Capital Punishment A Deadly Mistake Essay - 1342 Words

Johann Kailey-Steiner English 1020 Ms. Campbell 15 November 2016 Capital Punishment: a Deadly Mistake Robert Ladd raped, robbed, and murdered Vickie Ann Gardner in 1996 and was sentenced to death based on sufficient DNA and fingerprint evidence at the crime scene. Ladd was later given an IQ test that would determine his mental capability. If he tested below 70, he would be considered, scientifically, mentally ill. He received a score of 67. This should have disqualified Ladd from capital punishment under the Supreme Court case Atkins v. Virginia which determined that, â€Å"Executions of mentally retarded criminals are ‘cruel and unusual punishments’ prohibited by the Eighth Amendment.† (Atkins v Virginia). Texas has been widely ridiculed for their highly subjective approach to determining mental illness. They based their assessment on Lennie Small from Of Mice and Men rather than scientific evidence of mental disability. So Texas continued to seek death regardless of the proof because Ladd didn’t act like Lennie. In a l etter written on January 5, 2015 to Hamilton Nolan, a journalist for Gawker.com, Ladd wrote (with assistance), â€Å"It s clear that the judge in my case R. Schell, and the 5thcir (sic). are clearly BIAS in their opinion again this is about REVENGE and justice† (Nolan). On January 29, 2015, 28 years after his sentence, Ladd was executed via lethal injection. His last words were â€Å"Stings my arm, Man!† Texas got their revenge. This case is a prime example of theShow MoreRelatedCapital Punishment : A Deadly Mistake1244 Words   |  5 Pages CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: A DEADLY MISTAKE. Imagine being asked to state your last words. What would they be? The execution of a human being is irreversible and should not be allowed anywhere. The death penalty is a crime in itself and should not be used as a form of punishment. 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And at nearly the last minutes of the film he tells the truth. Though he tells the truth of his sin, he is still put to death by lethal injection. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The purpose of this film, I believe, was to show that capital punishment is not right in all circumstances, but the redemption and preservation of the human soul being better. Tim Robbins tried to show how most people and even more accurate, Christian people tend to always want vengeance for a crime. Most of themRead MoreThe Death Penalty Should Be Legal1590 Words   |  7 Pagesthey either end up in a life sentence in prison, or they will receive capital punishment, or the death penalty. The death penalty is where a murderer is put to death by lethal injection or other forms of killing. Some say it is what the murderer deserves, while others say it is a â€Å"cruel and unusualâ€Å" form of punishment. Some states, like New Jersey have already banned the death penalty while others have decided to keep the punishment. 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