On Thursday at 6:25 p.m. at the age of 29, a Texas man was executed for his participation in a robbery that took place on Labor Day, 2002. Beunka Adams became the 5th person in Texas and 17th in the United States to be put to death this year.
On that Labor Day in 2002, Adams and a friend, Richard Cobb, wore masks and walked into a convenience store in Rusk, a town 115 miles southeast of Dallas. After they announced they were going to rob the store, they proceeded to abduct the store's 2 female clerks, Nikki Ansley and Candace Driver and another male employee, Kenneth Vandever who is mentally handicapped. After raping one woman they shot all three victims execution style. Although all three were seriously hurt, all three survived their horrific ordeal. Both Adams and Cobb were arrested several hours later in Jacksonville. Adams was identified by one of the female victims when his mask accidentally slipped off. At his execution, Adams asked for forgiveness and admitted to his crime by stating, "If I could take it back I would...I messed up and can't take that back." He was pronounced dead nine minutes after being lethally injected. Cobb is still on death row.
I decided to write about this recent event because I find the topic to be a heated one especially in a state that executes more people than any other. People are either for or against capital punishment and have very strong opinions on the subject. In my opinion, I believe there are certain crimes for which only capital punishment is appropriate. There are people who deserve the death penalty for murdering other people and who may, if released, continue to harm more victims. Everyone is born with the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. Everyone is born with their own personal free agency and can choose to make good decisions and live a good life or choose to do the opposite. You shouldn't blame anyone else for your actions and you should be very aware that there are consequences. Those who disagree with me will say that it costs more to keep someone on death row than it does to keep them in prison for life. They would be right.
In Texas, it costs tax payers about 2.3 million for each death penalty case. That is three times the cost of imprisoning a person in a single cell for at least 40 years. To me, the cost shouldn't matter when a person who cannot be trusted to not harm others must be removed from society. Another argument against capital punishment are cases of wrongful convictions. From 2000 to 2011, there has been an average of five exonerations per year. Although I hope that those who are sentenced to death are truly guilty, I know that sometimes there are some who may be innocent. An individual is usually on death row for at least 10+ years and by law, is required to have the opportunity for numerous appeals. This still does not change my opinion that capital punishment is a necessity.
I especially feel that people forget about the victims and their families. Even if the execution doesn't bring back their loved one or any sense of comfort, justice still has to be paid. Sometimes saying "I'm sorry" is not enough. And sometimes making one horrible mistake in your life can destroy the rest of your future. I'm sure people change when they finally come to terms with the reality of their actions. But even if you are a different person now it doesn't change the actions or decisions that have already been made. I believe the death penalty should be used for the most heinous of crimes and for individuals from whom the rest of society must be protected.
I find my classmate’s blog “If you do the time…” to be very interesting. My classmate discusses the topic of capital punishment and I would agree that it is a very heated topic. I think it is important that more and more younger people are well aware of the issues surrounding the death penalty. The death penalty is a complex subject and I cannot say that I had formed a strong opinion regarding the matter, but after reading into it I am finding that disagree with many of the measures that are taking during the capital punishment process.
ReplyDeleteMy classmate states, “I believe there are certain crimes for which only capital punishment is appropriate. There are people who deserve the death penalty for murdering other people and who may, if released, continue to harm more victims.” I do not necessarily agree in making the wrongdoer pay a price equivalent to the harm he has done only when it comes to death. Death is a cruel and unusual punishment and goes against our moral ethics of the right to live. If we execute a person, there is not difference between us and the criminal who committed the initial crime of killing another person. I believe that life imprisonment without parole is a sufficient outcome when discussing murder.
Some argue that rather than spending on a person who may again commit terrifying crime, it is better to put him to death. “The cost shouldn't matter when a person who cannot be trusted to not harm others must be removed from society.” If money is not an issue, that there should be no argument about paying for an inmate to remain in jail.
Some reason that the death penalty will deter murder because people fear nothing more than death. I do not recognize any validity in using the death penalty as a source to deter a criminal from committing a horrific crime. Giving the death penalty will not decrease crime rates in Texas. Crimes are prevalent in states where capital punishment exists and where it has been abolished. And unfortunately, racial bias and ethnic discrimination is unavoidably evident in the administration of capital punishment here in Texas and across the United States.