Capital Punishment is Wrong Essay - 2406 Words

Max Soffar, whose mental illness left him particularly vulnerable to giving a false confession, stands convicted and sentenced to death for allegedly killing four victims during an armed robbery in a Houston bowling alley (Thorn, par. 2). The court overturned the conviction in 2004 because during his trial, lawyers failed to argue that Soffars confession contradicted the other evidence in the case, and he ended up on death row (Thorn, par. 4). From two unfair trials to a death sentence, the court ruled that the false confession given by Soffar should stand. In addition, his constitutional rights were not violated when his 2006 trial court judge refused to allow him to show that the only correct details in his fake confession were not the†¦show more content†¦According to researchers at the Death Penalty Information Center, from the years, 1973 to the year 1999 there was an average of about 46% exonerations per year. From the years, 2000 to 2007 there has been an average of 1 2% exonerations per year (â€Å"Facts,† par 5). I believe that this is a good thing, because with the use of science, we save more lives. However, there still are cases were innocent individuals get put on the death row because of an eyed witness, who accuses the wrong person of committing the crime. Like in the case of Jennifer Thompson, a 22 year old college student who was raped in her dormitory said, â€Å"I can identify the man who raped me anywhere and anytime† (â€Å"Eyewitness,† par. 6). With her visual memory of the man who raped her, a detective captured a man named Ron Cotton who Thompson identified as the man who had done wrong to her. She even confessed more than three times that she was 100% it was the correct individual they had captured (â€Å"Eyewitness,† par. 9). Mr. Cotton was sentenced to death row and remained in prison meantime. For eleven years, he spent his life in jail and had no choice but to look forward to the day of his execut ion, until the real man who raped Jennifer Thompson turned himself in and the case was closed (â€Å"Eyewitness,† par. 14). According to the researchers at the Death Penalty Information Center, evidence shows that 138 death-row inmates have been exonerated out of 7,000-plus death sentences since the Supreme CourtShow MoreRelatedCapital Punishment: Is It Right or Wrong?883 Words   |  4 PagesAt first thought it may seem that capital punishment is the right thing to do. But what most people don’t realize is that it is injustice and wrong. Capital punishment has been around since the middle ages and is used today to kill people who commit crimes it varies from state to state but one of the main crimes to receive the death penalty is murder. Also the U.S.A. has used capital punishment from it’s beginning it started with hanging and it’s changed over the years there have been many differentRead MoreIs Capital Punishment Right or Wrong?870 Words   |  4 PagesIs Capital Punishment Right or Wrong? One might say capital punishment is morally wrong and inhumane; I strongly disagree with this statement. The crimes committed by prisoners such as multiple aggravated murders, serial rapists, and brutal child molestations is malicious and cold-hearted. These actions deserve like punishments in return. People who do those things have no purpose of being part of mainstream society. Bringing justice and closure to the victim’s family, deterrence of crime,Read More Capital Punishment Is Wrong Essay2471 Words   |  10 PagesCapital Punishment Is Wrong To this date, Seven hundred and seventy two criminals in the U.S. alone have been subject to Capital Punishment. (Executions USA 2002). 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