As Another ‘Innocent’ Person Is Executed Let’s Examine State Sanctioned Murder In The USA
Marcellus Williams murdered by the state of Missouri
As another potentially innocent person is murdered by the state in the USA let us take a look at the flaw riddled system that kills people based on the Old Testament sentiment of punishment and revenge and cares little for justice.
Fact: Did you know that over 200 people who have been murdered by the state capital punishment system in the USA, since the 1970’s, were later exonerated?
The death penalty, or capital punishment, has long been a subject of debate in the United States. While some argue that it serves as a deterrent to heinous crimes, provides justice for victims, and maintains social order, a closer examination of the system reveals a multitude of flaws that undermine its legitimacy. This essay will explore the inefficacy of the death penalty in the USA, focusing on wrongful convictions, racial disparities, and the role of wealth in determining who faces execution. Through analysis of these factors, it becomes evident that the death penalty does not work and is a flawed and unjust practice.
Exonerations: The Tragic Consequences of Wrongful Convictions
One of the most damning indictments of the death penalty is the alarming number of people who have been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death, only to be exonerated later. The risk of executing an innocent person is a clear indication that the system is not infallible. Since 1973, over 190 individuals have been exonerated from death row in the United States, with many having spent decades in prison for crimes they did not commit. These wrongful convictions are often the result of systemic issues such as flawed investigations, unreliable forensic evidence, coerced confessions, and prosecutorial misconduct.
The case of Kirk Bloodsworth is a poignant example of the failings of the death penalty system. In 1985, Bloodsworth was convicted of the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl based on eyewitness testimony, despite a lack of physical evidence connecting him to the crime. He was sentenced to death and spent nine years in prison, two of them on death row, before being exonerated by DNA evidence in 1993. Bloodsworth was the first death row inmate in the United States to be exonerated by DNA testing, a technology that has since played a crucial role in overturning wrongful convictions.
Another well-known case is that of Anthony Ray Hinton, who spent 30 years on death row in Alabama for a crime he did not commit. Hinton was convicted of two murders based on faulty ballistic evidence and the testimony of an incompetent defence lawyer. In 2015, after years of legal battles, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned his conviction, leading to his release. Cases like these illustrate the profound human cost of wrongful convictions and raise serious concerns about the reliability of the death penalty as a form of justice.
A young black woman told the police that Edward Johnson (murdered by the state in 1987) was not guilty because at the the time he was with her. She was told to “Piss off and mind her own business”. See more in video below.
The Racial Disparities in the Death Penalty
Racial bias is another significant factor that undermines the credibility of the death penalty in the United States. Studies have consistently shown that people of colour, particularly African Americans, are disproportionately sentenced to death, especially in cases involving white victims. This racial disparity is a stark reflection of the broader systemic racism that pervades the criminal justice system in the U.S.
A 2020 report by the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) highlighted the extent of racial bias in capital punishment cases. The report found that, since the 1970s, nearly 300 African Americans have been executed for killing white victims, while only 21 white individuals have been executed for killing African American victims. The racial imbalance in sentencing is further exacerbated by the racial composition of juries, which are often disproportionately white in cases involving Black defendants.
The case of Duane Buck is a glaring example of racial bias influencing a death penalty decision. Buck, an African American man, was sentenced to death in Texas for a double murder. During his sentencing, a psychologist testified that Buck’s race made him more likely to be dangerous in the future, a factor that contributed to his death sentence. In 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Buck had been unfairly sentenced due to racial bias, and his death sentence was overturned.
The history of the death penalty in the U.S. is also deeply entwined with the legacy of lynching and racial terror. Between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries, lynchings were often carried out with impunity, and the death penalty became a legal substitute for extrajudicial killings. This history has had a lasting impact on the use of capital punishment, with states that had the highest rates of lynching also having some of the highest rates of executions today. The racialised application of the death penalty reflects the broader inequalities in the American criminal justice system and highlights its inherent injustice.
Wealth and the Death Penalty: Justice for the Rich, Death for the Poor
Another critical issue that reveals the failings of the death penalty is the influence of wealth and legal representation on the outcome of capital cases. The death penalty disproportionately affects those who cannot afford competent legal defence, leading to a system where justice is determined not by the severity of the crime, but by the financial resources of the defendant.
In the U.S., those sentenced to death are overwhelmingly poor. Many defendants cannot afford to hire experienced lawyers and must rely on court-appointed attorneys, who are often overworked, underfunded, and lack the resources to mount an effective defence. This disparity in legal representation can mean the difference between life and death. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), approximately 90% of people on death row could not afford their own lawyer.
An infamous case that demonstrates the impact of wealth on death penalty cases is that of O.J. Simpson. In 1994, Simpson, a wealthy former NFL player, was charged with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Simpson assembled a legal “dream team” of high-profile attorneys who were able to secure his acquittal, despite substantial evidence against him. While Simpson was not facing the death penalty, his case highlights how wealth can significantly influence the outcome of criminal trials, including capital cases. In contrast, those without financial means are far more likely to be convicted and sentenced to death.
The case of Clarence Brandley, an African American janitor in Texas, offers a stark contrast. In 1980, Brandley was wrongfully convicted of murdering a white high school student, largely due to prosecutorial misconduct and racial bias. Brandley had inadequate legal representation, and it took nearly a decade of appeals and legal battles before his conviction was overturned in 1990. His case is a tragic example of how poverty, race, and the lack of competent legal representation can lead to wrongful death sentences.
Deterrence: The Myth of Crime Prevention
Proponents of the death penalty often argue that it serves as a deterrent to serious crimes such as murder. However, numerous studies have shown that there is no conclusive evidence to support this claim. In fact, states without the death penalty tend to have lower murder rates than those that retain it, suggesting that capital punishment is not an effective deterrent.
A study by the National Research Council in 2012 concluded that there was no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than life imprisonment. The study reviewed decades of research and found that the deterrent effect of the death penalty was either non-existent or too minimal to be statistically significant. Additionally, a 2021 report by the Death Penalty Information Center found that murder rates were consistently higher in states with the death penalty than in those without it.
Texas, a state with one of the highest execution rates in the U.S., provides a clear example of the failure of the death penalty to deter crime. Despite its frequent use of capital punishment, Texas continues to have a relatively high murder rate compared to states without the death penalty. This suggests that the threat of execution does not prevent individuals from committing violent crimes and that other factors, such as social and economic conditions, play a more significant role in crime prevention.
Moreover, the death penalty’s focus on retribution rather than rehabilitation does little to address the root causes of crime. Capital punishment does not offer any opportunity for reform or redemption, and it diverts resources away from more effective crime prevention strategies, such as education, mental health services, and community support programs.
The Financial Burden of the Death Penalty
In addition to its moral and ethical failings, the death penalty is also an expensive and inefficient use of public resources. Capital punishment cases are significantly more costly than non-death penalty cases, largely due to the lengthy appeals process, the need for expert witnesses, and the costs associated with maintaining death row facilities.
A 2016 study by the Fair Punishment Project found that the average cost of a death penalty case in the U.S. was approximately $1.26 million, compared to $740,000 for a case resulting in life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. These costs include pre-trial expenses, trial costs, post-conviction appeals, and the additional expenses of housing inmates on death row, which is typically more expensive due to heightened security measures.
The financial burden of the death penalty is particularly evident in states such as California, which has one of the largest death rows in the country. Since reinstating the death penalty in 1978, California has spent an estimated $4 billion on its capital punishment system, despite having executed only 13 individuals during that time. This staggering expenditure has led many to question whether the death penalty is a wise use of public funds, especially when those resources could be better allocated to crime prevention, victim services, and rehabilitation programs.
International Perspectives and the Decline of the Death Penalty
Globally, there has been a significant shift away from the use of the death penalty, with more than two-thirds of countries having abolished it in law or practice. The United States remains one of the few developed nations that still retains capital punishment, placing it in a shrinking minority of countries that continue to use the death penalty.
Many of the countries that have abolished the death penalty have done so due to concerns about human rights, wrongful convictions, and the failure of capital punishment to deter crime. For example, the United Kingdom abolished the death penalty for murder in 1965, and the European Union has made the abolition of capital punishment a prerequisite for membership.
The global trend towards abolition reflects a growing recognition that the death penalty is incompatible with modern principles of justice and human rights. As more countries move away from capital punishment, the United States’ continued use of the death penalty becomes increasingly anachronistic and out of step with international norms.
A Deeply Flawed System
The death penalty in the United States is a deeply flawed and ineffective system that fails to achieve its purported goals of justice and crime prevention. The alarming number of wrongful convictions, the racial disparities in sentencing, the disproportionate impact on the poor, and the lack of evidence supporting its deterrent effect all point to the conclusion that the death penalty does not work. Instead of serving as a fair and just punishment, capital punishment perpetuates systemic inequalities and inflicts irreversible harm on innocent individuals.
As public opinion shifts and more states move towards abolition, it is clear that the death penalty is not the solution to addressing violent crime in the U.S. The time has come for the United States to join the growing number of countries that have recognised the inherent flaws of capital punishment and to abolish the death penalty once and for all. By doing so, the U.S. can take a significant step towards creating a more just, equitable, and humane criminal justice system.
References:
- Death Penalty Information Center. (2020). Enduring Injustice: The Persistence of Racial Discrimination in the U.S. Death Penalty.
- Gross, S. R., O’Brien, B., Hu, C., & Kennedy, E. H. (2014). Rate of False Conviction of Criminal Defendants Who Are Sentenced to Death. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(20), 7230-7235.
- The National Research Council. (2012). Deterrence and the Death Penalty.
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). (2017). The Death Penalty in 2021: Year End Report.
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