Death Penalty and Wrongful Conviction
- Nia Harris
- May 10, 2021
- 4 min read
For centuries, the United States has used violence to punish criminals and traitors. We’ve seen this since the time of rebellions and how they were handled in the 18th century. However, many believe that the use of the death penalty is outdated and inhumane. This has been a controversial topic in America, and that is why “25 states out of 50” still use the death penalty in America, according to The Independent Co.
Why have states stopped the use of this punishment? And why have other states found this option more effective? Has It Helped? States that have abolished the death penalty argue that no research suggests that the use of death penalty has deterred criminals from committing murder. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, the murder rates tend to be higher in the South, which is where many of the states still use the penalty, compared to the Northeast United States. Also, to support the reasoning of how the penalty does not benefit the states that still enforce it, the cost for the executions is noteworthy. “It costs approximately $200,000 to $300,000 to convict and sentence an individual to life without the possibility of parole. If those sentenced to death received life sentences instead, we accomplish the same deterrent effect of the death penalty: criminals remain off the streets for the rest of their lives. The money saved could be spent on improving the criminal justice system such as increasing public safety or providing resources to help prevent wrongful convictions,” the California Innocence Project argues.
Another weighing factor that contributes as support to abolishing the death penalty, is wrongfully sentencing the innocent to death. The United States has seen how easy it is to wrongly convict innocent people for crimes they did not commit since the beginning of time. For instance, George Junius Stinney Jr., a 14-year-old black male, was wrongfully convicted and executed for the murder of two young white girls, Betty June Binnicker and Mary Emma Thames, that he had only given directions to for a destination they were headed to. Stinney was tried by a Grand Jury of all white individuals and his trial only lasted one day. No evidence connected Stinney to the two girls' deaths.
What is shocking to many people, is that this case happened in 1944, yet there are so many similar cases across the United States like this one, that has killed innocent people or still have them currently on Death Row. “Since 1973, more than 170 people who had been wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in the U.S have been exonerated,” as stated by the Death Penalty Information Center. If death penalty is going to be continued in practice we need to make sure, at the very least, that our judicial system is 100% accurate and free of bias, prejudiced profiling and wrongful convictions.
What Can You Do to Help?
The Death Penalty Policy has affected so many people and families across this nation. Many organizations are fighting to completely ban this policy in America and find a better and more effective solution to decrease crime rates. Some of these organizations include the California Innocence Project, The Marshall Project, Equal Justice Initiative and more listed below, whom you can find more information from and donate to. If you want to understand or have more insight on this issue, some books and movies capture the different perspectives and results this policy has had on America. You can seek knowledge by reading these recommended books as well as watching these recommended movies; Just Mercy, The Life of David Gale, Dead Man Walking, The Green Mile, Grace and Justice On Death Row, A Saint on Death Row, and Death At Midnight: The Confession of An Executioner. If you are not sure if your state still uses the death penalty, you can easily search it up and find out. There are petitions listed below that are crucial in this fight to dismantle this penalty in America.
We must act if we want to see a change in our future. Encourage your peers to stay educated on this topic and remain involved in this issue and the state it puts many people in America, especially minorities and low-income families. As youth interested in politics, we must not wait for change to come, but we must take initiative and jump into action so that we can ensure the safety and security of the generations to come. Our voices are important, and we can use them to help people understand what is not as obvious to them as it is to us. Do not let fear stop you from creating solutions and supporting change.
Sources
Take Action - Death Penalty Action • act-to-abolish-the-death-penalty • Tell Congress: Abolish the Federal Death Penalty - Action ... • National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty | Demand a ... • World Coalition Against the Death Penalty : uniting all ... • www.themarshallproject.org • Eji.org • Californiainnocenceproject.org • www.innocenceproject.org “Homepage.” Death Penalty Information Center, 15 Sept. 2020, deathpenaltyinfo.org/. Banks, Brian, et al. California Innocence Project, 28 Aug. 2020, californiainnocenceproject.org/. “George Stinney.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Sept. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Stinney.
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