …show more content…
To me it’s ludicrous to think that two people that committed that same crime, could be given different sentences depending on these factors. This article, presented many facts that Death Row and the trials leading up to it, is not a fair system. I think that in the United States we try to value equality, but in the judicial system there is no consistency. Death or not can be decided differently state to state, and even county to county. I think this is astounding because everyone has the right to a fair trial. I don’t think based on where I live, how much money I make, or what race I am should decide my sentence, that’s not fair or equal. All in all, I think Guilt on All Counts was informative about the injustices of the execution system in the United