The Death Penalty, also known as Capital Punishment, has remained a cold and feared topic throughout history. Today, it is one of the very most controversial ideas in the world and varies in citizens opinions everywhere. There are many that feel that this form of punishment is something that the United States itself benefits from tremendously, however, there is a wide is large number of people who strongly disagree with the entire idea of it. The pain and torture that both wrongfully accused victims and rightfully accused victims go through in the process of being executed is highly hypocritical and unfair. Through years of research, it has been found that this form of punishment does not deter crime. Also, in the past, there have been hundreds of innocent people who have been put to their death, and were then later found to be innocent. For many reasons like these, the death penalty is something that almost all states and the US would benefit from abolishing.

The Death Penalty has been around since Ancient History and is still used today. The first Death Penalty laws that were established were during the eighteenth century B.C. It was used in Ancient History, during the Middle Ages, the Modern Era, and the Contemporary Era. Historical records show that Capital Punishment was actually used as part of their justice system. Capital punishment was first introduced in America by British influences that brought the practice over to the United States. The first known execution by the Death Penalty in the United States took place in Virginia in 1608. The man who was executed was named George Kendall and the reason for the execution was that he was found guilty as a spy for Spain. This practice continued all throughout US history, leading up to today. Originally in the United States, every state had the Death Penalty. Over the years, more and more US states began to abolish the law. Today, only thirty two states have capital punishment, while eighteen states have abolished it. Michigan became the first state to abolish it in 1846. The number of states who have abolished this form of punishment is slowly increasing for a variety of important reasons.

False executions are the most popular and most concerning reason towards why the death penalty should not be a law in any US state. Hundreds of innocent citizens have had their lives taken from them for something that they were later found not guilty for doing. This form of punishment is killing people who do not deserve to lose their lives. Taking somebody’s life is something that cannot be undone, fixed, or made up for. It has been proven that 17 people in the United States have been proven innocent after they had already served their time under the death penalty and some, even after being killed. The lack of evidence that is used in these cases is causing the rate of innocent citizens being killed to increase. Before taking the victim’s life, it should be one hundred percent proven, with full and complete evidence that they have committed this crime. It is understood that there are a handful of criminals that do deserve such drastic measures, but if we are risking killing the innocent, this method of punishment should not be used at all. The families of the victims are commonly looked passed and ignored in these cases. It is not recognized how immensely this process and its actions affect the families and friends of the ones who are killed. Whether or not the victim is innocent, it is taking the life of someone that people love and potentially leaving them scarred for the rest of their lives. Executing people who we believe are guilty for something horrific in our own country seems somewhat reasonable to many people. However, the number of innocent victims that have been killed is not something that is looked at with importance. The causes for these wrongful executions are found to be most popularly related to racial or prejudice issues, pressure to solve the case, misinterpretation of evidence, eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, and invalidated forensic science. It is said that these causes will only be fixed if we correct our justice system is some way.

The death penalty cost is something that is commonly looked at today. The death penalty is something that our country spends a ridiculous amount of money on each year and we do not even recognize it. The cost of this form of punishment is not something you commonly hear about, but it is there. Each year, the United States spends around one hundred seventy seven million dollars on death row inmates. For each individual death row inmate, one hundred seventy five thousand dollars is spent. The money that has been blown on capital punishment could have been used wisely and spent on things of higher importance, rather than spending it on killing citizens. The cost of this process has been argued about throughout history. Life in prison has been argued to be the smarter choice. For each prison inmate, only forty seven thousand four hundred and twenty one dollars is spent. The money that is spent on prison compared to the money that is spent on death row is drastically cheaper and could save us money on something that is highly controversial and wrong in the first place. Killing these people is unnecessary and can be corrected simply because we have an easy alternative that would be equally as effective. Increasing public safety, improving our criminal justice system and gathering stronger resources to prevent false convictions could all be done with the money that is saved.

Over the years, a main reason for keeping the death penalty in US states was because it was said to be a deterrent to crime. However, this has been proved false through many studies. Studies show that capital punishment has not lowered the number of crimes being committed in the United States. Recently, it was said that the US had a crime rate that was 6 times the crime rate of both Australia and Britain, neither have the death penalty. There is no purpose in actually having the death penalty if it does not deter crime. It’s only working purpose is to give revenge on those who have committed the crime, which is not right. In the past, there have been years where the murder rate actually increased rather than decrease or even stay the same. This shows that this form of punishment is not dissuading anyone from committing a felony of any type, including murder.  If this way of punishing criminals was working, the number of crimes that were taking place in these states would have decreased drastically. The people committing these felonies are not afraid of the consequences that may come and most likely do not even think about the crime that they are about to commit. Not only is Capital Punishment failing to be a deterrence to crime, it is providing these criminals with publicity and attention that they do not deserve. These victims appear repeatedly in the media and all over the news. This is something that actually attracts people to commit these crimes. They want the attention and audience talking about them and view this as something positive.

The Death Penalty has been around since ancient history and is a topic that everyone knows about today. It is practiced all over the world and is changing each day. Here, in the United States, it started out being used in every state and has slowly been abolished from 18 different states over the years. The reasons for the abolishment in these states vary. Capital punishment itself has caused the lives of a shocking amount of innocent people to be executed for something that they were wrongly accused for. It is also very expensive and wastes money that does not need to be spent. We could simply send these criminals to prison for a life in prison which is said to be full of more suffering than being killed and is drastically cheaper. These states have made a beneficial decision of abolishing the method of punishment because it does not deter crime like many people believe it does. The wide variety of different reasons that the death penalty should not be used in the United States illustrates why the other states would benefit from abolishment. Although there are an immense number of ideas that support the abolishment of the death penalty, there are thousands of Americans who feel that this form of punishment is something that our country benefits from. The supporters of the death penalty have a number of reasons why they believe in it, but it is evident that the death penalty or capital punishment is something that is causing negative effects on the United States as a whole.

Citations

“Part I: History of the Death Penalty.” Part I: History of the Death Penalty | Death Penalty Information Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2017.

Y., and The Death Pena. Death Penalty Is Dead Wrong: It’s Time to Outlaw Capital Punishment in America—Completely (n.d.): n. pag. Web.

“Death Penalty | Death Penalty Issues | CIP.” California Innocence Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2017.

“Death Penalty.” Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law, edited by Donna Batten, 3rd ed., vol. 1: American with Disabilities Act to First Amendment Law, Gale, 2013, pp. 399-404. Gale Virtual Reference Library, libraries.state.ma.us/login?gwurl=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=mlin_s_bristcc&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CCX2760300087&it=r&asid=751edca7d9b9118d804c770974292243. Accessed 3 May 2017.

The Long Tail of the Attica Prison Riot by J. Oliver Conroy informs the reader about  the truth of the Attica prison riot. In 1971 prisoners united together to form a rebellion in the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York. The revolution was based upon inmates demands of better living conditions and political rights. The riot is one of the most well known. Oliver starts by explaining exactly what took place. He gives descriptive detail on what led to the tragic death of forty three individuals. He then digs deeper and uses the perspectives of  different individuals to explain what happened.

He begins by giving the perspective of a historian named Heather Ann Thompson. She was the author of  Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy. The book was a product of 13 years of research and insight of previously unseen documents. The book explains the Attica uprisings and retaking  as well as the decade long fight by Attica survivors and whistleblowers to demand restitution and challenge the state’s attempt to whitewash criminal acts committed by law enforcement during the retaking. There was controversy surrounding the book because it included state troopers and correctional officers names who were suspected of killing prisoners. The book also presents the state’s role in an ugly saga of U.S. history. “Attica was often thought of as a riot, but the truth is that Attica was a hell hole. Prisoners were desperate to get the state to address the problems extreme prison overcrowding; horrific food and sanitation; lack of medical care; and tension between the mainly black and Puerto Rican prisoners and the almost entirely white guards.” Oliver Conroy explains that the chaotic uprisings was unplanned and originally leaderless but rapidly organized around a sense of revolutionary purpose.

Oliver then gives you an inside look of what happened by telling Mike Smith’s story. Mike Smith was a 23 year old rookie correctional office when the riot occurred. He was held hostage by the prisoners. One of the prisoners named Donald Noble protected him during the riot. They exchanged contact information for their families and agreed that if either survived they would let the others family know they expressed love. As helicopters rose above the prison walls inmates were getting shot from every direction. Smith was shot four times by what he believes was an Ar-15. Noble was the one that pulled him to the ground. A State Trooper walked over and almost shot him before realizing that he wasn’t an inmate. The trooper moved on to Noble but Smith told him that he saved his life.

The next perspective given is from Frank Smith who was one of the prisoners in charge of protecting the hostages they took. Smith was tortured by the correctional officers. They beat him with truncheons and forced him to play “shotgun roulette”. He decided to pursue civil claims against the state. In 2000 twenty nine years after the riot he was granted twelve million dollars by the state.

I understand that State troopers and correctional officers had to use force to end the riot, but I believe things could have been done differently. Instead of shooting at the inmates they should of used tear gas. They could also use batons and tasers. Shooting at the prisoners should have been the last resort. Forty three people lost their lives which could have been avoided. The state didn’t handle it in the right way either. “Much of that 570-page review was sealed by court order and never made public.” People have the right to know what exactly happened. It makes the state look like they are trying to hide something, by not releasing the original review. I believe that more victims and families should have been compensated for the way things were handled. The United States needs to improve prison conditions to prevent riots to occur. Having the largest prison population and poor conditions is a terrible combination. It puts inmates and correctional officers at physical and mental risk.

“Attica’s legacy for American criminal justice was ugly.” It’s a shame not much has changed since then. Last year prisoners across the US participated in one of the biggest prison strikes in history involving thousands of inmates in 24 prisons in 23 states. Many of the prisoners demands were identical of those in Attica.  “When you put a problem behind walls it is sort of as if society doesn’t have to look at it or acknowledge it until there is a riot. But as a society we have to make major changes to our criminal justice system and major changes in how we think.”

Citations

“Free the Attica Report.” New York Times, 24 Apr. 2013, p. A22(L). World History in Context, libraries.state.ma.us/login?gwurl=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A327391814/WHIC?u=mlin_s_bristcc&xid=0c713241. Accessed 18 Apr. 2017.

Conroy, J. Oliver. “The Long Tail of the Attica Prison Riot.” The Morning News. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.

The Long Tail of the Attica Prison Riot by J. Oliver Conroy gives the reader the truth about the Attica prison riot that took place in New York in 1971. Oliver starts by explaining exactly what took place. He gives descriptive detail on what led to the tragic death of forty three individuals. He then digs deeper and gives the reader different perspectives of what happened. First he gives you a historian named Heather Ann Thompson’s perspective. She was the author of  Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy. The book was a product of 13 years of research and insight of previously unseen documents. The book explains the Attica uprisings and retaking  as well as the decades-long fight by Attica survivors and whistleblowers to demand restitution and challenge the state’s attempt to whitewash criminal acts committed by law enforcement during the retaking. There was controversy surrounding the book because it included state troopers and correctional officers names who were suspected of killing prisoners. The book also presents the state’s role in an ugly saga of U.S. history. Attica was often thought of as a riot, but the truth is that Attica was a hell hole. Prisoners were desperate to get the state to address the problems extreme prison overcrowding; horrific food and sanitation; lack of medical care; and tension between the mainly black and Puerto Rican prisoners and the almost entirely white guards. Oliver Conroy explains that the chaotic uprisings was unplanned and originally leaderless but rapidly organized around a sense of revolutionary purpose. He then gives you an inside look of what happened by telling Mike Smith’s story. Mike Smith was a 23 year old rookie correctional office when the riot occurred. He was held hostage by the prisoners, and almost mistakenly killed by a state trooper. The next perspective given is from Frank Smith who was one of the prisoners in charge of protecting the hostages they took. Smith was tortured by the correctional officers and decided to pursue civil claims against the state. He was granted twelve million dollars by the state. Oliver conroy then explains that he believes Attica’s legacy for American criminal justice was ugly. It’s a shame not much has changed since then. Last year prisoners across the US participated in one of the biggest prison strikes in history involving thousands of inmates in 24 prisons in 23 states. Many of the prisoners demands were identical of those in Attica.  “When you put a problem behind walls it is sort of as if society doesn’t have to look at it or acknowledge it until there is a riot. But as a society we have to make major changes to our criminal justice system and major changes in how we think.”

As I first approached the prison that I was visiting, I got an overwhelming, unwelcoming feeling. As I entered the state prison I was first told that I must show a valid form of identification to enter any further. I presented the guard with my drivers license and he proceeded to inspect it carefully before handing it back with a stamp of approval. I was also asked to provide the guard with the inmate identification number in which I was visiting. In my specific case I was visiting a cousin. After getting approval to go forward, a background check was performed to make sure I did have a criminal history. As I proceed, I was directed to go through a metal detector and then asked to step forward where the correctional officers pat me down. They asked me to remove my earrings and checked to be sure that my clothing was appropriate for the prisons dress code. They do these thorough searches to be sure that no contraband or drugs are being brought inside of the prison.

Once I got inside I immediately saw all of the inmates. Some were in blue jumpsuits while others were in jeans and a t-shirt. When I entered the visiting room I walked up to the desk to tell them the inmate I was going to see. I spent three minutes looking around the room to see if my cousin had entered. The prison was extremely loud and filled with different voices and conversations. My cousin had finally come inside but it was difficult for me to see him at first glance because there was a lot of inmates. We walked to a table and sat down together. As I looked around all I saw was a lot of long tables with seats attached, three vending machines, one filled with snacks, one with drinks and the other with cheeseburgers and subs. There was card games and magazines. In one corner of the room they had a camera set up to take pictures with family and friends that were visiting. I walked to one of the machines to grab my cousin a burger and a soda. I had to heat the burger up in the microwave since it was frozen. I gave it to my cousin and instantly saw how much he truly appreciated it. This made me grateful for my freedom and I realized that some of things that I stress about aren’t actually important.

When I walked in the prison I had a already created perception of what the inmates would be like. I imagined that they would be intimidating, disrespectful, and unfriendly. However, they seemed like normal citizens. Many of them had family visiting. Some had a mother or father visiting, while others visited their spouse. I even saw children in the prison. Observing the way the inmates interacted with their children was eye opening for me. These individuals do not all fit into the typical inmate stereotype that many of us have in our minds. Almost every inmate that I was able to observe was caring, happy and calm while speaking with their families as well as with each other. Many of them had smiles on their faces and seemed to be very thankful and appreciative of the time that they were given to spent with their family or friends. I witnessed an inmate spending time with a little girl who appeared to be his daughter. He was going out of his way to make her laugh and show her that he loves her. It was evident by the look on his face that he cared about the little girl greatly and wanted to see her smile.

Observing these inmates, as well as my cousin while being in the prison for a short visit that day completely changed my perspective on these individuals. Although there are exceptions to everything, most of these individuals appeared to be very different from the images I had created in my head.

Around 2 a.m. I layed in bed, sound asleep in a silent hotel room. The only sound in the room was the dull humming noise coming from the air conditioner. I was suddenly woken up by my mother. The room was still nearly pitch black and there was a cool breeze coming in from under my blankets. Her voice was shaky and she shook me frantically. I woke up startled and confused with a pounding heart. I recognized immediately that something was terribly wrong. My mother told us in a fearful, demanding voice to gather all of our clothes quickly because we needed to leave as soon as possible. A thousand thoughts rushed through my head thinking of what could possibly be wrong. I rushed around the room anxiously with an overwhelming feeling of worry in my stomach. I grabbed everything as fast as I could and threw it into my large, black duffle bag that was never packed neatly to begin with. When we got into the car, I buckled and sat nervously in the cold leather seats waiting to find out what was going on.

The year was 2013. My family and I were staying at Foxwoods Casino for a long weekend where my father plays poker regularly. We had all went to sleep with no worries, enjoying our weekend away. Around 2 a.m. I was suddenly woken up by my mother. I recognized immediately that something was wrong by the look of fear in her eyes and the shakiness of her voice. She told my brother and I to gather all of our clothes quickly because we had to leave as soon as possible. Being only 15 years old, I was extremely confused and worried about what was going on. I grabbed everything I brought and threw it into my bag in a panic. When we got into the car my mother explained to us as calmly as she could that our house was just broken into.

The ride home was over an hour long and was filled with silence. I remember being confused about why someone would try to break into our home. I looked outside the window searching for an answer. After what seemed like years, we arrived at my house where I saw multiple police cars and bright flashing lights. The police officers escorted us into our house. Once I walked through the door with caution I felt a cool breeze. I walked up my stairs and went into my living room to see something that I found very alarming. The glass door was shattered into a million pieces all over the floor and the blinds were violently torn down. The officers explained to us that the intruders had fled as soon as they heard the alarm go off. My mother and father were furious that this had happened. The fact that we did not know who it was that did this made the situation even worse.

My mother feared that they would come back. None of us could get any sleep because the house was so cold. I vividly remember laying in bed shivering and wearing a sweatsuit to keep myself warm. We spent the morning searching for companies to come repair the door. Most of the places were closed for a couple of days because it was a holiday. Luckily there was a company that had 24 hour service. They were able to repair our door and we got the house back to normal as best would could.

Although we were lucky that the intruders were scared off by the alarm and that none of our personal belongings were taken, my family and I were drastically affected emotionally by this experience. For the next couple of weeks there was an extremely uneasy feeling at my house. It was a terrible feeling to feel uncomfortable and unsafe within my own home. A couple weeks later we received a call from the police department. They informed us that the criminals had been caught. They broke into three other houses in my town before breaking into a police officer’s home where they were caught. The criminals were three teens that were on drugs looking for money or valuable items to sell.

The individuals who commit these crimes do not take into consideration the negative impacts that they have on the families that live behind the doors of these homes. My mother and father both felt that they had to be highly cautious and protective of my brother and I even while we were safe at home. These experiences take a toll on the people who have to come home to these disturbing scenes.