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The Death Penalty . Hannah Welsh Senior Seminar Periods 3&4. British settlers bring Death Penalty to the colonies 1767 essay by Cesare Beccaria : “On Crimes and Punishment” questioned justification Late 1700s: Death Penalty abolitionist movement Benjamin Rush: rise of high crimes
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The Death Penalty Hannah Welsh Senior Seminar Periods 3&4
British settlers bring Death Penalty to the colonies • 1767 essay by CesareBeccaria: “On Crimes and Punishment” questioned justification • Late 1700s: Death Penalty abolitionist movement • Benjamin Rush: rise of high crimes • Pennsylvania: 1794-first state to abolish except for 1st degree murder; 1834-first state to move executions to correctional facilities • 1838: Tennessee begins discretion • Electric Chair created after Civil War • Reform movements in beginning of 1900s • 1924: Cyanide gas invented • 1930s: more executions that any other decade • 1950s: Huge drop in executions • Trop v Dulles: “standard of decency” (1958) • Furman v Georgia: voids 40 death penalties along with suspension (1972) • Coker v Georgia: death penalty with living rape victim unconstitutional (1977) Historical Background
1986: execution of mentally insane people banned • 1988: Death Penalty to people aged 15 and under unconstitutional • 1988-1989: Executions of ages 16 and 17, and “mentally retarded” not banned by 8th Amendment • 1994: Clinton creates the “Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act” • 1996: Clinton creates the “Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act” • 1998: Karla Faye Tucker and Judi Buenoano executed • 2000: Illinois governor, George Ryan, appoints commission to study issue • Atkins v Virginia: execution of “mentally retarded” defendants violates 8th Amendment (2002) • 2003: George Ryan grants clemency to all 167 death row inmates • 2004: New York death penalty declared unconstitutional by the state’s high court • Roper v Simmons: Execution for under 18 considered “cruel and unusual punishment”
Recent History • 2007: New Jersey becomes first state to abolish capital punishment • Kennedy v Louisiana: no capital punishment in child rape when victim is still alive (2008) • 2009: Governor Bill Richardson repeals death penalty in New Mexico with a life replacement • 2011: Governor Patt Quinn in Illinois does the same • Trend of fewer executions in 2010: 46 compared to 52 in 2009 • COMPARE TO: 85 in 2000 • Juries leaning towards life sentences Current state
Death Penalty SHOULD be Banned: • Finances • Barbaric, useless, wrong message • Clogs court systems • Juries reluctant to convict • Possible innocence • Mentally ill prisoners • Creates sympathy for offenders Opposing Viewpoints
Death Penalty SHOULD NOT be Banned • Closure for victim’s families • Crime deterrent • DNA • Parole and escapes • Prison overpopulation • Justice is better served
"I believe the death penalty is appropriate in certain circumstances. There are extraordinarily heinous crimes, terrorism, the harm of children in which it may be appropriate.” • (Obama, Audacity of Hope) Obama and Democratic Platform
Supportive: • Supportive of courts having discretion in capital murder cases • Effective Deterrent • More rights for victims, harsher criminal penalties Republican Platform
RICK PERRY • Received question on capital punishment in recent debate • Quizzed about enthusiasm • Has no problems with any of the executions on his watch • Mentally ill prisoners, women, juveniles • 234 executions while in office • Duane Buck case
RON PAUL • Wants to eliminate death penalty at state and federal level • Changed his opinion due to prior mistakes
Picture Citations • http://www.google.com/imgres?q=death+penalty&hl=en&newwindow=1&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=CrCG-y9I6m9IbM:&imgrefurl=http://onthefencewithjesus.com/%3Fp%3D1469&docid=Bwx3GJdXB9fhlM&w=361&h=347&ei=oq9yTr_pNanA0AGunp3-CQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=621&vpy=182&dur=74&hovh=220&hovw=229&tx=125&ty=104&page=1&tbnh=154&tbnw=160&start=0&ndsp=48&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&biw=1683&bih=1184 • http://www.google.com/imgres?q=death+penalty&hl=en&newwindow=1&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=K6KN8c2v5MeOOM:&imgrefurl=http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/09/the-mandatory-death-penalty-is-not-the-same-as-the-death-penalty/&docid=shRwQsLv15jWIM&w=312&h=400&ei=oq9yTr_pNanA0AGunp3-CQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=421&page=1&tbnh=154&tbnw=129&start=0&ndsp=48&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0&tx=100&ty=127&biw=1683&bih=1184 • http://www.google.com/imgres?q=judy+buenoano&hl=en&newwindow=1&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=L0bvR5knw8-b6M:&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_Buenoano&docid=mKPm7U2XLtscAM&w=200&h=245&ei=c7ByTuajNcHg0QGG8KWLCg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=497&page=1&tbnh=148&tbnw=116&start=0&ndsp=56&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=61&ty=69&biw=1683&bih=1184 • http://www.google.com/imgres?q=karla+faye+tucker&hl=en&newwindow=1&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=xfJq6ysLGZSchM:&imgrefurl=http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/karla.html&docid=f7WeP_rbq0CxEM&w=351&h=354&ei=y7ByTujFMIn10gG5yLSdCg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=175&page=1&tbnh=149&tbnw=155&start=0&ndsp=54&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&tx=153&ty=142&biw=1683&bih=1184 • http://www.google.com/imgres?q=the+death+penalty+makes+killers+of+us+all&hl=en&newwindow=1&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=Rb-Ar8_U6UHihM:&imgrefurl=http://theduckshoot.com/blog/amnesty-internationals-award-winning-death-to-the-death-penalty-advertisement/death-penalty/&docid=R_83nvQHKuevgM&w=504&h=669&ei=QbNyTr-AHOP10gHhvMWHCg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=388&page=1&tbnh=172&tbnw=132&start=0&ndsp=47&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=71&ty=61&biw=1683&bih=1184 • http://www.google.com/imgres?q=pro+death+penalty&hl=en&newwindow=1&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=dxaycm3xjHkl7M:&imgrefurl=http://www.cafepress.com/%2Bprodeath_penalty_sticker,167593098&docid=EiZQotzsPCWjTM&w=480&h=480&ei=urNyTpvJB-L20gHC1uCvCg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=466&page=1&tbnh=145&tbnw=145&start=0&ndsp=47&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0&tx=74&ty=57&biw=1683&bih=1184 • http://www.google.com/imgres?q=audacity+of+hope&hl=en&newwindow=1&sa=X&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=rln9DfZWyp5unM:&imgrefurl=http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2011/06/us-should-stop-audacity-of-hope.html&docid=glh-Xtlr_CnYRM&w=322&h=416&ei=17NyTqC9Osfs0gHMrYmDCg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=432&page=1&tbnh=145&tbnw=112&start=0&ndsp=62&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&tx=91&ty=79&biw=1683&bih=1184 • http://www.google.com/imgres?q=rick+perry&hl=en&newwindow=1&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=0nwOSirX4YQWZM:&imgrefurl=http://thelibertyblog.org/2011/06/17/rick-perry-hes-the-guy-2/&docid=1EhzVRWUb__cdM&w=640&h=480&ei=9bNyToLZL4Xu0gHH6sDxCQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=354&page=1&tbnh=149&tbnw=184&start=0&ndsp=50&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&tx=79&ty=87&biw=1683&bih=1184 • http://www.google.com/imgres?q=ron+paul&hl=en&newwindow=1&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=7ZhI0xxyxKV8nM:&imgrefurl=http://www.therightperspective.org/2011/05/21/israel-our-close-friend-obama-irrational-ron-paul/&docid=BuGEJCL1OxKaIM&w=300&h=327&ei=CLRyTsP0B4Tw0gH-g_iIBg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=689&vpy=178&dur=560&hovh=212&hovw=194&tx=109&ty=111&page=1&tbnh=144&tbnw=131&start=0&ndsp=52&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0&biw=1683&bih=1184