Death Penalty in California Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Death Penalty in California - Essay Example The executions also included convictions for piracy, rape, rioting, kidnapping, spying and espionage. The death penalties were also executed by the State Government laws. However, in 1972, the United States Supreme Court upheld that all the state death penalty laws were not in accordance with the constitution since they permitted for random and unpredictable adoptions. (The Federal Death Penalty) Since the federal statute has similar weaknesses as that of the state laws, no death sentence adopting the older federal statutes has been upheld. During the year 1988, the new Federal Death Penalty law was passed for murder in the course of a drug-kingpin conspiracy. This statute has been formulated in consonance with the statutes approved by the Supreme Court after its 1972 ruling. During the year 1994 the federal death penalty was expanded to include about 60 different crimes. The federal death penalty statute has the jurisdiction over any individual in any state or territory of the US convicted of the murder of certain government officials, kidnapping giving rise to death, murder for hire, fatal drive by shootings, sexual abuse crimes giving rise to death, car jacking resulting in death and also some crimes not ending with death such as managing a rampant drug business. (The Federal Death Penalty) In California 13 persons have ... It is also noted that the above 648 prisoners on Death Row include 15 women. It has been observed that in the recent years at least three innocent persons on Death Row were exonerated in California. Jerry Bigelow was set free in the year 1988 after the imprisonment for eight years; Patrick Croy was set free in the year 1990 after the imprisonment for 11 years and Troy Lee Jones was set free in the year 1996 after serving 14 years. (State by State: California) The statistics on death row inmates in different states reveal that Texas, North Carolina and Florida all are having large numbers but in California the number of death row inmates is highest. In California it has been found that imposition of death penalty has been negatively correlated to the richness. The more money the convicted have the more is the opportunity to beat the rap. Taking into the consideration the eleven sentences since the year 1970, it can be presumed that the 640 prisoners on death row most likely have deaths of natural causes costing the tax payers in terms of appeals etc to the tune of 100 millions. Moreover, trusting the government to kill people seems ambiguous since it involves trusting them with not making errors in killing the innocent people. (California: Highest Number of Death Row Inmates) The death penalty in California like that of other states is considered to be costlier in comparison to a life imprisonment sentence without the scope of parole. Such costs have been seen not to be the consequences of the frolicsome appeals but instead the consequence of the Constitutional safeguards. It has been provided that Juries must be accorded clear principles on sentencing that give rise to the explicit provisions for what forms the frustrating and extenuating situations. The

PATRIOT ACT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PATRIOT ACT - Essay Example "The USA Patriot Act's provisions for certification and mandatory detention contravene the Fifth Amendment's guarantee of due process of law" (2002, p. 1419). Patriotism needs memories. They are a continuous source of inspiration and an invincible bastion: even the harshest oppression cannot deprive a people of its memories. The most precious memories are those of peoples who loved their country and their fellows with a noble love; not with national vain gloriousness or narrow parochialism. The idea of the Patriot Act is that parents must tell their children stories of patriotism not to nurture national pride but love of liberty (Cassella 2002). The Patriot Act is seen as an energetic resolve to resist oppression. Whether it comes from denial of political rights or from social oppression, exclusion is incompatible with the principle of the republic. Since it has to be a community sustained by bonds of fellowship and love, the state and the government must assure everyone the dignity that comes from citizenship and the respect and self-respect that education and labor assure. The Country is the idea which rises upon that foundation; it is the sentiment of love, the sense of fellowship which binds together all the sons of that territory. The Patriot act inspires true love for the Country. True love of country is an 'immense love' immune to prejudices and inspired by thoughts of unity and peace. It is a passion that animates and inflames generous souls who cannot stand their country's corruption and enslavement. While their fellows cry and suffer in silence, they speak up. They foresee their country's bleak future and share their fellows' needs, anxieties, and hopes. They do not share their vices and weaknesses. Like ancient prophets, they do not speak out of irrational fury or offended pride but out of indignation. They say unpleasant things to their fellows; they denounce their faults and enumerate their responsibilities to call them to action. Reproach is not intended to humiliate, nor to emphasize the patriot's moral superiority, but to elevate the soul of his own people, with which he wants to work (The USA-PATRIOT Act and the American Response 2002). The main disadvantages of the Patriot Act are privacy violations, surveillance and information sharing, increased Governmental Secrecy, not targeted on terrorism. "The USA PATRIOT Act contains a number of provisions that may be used by federal law enforcement authorities to seize and forfeit the assets of terrorist organizations, assets that are derived from terrorist acts, and assets that are intended to be used to commit terrorist acts in the future" (Cassella 2002, p. 7). To some extent, love of country presses us to feel the oppression that some of our fellows endure as an outrage. Oppression may take the form of the denial of civil and political rights or exploitation, brutality, contempt for human dignity in workplaces and social life; the victims may be adult, old or young, male or female; the patriot reacts with particular passion to the sufferings of his fellows: he feels not just compassion but indignation, and indignation gives him the motivation to change. Indignation aga inst and hatred of the oppressor drive the