Essays on Life Sentence

Many people who support the death penalty believe that putting convicted criminals to death is a cheaper alternative than housing them in federal prisons for the rest of their lives. In fact, from prosecution to incarceration, the costs associated with carrying out capital punishment are far higher than the costs associated with imposing a life sentence. The burden of these high costs is almost entirely carried by tax payers in sentencing states. Researchers in Maryland empirical study analyzing the financial effects of the death penalty relative to lesser sentences handed down between 1978 and 1999. The researchers found that, ...

Proposition 36 - Literature Review

Before 2000 The three strikes law commonly referred to as Proposition 36 has had a long history. It started in the year 1994 when the state passed Proposition 184, which allowed courts to convict a person from 25 years to lifetime if that person had two or more serious convictions for a violent felony in the past. It also qualified the courts to double a person’s penalty of a convict if had been convicted of a felony before (Farabee et al., 2004). The initial attitude was that it was mandatory in all qualifying cases. This attitude came to ...

Proposition 36 - Literature Review

Before 2000 The three strikes law commonly referred to as Proposition 36 has had a long history. It started in the year 1994 when the state passed Proposition 184, which allowed courts to convict a person from 25 years to lifetime if that person had two or more serious convictions for a violent felony in the past. It also qualified the courts to double a person’s penalty of a convict if had been convicted of a felony before. The initial attitude was that it was mandatory in all qualifying cases. This attitude came to change only in 1996 ...

INTRODUCTION

The American criminal justice system is a very complex entity that most people hope to have little interaction with. Most people will tell you that it can also be incredibly confusing. People become most invested in court proceedings when they are high profile cases that garner a great deal of media attention; some that many are familiar with include Amy Fisher, Casey Anthony and, certainly, the O.J. Simpson trial. Another case that became the center of media attention is the trial of Jodi Arias. Jodi Arias is a 32-year-old woman who is currently serving a life sentence, without the ...

Insanity defense, as it is known in many jurisdictions refers to the assertion by a person accused of criminal prosecution that at the time of committing the criminal act(s) they were not in the right state of mind as to appreciate the wrongfulness of their acts. Insanity has been invoked in many jurisdictions to reverse legal decisions or acquit people accused of crimes and it comes forth as the perfect defense. Whenever it is applied, it permits a person who is factually guilty to escape punishment and incarceration. Canadian laws have numerous circumstances exempt individuals from criminal responsibility ...

Crime in the modern era has been and remains a negative aspect of society. Since the first laws were enforced there have been those who break them. The American criminal justice system is overloaded with crimes of differing severity, from victimless crimes to the acts of murder committed by serial killers. Most people are supportive of the fact that if you commit the crime then you must face the potential consequences, which usually involves a criminal trial and many years of jail time. This is not a problem when discussing adults who commit crime. But, what about the juveniles ...

Barack Obama has become a paradoxical figure of the United States. He is one of the most popular “lame-duck” presidents in history. He handily won his election and reelection, and has reinforced the democratic base. He has given African Americans a voice and has proven that African Americans can be powerful and effective leaders despite a congress that will openly work against them. From out of the woodwork, we now have a Republican presidential candidate who is seemingly racist, who is commended by his supporters for speaking “the truth” regarding black, Hispanic and Muslim people and citizens. Obama provided ...

INTRODUCTION

Criminal homicide is the act of ending another person’s life by the hand of another (Luckenbill, 1977). There are many different ways in which criminal homicide is defined in the American criminal justice system; different degrees of what constitutes homicide, as well as other mitigating factors, can help to determine the sentencing of an individual or individuals who take part in the act, whether voluntarily or not. This is meant to apply as individualistic a sentencing as possible on the particular situation, instead of making standardized choices for criminal homicide on the whole. All of this leads to an ...