The death penalty has been used through out history. No-where was this more apparent than in Medieval Europe. Some Europeans were executed because of treason, stealing, murder, prisoners of war, people believing they were witches and many other ridiculous reasons. The methods of execution vary from country to country and throughout history, from the cruel to the unusual executions was a public spectacle. Here are just a few of the methods of execution that were used throughout history. Beheading, burned at the stake, drawn and quartered, impaling, iron maiden, crucifixion, drowning, blown from a cannon, pendulum, pressing, s

Perhaps, an even more controversial story that thrusted the Texas Death Penalty into the spot light was; the execution of Karla Faye Tucker. Tucker who was convicted of the pickaxe murder of a couple in Texas in 1983; caught not only national attention but also worldwide attention. The world was watching closely as the drama of the Texas Justice System was unfolding. Tucker who was convicted in 1983 had admitted to, “robbing and killing Deborah Thornton and Jerry Lynn Dean while drugged” (The Economist 29).

Many proponents of the death penalty argues that the death penalty is an effective deterrence of violent crimes, but there is not really any conclusive evidence to support that. There was study that was conducted by Crime & Delinquency magazine, which tested the deterrence hypothesis in Texas. They collected data from various sources, and went over execution and murder rates in Texas from 1994-1997. They confirmed the results of previous studies that failed to find any evidence of deterrence. “This study found that recent evidence from the most active execution state in the nation lent no support to the deterrence hypothesis. The number of executions did not appear to influence either the rate of murder in general or the rate of felony murder in particular. Executions did not reduce murder rates; they also did not have the opposite effect of increasing murder rates” (Crime & Delinquency 481).

Many critics believed that George W. Bush’s actions were not out of the kindness of his heart, but more to help his political aspirations instead. Bush is a staunch Republican and an adamant supporter of the death penalty and also the fact that he was campaigning for president; there is substantial reason to believe that his actions are politically motivated. “The Bush camp denied that the governor’s decision had political overtones, Bush’s position has been, as he said last month, “there is no doubt in my mind” that everyone who has been executed in Texas on his watch was guilty” (U.S. News & World Report 21).

Because of the lack of adequate legal defense is one of the major reasons why Texas has the highest execution rate in the nation. “Texas doesn’t have a statewide public-defender system,” says Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, a Washington-based group that opposes the death penalty. “The attorneys are appointed by the local judge who determines the amount of pay…. So you may get a lawyer who doesn’t have any experience” (csmonitor 2001).

Texas has come under strong national scrutiny for its reluctance to do away with the death penalty. Few places dispose of their killers as nonchalantly as Texas does and few places execute at the rate as Texas does. Many opponents of the death penalty claim that the death penalty is racially bias and more innocent people are wrongly executed than the guilty. There is some evidence to show that some innocent people were wrongfully executed in Texas, as for the death penalty being racially bias I have not found the answer.

As a result of this Texas had to try and find another more “humane” way to execute criminals. Texas did not want to do away with its capital punishment policy; therefore on August 29, 1977 Texas adopted the new method of lethal injection as its means of execution. In doing so Texas policymakers hoped to get some public pressure of its back about its death penalty policy. That did not happen because many opponents of the de

Some topics in this essay:
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