Many controversies exist surrounding the use of the death penalty in the American criminal justice system. While reading A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, I came across several key points that reflect many of the arguments associated with these controversies. One example that caused me to consistently make a comparison in my mind was the differences that exist between the use of the death penalty during the time of the book in the 1940's, and its use in today's criminal justice system.
In A Lesson Before Dying, Jefferson's case took place in a time when blacks were not afforded equality in society and especially in the criminal justice system. He was put on death row after he was unlucky enough to have been in the store when his friends got into the dispute with Mr. Grope. In their dispute Mr. Grope, and Jefferson's two friends were shot and killed, leaving Jefferson as the only one left alive. While it makes sense that this would look bad in the eyes of the authorities, the criminal justice system that was in place at that time did not afford Jefferson a trial that was motivated by the search for the truth. Instead it was a trial motivated by racism and inequality. One where a white jury will almost always find a black man guilty whenever a white man is killed, and a black man is the suspect. .
While in no way am I saying that this type of justice is right, I feel there are other aspects of the criminal justice system in place in the south in the 1940's that are worse. For example, it is especially wrong that such a criminal justice system would utilize the death penalty. Because, it is one thing to wrongfully convict a person and have them receive a jail sentence, it is another when the person is sentenced to death for no better reason than the color of their skin. This is one of the scariest scenarios that can be foreseen with respect to the application of the death penalty.
