The Affects of Capital Punishment
- Submitted by: Copramaze1969
- Views: 626
- Category: Politics: Crime and Drugs
- Date Submitted: 11/14/2010 11:24 AM
- Pages: 7
- Report this Essay
Since the implementation of Capital Punishment in 1976 there have been many effects on society. Even though capital punishment is considered inhumane by some, capital punishment is a deterrent for violent crimes because there is an average of 5.2 victims per execution and the number of homicides has reduced annually since the number of executions has increased.
Homicides involving multiple victims and multiple offenders have increased since the death penalty was reinstated. Multiple offenders have rose from 11.5 percent to 20.3 percent in 2005. Multiple victims have rose from 3.1 percent off all homicides to 4.4 percent. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009) Although the average number of victims and offenders has risen, the number of officers killed in the line of duty has dropped in half during the same period. The number of children under the age of 17 has remained the same. Small children and public official homicides have always received more attention in the media.
One of the main arguments of the anti-capital punishment law is that innocent people could be wrongly indicted thus facing the death sentence for a crime they did not commit. Of the 102 convicted felons that were released or later had their conviction overturned 68 were not actually proven to be innocent. Several of the cases were declared mistrial because evidence was not handled appropriately. Several sentences were overturned due to misconduct by the accusing attorneys. These statistics show that of the 6,930 executions since 1976, only .4 percent could actually have been innocent. (Sharp. 1997) From 1973-1999, there was an average of 3.1 exonerations per year. From 2000-2007, there has been an average of 5 exonerations per year. (http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org 2008)
There are three cases in particular that discuss incarcerated individuals having information that would prove them innocent. Brian K. Baldwin, Baldwin vs. Alabama, Larry Eugene Moon, Moon vs. Georgia and Roy Michael Roberts,...
Homicides involving multiple victims and multiple offenders have increased since the death penalty was reinstated. Multiple offenders have rose from 11.5 percent to 20.3 percent in 2005. Multiple victims have rose from 3.1 percent off all homicides to 4.4 percent. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009) Although the average number of victims and offenders has risen, the number of officers killed in the line of duty has dropped in half during the same period. The number of children under the age of 17 has remained the same. Small children and public official homicides have always received more attention in the media.
One of the main arguments of the anti-capital punishment law is that innocent people could be wrongly indicted thus facing the death sentence for a crime they did not commit. Of the 102 convicted felons that were released or later had their conviction overturned 68 were not actually proven to be innocent. Several of the cases were declared mistrial because evidence was not handled appropriately. Several sentences were overturned due to misconduct by the accusing attorneys. These statistics show that of the 6,930 executions since 1976, only .4 percent could actually have been innocent. (Sharp. 1997) From 1973-1999, there was an average of 3.1 exonerations per year. From 2000-2007, there has been an average of 5 exonerations per year. (http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org 2008)
There are three cases in particular that discuss incarcerated individuals having information that would prove them innocent. Brian K. Baldwin, Baldwin vs. Alabama, Larry Eugene Moon, Moon vs. Georgia and Roy Michael Roberts,...