The Future of Capital Punishment in America: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Decides
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC Room 137A
Start Date
15-5-2014
End Date
15-5-2014
Keywords
Capital Punishment, Inequality, Alternatives
Abstract
Capital punishment has left deep divisions in American society because of its moral, legal, and socioeconomic implications. After the US Supreme Court handed down the Gregg decision in 1976 citing that the issues of racism that plagued the system had been fixed and would be no longer a factor, the current system is a contradiction because of its tendency to sentence poor people and minorities as these people cannot afford the representation in court they truly need when ineffective representation can mean the difference between life and death. The systematic problems of the American death penalty include inequality encompassing racism, classism, and sexism; uninformed, guilt-prone juries; and underpaid and underprepared attorneys. These are the central issues which plague a system inflicting the ultimate punishment. Looking at existing research and data from various sources in the legal and social science fields, this report looks to address and examine possible solutions to a major problem: more poor, young men of minority groups are being sent to death row in staggering numbers when they may or may not be guilty. The ultimate mistake that can happen, when such systematic issues are ignored, is putting to death an innocent person, sometimes in a painful and inhumane way. While looking this troubling issue in depth, it is necessary to examine alternatives such as life without parole, how women factor into capital punishment, show patterns of arbitrariness in administration, and looking at what happens when execution day goes wrong must be included.
Recommended Citation
Wells, Mariah, "The Future of Capital Punishment in America: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Decides" (2014). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 8.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2014/oralpresentations/8
Additional Mentoring Department
Sociology
The Future of Capital Punishment in America: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Decides
SURC Room 137A
Capital punishment has left deep divisions in American society because of its moral, legal, and socioeconomic implications. After the US Supreme Court handed down the Gregg decision in 1976 citing that the issues of racism that plagued the system had been fixed and would be no longer a factor, the current system is a contradiction because of its tendency to sentence poor people and minorities as these people cannot afford the representation in court they truly need when ineffective representation can mean the difference between life and death. The systematic problems of the American death penalty include inequality encompassing racism, classism, and sexism; uninformed, guilt-prone juries; and underpaid and underprepared attorneys. These are the central issues which plague a system inflicting the ultimate punishment. Looking at existing research and data from various sources in the legal and social science fields, this report looks to address and examine possible solutions to a major problem: more poor, young men of minority groups are being sent to death row in staggering numbers when they may or may not be guilty. The ultimate mistake that can happen, when such systematic issues are ignored, is putting to death an innocent person, sometimes in a painful and inhumane way. While looking this troubling issue in depth, it is necessary to examine alternatives such as life without parole, how women factor into capital punishment, show patterns of arbitrariness in administration, and looking at what happens when execution day goes wrong must be included.
Faculty Mentor(s)
McMullin-Messier, Pamela