Texas State's Execution History
Texas State was the first to carry out a fatal injection execution, and it has held the top spot in executions since 1976. Since 1982, there have been around two hundred and eighty death sentences and a total of 166 executions. Lethal injection entails injecting one or more drugs into a person in order to cause immediate death (\u201c\u201dTexas | Death Penalty Information Center\u201d\u201d). Three medicines were used, which is typical. Sodium thiopental is an anesthetic that causes sleep, pancuronium bromide is used to paralyze muscles and cause respiratory failure, and potassium chloride is used to stop the heart from pumping. An intravenous salty drip is started in the arm of the prisoner the lethal injection is introduced.
Capital Sentence and its Implications
Capital sentence results in a great feeling of security in the family of the victim. This is because the criminal is punished severely to the greatest degree of his crime and honoring vengeance. The capital penalty has brought about tension and division in the state. It is not clear as to whether the death penalty serves as the way of punishment that is justified.
Death Penalty for Murderers
Justice can be acquired by giving a sentence of death for cases like murder. For example, a serial killer is most detestable people in the community. The death sentence makes sure that there will be no more victims of the killer. This is one of the main reasons that justifies the death penalty to be an effective restriction for murderers and others who commit inhuman crimes even if they offer any plea or presenting the positive side of the crime.
Preventing Crime with Harsher Punishments
The murder penalty seems to be fading and being less harsh as time goes by.With the increasing levels of crime in the society, a system should be enacted to prevent criminals from committing such acts. Time to be spent in jail a one way of inhibiting a few but more is needed for the prevention of reoffending. For some cases, various forms of punishments cut the crime rate that should be presented to prosecutors and judges.
Death Penalty's Impact on Families
In the case study, John is a husband and he has children. This makes his family complete. Although he had various downs and was not of a great value to impart virtues and show love in some cases because of his issues, a family still needs a father for his wholeness. With the powers of a district attorney, I would not take his life and family from him by giving him a death sentence. This would affect the family negatively due to various reasons.
Effects on Co-victims
Death sentence widely affects both murder victims’ family and that of the accused. Studies on psychology have proved that penalty of death gives undesirable effects on friends and families of the victim making the co-victims (\u201cSTUDIES: Death Penalty Adversely Affects Families Of Victims And Defendants | Death Penalty Information Center\u201d). A large percentage of co-victims reported that the implementation of the sentence did no help them heal. This is because healing is not an occurrence but a step by step process. It has been proven that co-victims improved in both psychological and physical health. They were also more satisfied with the system in instances whereby culprits were sentenced to life rather than death.
Unfulfilled Relief and Healing
More often, the murder victims’ families do not have a relief that they expected after the execution. Taking one’s life from him or she does not fill up the feeling of nothingness, but it is normally too late till the family actually realize it. Many co-victims showed sympathy for families of the condemned. They do not realize that the sentence can also divide the families thus hindering their healing.
Impact on Death Row Prisoner Families
As for Michigan Journal of Law Reform (Issue 4, 2016) defines the vengeful effects of the penalty on friends, family and death row prisoner attorneys. The sentence of death usually disciplines the family just as much as the prisoner. After the sentence has been carried out, the whole burden falls upon the family affecting children and women differently. These effects undermine the goal of punishing just the guilty and not the innocent. This form of penalty has an impact on everyone who shares a life with the death row prisoner.
Alternative Punishments for John
John being filed for death penalty case would require both sides of the story, be it negative or positive. The defendant would be the question in front of the court and a verdict be given. As the district attorney, John will not serve a death sentence but be released on parole as a warning to his behavior. The loss of the child’s life may have been an accident. Moreover, the baby was ill from Down Syndrome disease. There may have been much more to the death that is unexplained by mere human judgment. It wouldn’t have been child abuse as the father actually shows concern for the baby’s well-being shown by his act of taking his to the hospital, why not run away and hide from the authorities? Hence release him with the warning and setting terms for staying with his family as per to the satisfaction of the wife and the remaining child.
The Insanity Defense
The insanity of defense deals with the argument that the defendant is irresponsible of his acts due to a constant or periodic psychological disease. This contrasts with the excuse of incitement whereby the responsibility of the defendant is lessened due to inconstant mental state. The mental disease may prevent the criminal from standing for trial hence nullifying a will. Hence, defense dealing with their mental state is employed. Being unable to distinguish virtues from vices is one of the bases of being found to be declared legally insane for the defense. According to John’s mental state, he appears to be normal if not for the stresses of his job and family responsibilities such as paying the bills for the home. Otherwise, he is perfectly healthy. This will cause the jury to deny the plea of insanity defense since his way of life is upon to him.
Texas Family Code Violations
According to the Texas Family Code 261.101, someone who has a reason to believe that a child’s mental and physical wellbeing or happiness have been harmfully affected by negligence from any person ought to give a report to the relevant authorities with immediate effect(\u201cTexas Family Code \u2013 FAM \u00a7 261.101 | Findlaw\u201d). If he or she believes that a child is a victim of neglect, it is to be believed that the child has been abused hence report within forty-eight hours during which the event happened.
Jane's Responsibility and Guilt
Jane, the mother of the baby is also a culprit of the case. She should be charged with the violation of Texas state family code. This is due to her procrastination of the and giving benefit of doubt to the husband just because she loved him so much. This made her overlook the abuse with a sense of mind that that was caused by his stresses of work and life as she hoped that one day he would be different, for example when John was promoted to be a partner in the law firm. As the primary caregiver, she should have reported the matter to the authorities. Thus, she is a culprit and charged guilty of breaking the family code.
Multiple Factors Leading to the Child's Death
These incidents show that the death of the child may have been brought about by the mother’s postponement to file a report, fathers stresses of life which may have led to abuse of the children and the child, Russell, own illness. It is therefore not justified to execute John to death as being the sole provider of the family.
Critique of Death Penalty
Death penalty takes the citizens right to live from them. It also breaks the principle of God being the life giver. Hence, no such judgment should be taken upon another human being. Morals and awareness should be taught to the community on how to handle such cases and give a justified judgement which does not include killing.
Works cited
Zanna, M.P. Et al. 1970. Positive and negative affect established by classical conditioning. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 14:321-328.
“STUDIES: Death Penalty Adversely Affects Families Of Victims And Defendants | Death Penalty Information Center”. Deathpenaltyinfo.org. N.p., 2017.
“Texas | Death Penalty Information Center”. Deathpenaltyinfo.org. N.p., 2017.
“Texas Family Code – FAM § 261.101 | Findlaw”. Findlaw. N.p., 2017.
