“An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind” were the words of the wise Mahatma Gandhi. In no where else is this more so proven than in the American criminal justice system. Our definition of justice is often measured by how long a sentence or how large a fine is and how it relates to the corresponding crime. Some people can get prison time, fines, and even sentenced to death as a punishment for the crimes they have committed. This state sponsored death as punishment is a tactic used to frighten and intimidate people into not committing crimes, but this type of punishment goes directly against the 8th amendment right, directly prohibiting the cruel and unusual punishment, despite the generations separating their respective implementations.
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The owner of the home, William Joseph Micke, discovered Furman in his home and saw he had a gun with him. When Furman knew he had been caught, he started to take off, he tripped causing his gun to accidentally go off. The home owner died right then and there. Furman, after a one day long trial, was found guilty of murder and was sentenced the death penalty. The underlying issue of the Furman vs. Georgia is whether or not the death penalty in murder cases is unconstitutional, and the Supreme Court came to the verdict that the use of the death penalty in the Furman v. Georgia case was indeed unconstitutional. The Supreme Court also felt that the death penalty fell under the category of “cruel and unusual punishment.” The court ruled that there was a violation of the 8th amendment, as well as the 14 amendment, if Georgia were to carry out the death penalty. There were five votes that support Furman and four votes against him. Two of the justices believed that the death penalty is unconstitutional, except in this case, while the others believed that since Furman was an African American, the case was biased further adding to the point that the case was indeed unconstitutional. Furman’s trial was extremely unfair not only because it lasted one day, but because he was was an African American who just so happened to be poor, uneducated, and mentally disabled, he was disregarded and did not receive the equal protection he and every other citizen have the right to according to the 14th amendment. The Furman v. Georgia Supreme Court case is a fine example of the flaws within our justice system that must be fixed and even more of a reason to abolish the death penalty in every state in the United States. Capital punishment cases are very common
The owner of the home, William Joseph Micke, discovered Furman in his home and saw he had a gun with him. When Furman knew he had been caught, he started to take off, he tripped causing his gun to accidentally go off. The home owner died right then and there. Furman, after a one day long trial, was found guilty of murder and was sentenced the death penalty. The underlying issue of the Furman vs. Georgia is whether or not the death penalty in murder cases is unconstitutional, and the Supreme Court came to the verdict that the use of the death penalty in the Furman v. Georgia case was indeed unconstitutional. The Supreme Court also felt that the death penalty fell under the category of “cruel and unusual punishment.” The court ruled that there was a violation of the 8th amendment, as well as the 14 amendment, if Georgia were to carry out the death penalty. There were five votes that support Furman and four votes against him. Two of the justices believed that the death penalty is unconstitutional, except in this case, while the others believed that since Furman was an African American, the case was biased further adding to the point that the case was indeed unconstitutional. Furman’s trial was extremely unfair not only because it lasted one day, but because he was was an African American who just so happened to be poor, uneducated, and mentally disabled, he was disregarded and did not receive the equal protection he and every other citizen have the right to according to the 14th amendment. The Furman v. Georgia Supreme Court case is a fine example of the flaws within our justice system that must be fixed and even more of a reason to abolish the death penalty in every state in the United States. Capital punishment cases are very common