Stephen Bright takes a clear stance when discussing capital punishment. He associates the death penalty with the many other practices which have long been abandoned. These practices include whipping, branding, cutting off appendages, maiming, and other primitive forms of punishment. It is clear that Stephen Bright believes the United States should abandon the death penalty. In fact, his essay is written in a way which assumes that the United States will inevitable abandon capital punishment. Stephen Bright writes his essay highlighting factors which he believes are reasoning for abandoning the practice of death sentences. These reasons include the violation of human rights, as well as arbitrary and unfair inflictions. Unfortunately, Stephen
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Bright includes the ideas of Gerald W. Heaney as he states “the decision of who shall live and who shall die for [a] crime turns less on the nature of the offense and the incorrigibility of the offender and more on inappropriate and indefensible considerations: the political and personal inclinations of prosecutors; the defendant’s wealth, race, and intellect; the race and economic status of the crime; the quality of the defendant’s counsel; and the resources allocated to defense lawyers.” I found the unfortunate considerations highlighted by Gerald Heaney to be an interesting and thought provoking element to Stephen Bright’s essay. Another interesting element to Bright’s essay included a section titled The Death Sentence for Being Assigned the Worst Lawyer. Within this section Houston Chronicles described the trial of a capital case where John Benn, the defense attorney for a convicted capital murderer, spent most of trial in deep sleep. According to the essay, sleeping did not violate the right to a lawyer guaranteed by the United States Constitution because “the constitution doesn't say the lawyer has to be awake.” Fortunately these stories are not common, however when situations like these occur they should never be dismissed or
Bright includes the ideas of Gerald W. Heaney as he states “the decision of who shall live and who shall die for [a] crime turns less on the nature of the offense and the incorrigibility of the offender and more on inappropriate and indefensible considerations: the political and personal inclinations of prosecutors; the defendant’s wealth, race, and intellect; the race and economic status of the crime; the quality of the defendant’s counsel; and the resources allocated to defense lawyers.” I found the unfortunate considerations highlighted by Gerald Heaney to be an interesting and thought provoking element to Stephen Bright’s essay. Another interesting element to Bright’s essay included a section titled The Death Sentence for Being Assigned the Worst Lawyer. Within this section Houston Chronicles described the trial of a capital case where John Benn, the defense attorney for a convicted capital murderer, spent most of trial in deep sleep. According to the essay, sleeping did not violate the right to a lawyer guaranteed by the United States Constitution because “the constitution doesn't say the lawyer has to be awake.” Fortunately these stories are not common, however when situations like these occur they should never be dismissed or