Death Row Exonerations

 When you turn on the news everyday you hear of another murder, another person arrested, another conviction. What you don’t hear about often are the people who are victims of corrupt and crooked trials and are wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death row.  Since 1973 the United States has released 139 people from death row who were innocent. Now, this is in no way stated to say the justice system is corrupt, because it has put away many guilty people who actually belonged there. This is just to shine the light on how sensitive somethings are for some people. And the things that many of us as civilians take for granted. It doesnt take much to be wrongfully convicted. It could happen to anyone of us. All it takes is a good district attorney that can convice a jury that your guilty. The sad part of it, they don’t always have evidence when they do it. A few witnesses and a jail house snitch could be all the DA needs to have you executed if your state permits.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center of DC, as of December 14, 2009 there are 15 states without the death penalty including DC. However, of the 35 states with the death penalty, Texas executes the most with 24 in 2009. Virginia in 2nd place and Oklahoma in 3rd. By region, the south takes first place hands down with 981 executions.  As of July 1, 2009 there were 3,279 inmates on death row with 690 being in California, 403 being in Florida, and 342 in Texas. Of the defendents executed, 35% (412) of them black, 56% (666) white, 7% (86) hispanic, 2% (24) other. The victims, 77% white, 15% black, 6% hispanic, and 2% other.

The chart above shows the 139 exonerations by state. However, what about the people that did not get exonerated? what about the ones that suffered the hands of death row and really were innocent? Since their death we will really never know. DNA was a major advancement for the justice system. It was DNA that cleared some of the death row inmates.

Why do we continue to execute? In a survey performed by present and former presidents, criminologist have rejected the idea that the death penalty deters the number of murders we see. Public opinio seems to be equally divided on the issue of the death penalty.  47% prefer the death penalty while 48% prefer life in prison without parole. From a nuetral stand point, i can understand both sides. For the families of the victims, death may seem a suitable punishment for them since death is what the defendant caused. For the defendant, they may truly be innocent and losing their life for no reason.

Personally. I think the death penalty is just the present day legal form of lynching. Sentencing someone to death, does not solve anything. It does not bring the victim back and it does not punish the defendant in a way in which they will have to deal with what they’ve done. What if your not asfriad of death, what if you want to be dead anyway? Being sentenced to death row would just be a means to an end for you. You’r not going to feel guilty or remorse. You still may not feel it by spending the rest of your life in prison, but at least you will have to face what you did every day that you stay alive. The death penalty is just a tit for a tat. If you or I kill someone with then government gets to kill us with a just cause. Murder is murder no matter who is committing it.

Share