Capital Punishment In The United States Today

Definition and Facts

Capital Punishment is the lawful infliction of death as a punishment; the killing of a person via judicial process of retribution or incapacitation.

The types of crimes which are punishable by the death penalty in the U.S. (capital offenses) usually involve aggravated murder. For example:

Multiple murders
Murder + rape
Murder + torture
Contract killing

A majority of nations in the world today have banned the death penalty as a form of punishment: Almost all of Europe, plus Canada, Mexico and Australia have abandoned capital punishment.

The 8th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits "cruel and unusual punishment" for crimes

A number of US states do not have the death penalty and instead use life imprisonment..

Studies have shown that factors unrelated to the crime itself- primarily pverty, race and gender- greatly influence who is executed and who is not.









Racial Bias


Again and again, studies show that racial bias permeates the criminal justice system and that African-Americans are arrested more frequently and punished more severely for the same crimes than are White Americans.

African Americans make up a far higher proportion of death row inmates than their proportion in the U.S. population

Studies also show that the race of the victim tends to greatly influence the penalty imposed. Those who kill a white person are more likely to receive the death penalty than those who kill an African-American, or Latino-American.









Economic Status

The quality of the legal representation: It is a chilling fact that you are more likely to escape the death penalty if you can hire a private attorney than if you are represented by a court-appointed lawyer.

While wealthy defendants who hire their own counsel are generally spared the death penalty, poorer defendants do not have that opportunity.









The Criminal Justice System

The death penalty is administered by the same underfunded and overworked court system which is responsible for administering all of our country's civil and criminal laws. This system can and does make mistakes.









Some Arguments for Capital Punishment

"The death penalty is an important tool and deterrent in fighting pre-meditated, and often violrnt murder."

*Some argue that the death of a criminal gives closure to the victims (if they are still alive) and their families.

*The death penalty serves as a deterrent to criminals who may be considering committing a capital offence.

*One of the main principals of punishment and the judicial system is that the penalty fits the crime. If someone violently murders another individual or numerous people, then it makes sense for the punishment to be death.

*Some anti-death penalty campaigners describe examples of people on death row, or people have already been killed have then been proved innocent. Today, the accuracy of modern forensics and DNA testing makes it very unlikely for an innocent person to be put on death row. Furthering this point, it is argued that the number of innocent people may be killed is equalized by the number of actual crimes that are set free.

*Putting people in prison, as opposed to executing them gives them a chance of parole (or the small chance that they escape) Capital punishment means there is no chance of the criminal committing another crime.









Some Arguments Against the Death Penalty

"The death penalty is a barbaric punishment which violates moral values."

*The financial cost of putting people to death, once you consider extra appeals, additional procedures, etc, can be often more than the cost of putting a criminal in prison for life.

*The death penalty violates the "cruel and unusual" clause of the Bill of Rights.

*It is simply immoral and barbaric to allow people to be killed by the state even if they have committed violent crimes.

*The appeals and additional procedures required to deal with criminals that have been condemned to death fill up the US legal system which could be put to better use.

*It can be viewed that, life in prison with little freedom and poor quality of life is a better punishment and deterrent to criminals than death row.

*There is always the possibility that innocent men and women are put to death without ever having committed a crime. There will always be failings in the judicial and conviction system

U.S. History CH. 26 Notes

The Clinton Presidency


Bill Clinton

-> Elected president in 1992


Al Gore

-> Vice President


Gays in the military

-> Clinton sought to end discrimination against gays in the military. Compromise policy= "Don't ask/Don't tell"


Health Care Reform


-> Clinton sought affordable health care for all Americans

*Hilary Clinton- in charge of the task force on health care

*Insurance companies opposed- Congress does not pass


The economy

-> Clinton inherits huge budget deficit (DEBTS) from Presidents Reagan and Bush

->By the end of his term in office Clinton had reduced the budget and created a budget surplus

->Clinton supports new technologies, software and internet companies

Creates millions of new jobs

->Economy booms

-> Stock market booms


Welfare Reform

->Clinton proposes $10 billion for job training, education and health care to help people learn higher paying jobs and get off welfare

Congress won't pass


-> Republicans support $56 billion cut in welfare- 2 year limit on time that poor Americans can receive benefits

Clinton signs


Foreign Policy

-> Clinton closes military bases; proposes big cuts in military spending now that the Cold War is over.

*Spend more on education, stopping crime and other problems at home

-> Clinton does send U.S. troops to help stop a war in Bosnia when war breaks out there.

*1995-Presidents of Bosniam Croatia and Serbia signs the Dayton Peace Accords


International Trade

->Clinton signs NAFTA-North American Free Trade Agreement- No tariffs or trade barriers between U.S.- Canada & Mexico

->Clinton signs GATT-General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Makes it easier to do business worldwide. Sets up the WTO-World Trade Organization









Republican Opposition to Clinton

1994 Midterm elections
->Republicans win control of both houses of Congress-plus 31/50 governors


Newt Gingrich
->Becomes "Speaker of the House"- Leader of the Republicans in Congress


Government Shutdown
->Republicans/Gingrich CONTRACT WITH AMERICA:
*Cut taxes
*Increase military spending
*Cut welfare payments

->Democrats/Clinton
*Tax on wealthy
*Cut military spending (now that the Cold War is over)
*Money for job training childcare

->CAN'T AGREE ON PRIORITIES
->CAN'T PASS THE FEDERAL BUDGET BY THE DEADLINE
-> GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN FOR A FEW WEEKS IN 1995, 1996.
->FEDERAL EMPLOYEES DON'T GET PAID


The American people
->American people/opinion polls tend to support Clinton-blame stubborn radical Republicans like Gingrich for the governmnt shutdown


CLINTON RE-ELECTED IN 1996









The Clinton Impeachment

Paula Jones
-Brings a lawsuit against Pres. Clinton--that he made sexual advances/sexual harrassment in 1991.

U.S. Supreme Court decides in Clinton v. Jones (1997) that a president can be sued while in office for something he did before becoming President

Jones seeks evidence that Clinton had a habit of sexually harrassing women

Settles with Clinton out of court


Kenneth Starr
-Appointed Special Prosecutor to investigate illegal Clinton activity in Whitewater business deal

After 3 years of investigation Starr finds Clinton did nothing wrong in "Whitewater"

Starr expands his investigation to find evidence of wrong doing or cover-up in the Paula Jones case

Clinton has an affair with young White House aid Monica Lewinski
-Jones seeks to use Lewinski as a witness in her case

<-Linda Tripp secretly tape records Lewinski telling her details of her affair with Clinton

*Clinton says under oath "I never had sexual relations with that woman [Monica Lewinski]."

*Starr shows Congress evidence of sexual activity with Monica Lewinski

*Congress impeaches Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice

*Senate trial finds Clinton not guilty of any charges

*Clinton apologizes for lying about sexual relations









THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMY

Clinton works for international treaties that reduce barriers to trade:

GATT and NAFTA

The Passage of these treaties means that:
*Big international corporations can do business less expensively and more easily
*There is more international trade -> This leads to more jobs and a better economy in the U.S.
*The world is more united: "A Global Economy"
*There will be moe jobs for people in poorer countries


Manufacturing jobs

Go to developing countries like China and Mexico

Workers in these countries can be:
*Paid very low wages
*Forced to work long hours
*Not allowed to have union
*Required to work in unsafe, harsh conditions


The Environment

Big corporations can go to countries with fewer environmental restrictions

*They won't have to pay money to follow environmental laws.

*The global environment suffers because corporations are permitted to pollute and dump toxic wastes in poorer countries.


Service Sector Jobs

Manufacturing jobs decrease in the U.S.

Service sector jobs increase, especially in:
*Internet corporations-online businesses called "dotcoms"
*Software


Corporations downsize

Workers are laid off to save

Many workers hired only as part time or temporary workers
-> So corporations don't have to pay benefits and can fire workers whenever they want.