Limiting Death Row Appeals :: essays research papers

Limiting Death Row AppealsThe Constitution of the United States outlines the overcompensates of a personaccused of a crime. The individual has a right to a trial and to be judged by ajury of his peers. When the result of a trial is a guilty verdict and theindividual is sentenced to death, the individual has a right to woo theverdict and the sentence. At the present time, there are virtually no limits onthe number of appeals the individual is entitled to and the process could carry awayyears. Therefore, the process should be altered to limit the number of appealsto one.The Supreme Court of the United States re-instituted the death penaltyin 1976. Between that year and 1995, 314 inmates have been punish in the 37states, districts, and providences of the United States that allow the deathpenalty. There are more than 3100 inmates on death row. The mass ofexecutions are of white males. Most executions are by lethal injection orelectrocution. In the years since the Supreme Court re- instituted the deathpenalty through 1994, there have been approximately 467,000 homicides in theUnited States. Based on that number, 2.8 community will die every hour at thehands of another person.Death row inmates are lots on death row for years, some upwards oftwenty years. This puts great financial strain on taxpayers money. While inprison, inmates have many privileges, including pedigree television, the chance topursue a college degree, and free health care, all at taxpayers expense. Thereare many law-abiding citizens who dont get these benefits. It is appalling tothink these people have a virtual life of leisure while in prison. There aresome death penalty opponents who believe that convicts dont get generousprivileges and lobby for better living conditions and the rights of theconvicted felons. Lost in this passionate pursuit of human rights are therights of the dead victim and those of that victims family.The appeal process is lengthy and time-consuming. The appeal proces s isalmost automatic for individuals sentenced to death. Many appeals are filed bythe convicts in hopes of overturning their conviction or to change theirsentence to life imprisonment. Although a great majority of these cases arehandled pro bono by lawyers ethically opposed to the death penalty, noconsideration is taken in respect to the cost to taxpayers for the local, state,and federal government to oppose to and process these appeals. A little knownfact about the appeals process is that many states have laws providing funds forthe legal defense and appeals for convicted felons.