The_Affects_of_Capital_Punishment

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, Roberts vs. Missouri. (http://www.law.northwestern.edu/wrongfulconvictions) In 1977 at the age of 40, Brian Baldwin stood accused of murdering 16 yr old Naomi Rolan. Baldwin confessed to the murder while in custody of the local sheriffs department. In court Mr. Baldwin conceded that the confession came at the hands of being beaten and tortured with a cattle prod while in custody. This is a case where it was not the death penalty at fault but the judicial system in a corrupt town. The defense attorneys completed no investigation nor did they supply any witnesses other than Baldwin himself. In 1977 the practice of racial profiling was an accepted act. All African Americans were dismissed from the jury selection process. Baldwin is African American and the entire jury selected was all white. The court hearing lasted two days before a guilty verdict was handed down. (R. Warden and M. Lewis 2000) The day after Thanksgiving in 1984, Rickey Callahan, age 24 was found with two bullet wounds to his head. Three weeks later, Eugene Moore was arrested driving a stolen vehicle. Inside the vehicle were several weapons including a gun which ballistics later confirmed was used to kill Callahan. Another convict Mickey Davis had been with Moon just two days prior to Thanksgiving. After Moon’s arrest Davis confided to his cousin that he had committed the murder. In August of 1985 Davis was arrested for a “hit-style” murder. While in prison Davis confided in a fellow inmate that he had committed that murder and the one Moon was going to trial for. Davis escaped from jail one week before trial was set to begin in both cases. He remained at large until 1988 when he was killed in a motorcycle accident. It was not until after his death that his cousin and former cell mate came forward with his confession. Despite the new evidence all of his appeals had been exhausted. The Georgia board of paroles and pardons later denied his appeal for a stay of execution. Moons final words were, “I am innocent, I did not kill Rickey Callahan.” (R. Warden 2003) On March 10, 1999, Roy Michael Roberts was put to death for the stabbing of a prison guard while incarcerated for a 1978 armed robbery. The case involved political implications for the then Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan. Recently Carnahan had granted clemency for a convicted, self confessed triple murderer because of a personal plea from Pope John Paul II. Roberts was not implicated in the murder until several weeks after the investigation had began. A prison guard being questioned for the third time implicated Roberts in the murder. He was unable to explain his failure to mention Robert’s involvement in the first two interviews. Robert’s claim was the guard held a grudge for his refusal to work in the prison laundry. Two of Robert’s co-defendants were given life sentences. Ironically, another man Carl Harris told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he had committed the armed robbery that Roberts was doing time for at the time of the murder. Because the confession was 21 years after the crime and the statue of limitations had run out the confession was dismissed without investigation. (R. Warden 2000) Anti-capital punishment groups would like society to believe that rehabilitation is a much better option than the death sentence. The death sentence has always been to act as a deterrent rather than revenge for crimes enacted. A felon in prison for life would still face greater repercussions for killing while incarcerated. If there was nothing but life in prison there would be nothing to protect the guards, prison officials and other inmates. The death sentence is meant to be a deterrent for hard core criminals that would look to do harm to somebody while serving a life sentence. At the end of 2000, 64 percent of the inmates on death row had prior felony convictions including eight percent with prior homicide convictions. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009) This statistic shows that the majority of convicted felons were not able to be rehabilitated and committed subsequent crimes after their initial arrest. Society has predominately been for the death penalty since its reinstatement in 1976. Surveys are generated yearly to see how the general public feels about the topic. In 1976, 66 percent of the people surveyed felt the death sentence was just. That number increased to 71 percent in 2005 with a high of 80 percent in 1995. (Sharp. 1997) The death sentence is considered just as humane as letting someone spend the rest of their life in prison only without the threat of a repeat offender. The financial impact on society and the taxpayers is great with either punishment being enforced. Although both are great expenses the life in prison sentence cost approximately 40 percent more to enforce. The average cost of imposing a life sentence is roughly three million dollars compared to less than two million for a death sentence. See tables 1 and 2. Table 1 Average cost to support convicted felon in prison for a life sentence $34,200/year (1) for 50 years (2), at a 2% (3) annual cost increase, plus $75,000 (4) for trial & appeals = $3.01 million Note. From Death Penalty and Sentencing Information, by D. Sharp, 10/01/1997 Table 2 Average cost to support convicted felon in prison for the death penalty $60,000/year (1) for 6 years (5), at a 2% (3) annual cost increase, plus $1.5 million (4) for trial & appeals = $1.88 million Note. From Death Penalty and Sentencing Information, by D. Sharp, 10/01/1997 The effectiveness of capital punishment on violent crimes has some variable results. The homicide victimization rates in cities with a population over one million has plummeted, reaching the lowest level in the past two decades. Since 2003 the homicide victimization rates for cities with a population between 250,000 and 999,999 have remained stable. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009) Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976 all types of violent crimes has declined. Violent crimes by both genders have declined in parallel. See table 3. Table 3 Violent crime rates declined for both males and females since 1994. Note. From the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). 2005. Bureau of Justice Statistics. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov. After falling rapidly in the mid to late 1990's, the number of homicides began increasing in 1999, but remains at levels below those experienced in the early 1970's. In 1980 the homicide victim rate rose to an all time high of 10.2 percent per 100,000 people. The percentage then fell of before increasing again in the early 1990’s. Once again the percentage fell sharply to approximately seven percent. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009) See table 4. Table 4 Homicide victimization 1950-2005 Note. From the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). 2005. Bureau of Justice Statistics. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov. The pros of capital punishment far outweigh the cons. Too many times has someone been convicted of a violent crime just to be released from incarceration to commit more violence. The cost of the death penalty is approximately forty percent less than life without parole. The death penalty is a final punishment for a final crime. Can this country stand to continue to allow rapist and murderers to create acts of violence over and over again' Reference: Campbell, W. A. (2002). Critique of DPIC List (“Innocence: Freed From Death Row) Retrieved Feb. 24, 2009, from Bureau of Justice Web site http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov Sharp, D. (10/1/1997). Death Penalty and Sentencing Information. Retrieved Feb. 24, 2009 from http://www.prodeathpenalty.com Warden, R. (2003) Larry Eugene Moon. Retrieved March 22, 2009 from http://www.law.northwestern.edu/wrongfulconvictions/issues/deathpenalty/executinginnocent/gaMoonlsummary.html Warden, R. (2000) Roy Michael Roberts. Retrieved March 18, 2009 from http://www.law.northwestern.edu/wrongfulconvictions/issues/deathpenalty/executinginnocent/moRobertsrsummary.html Warden, R., & Lewis, M. (2000) Brian Baldwin. Retrieved March 20, 2009 from http://www.law.northwestern.edu/wrongfulconvictions/issues/deathpenalty/executinginnocent/alBaldwinbsummary.html