StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Is there inequality in the death penalty - Assignment Example

Cite this document
Summary
Structural Functionalism Approach dictates that deviance serves two primary roles in eluding social stability that are; punishing deviant behaviors and setting parameters that create boundaries between populations. Conflict perspective views social class as the main cause of…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.8% of users find it useful
Is there inequality in the death penalty
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Is there inequality in the death penalty"

Lecturer: Is there Inequality in the Death Penalty? Structural Functionalism Approach dictates that deviance serves two primary roles in eluding social stability that are; punishing deviant behaviors and setting parameters that create boundaries between populations. Conflict perspective views social class as the main cause of deviance whereby the poor are mistreated. Moreover, Symbolic Interactionism Perspective considers deviance to be triggered by the view of some behaviors by some people as being unacceptable and punishable (Goldthorpe, 792).

The criminal justice systems renders punishments against cases of deviance whereby the magnitude of the punishment is determined by the extent of harm it has caused to the society.The Fact Sheet shows that there is higher death row inmates among the minority races than Whites compared to their racial composition. Blacks have a death row of 43%, Latinos 13% and Whites 42%. Bearing in mind that the racial composition in the society is 77% Whites, 13% Blacks and 17% Latinos, it shows that the death rows are racially disappropriate.

Since the year 1976, there have been witnessed 1144 executions in Southern region, 174 executions in Mid-West, 85 in West, 4 in Northeast and 636 in TX & OK. The region with the highest number of executions (Southern) is the one that is historically termed as the most racist region. TX & OK have high populations of minorities hence facing a higher number of executions that Mid-West, Northeast and West. The online fact sheet of Death Penalty Information does not show the exact States in which the executions took place.

This information is critical in showing how interracial murders involving a Black defendant and White victim attracted executions in different States depending on the population of Blacks who reside in them. It is surprising that Death Penalty gains more support at 33% than Life Sentence without Parole that is supported by 13%. This factor means that the society does not recognize the fact the Death Penalty costs the society more, resolves less problems and it poses high risk to the life of innocents.

Structural Functionalism Perspective can be used to explain disparity of African-Americans, minorities and the poor on death row because the Whites who are racially accepted within the United States and rich are less put under death rows compared to the minorities. The criminal justice system and the society at large views Whites to be exceptional to capital punishments unlike the minorities and the poor (Miller, 534).The film “Black Death in Dixie: Racism and the Death Penalty in the United States” shows that poverty among African-Americans could possibly be a more contributing factor to disparity than race.

Walter MacMillan says how he gets stopped while driving by Whites who start mistreating him and calling him “Nigga” without stating his mistakes. Bearing in mind that African-Americans are the most mistreated minorities in the film, it is arguably that their high poverty levels contribute more to the discrimination than simply their race. They are viewed as being defenseless due to their poverty. Oscar Lewis’ views on poverty explain better about why poor people are overrepresented in the prison system than William Julius Wilsons’ views.

It is because Lewis considers poverty as a sub-culture whereby poor people do not think about how they can live better lives, but to fall victims of societal injustices. It is not the fact that they lack good jobs makes them vulnerable to punishments, but the fact that they consider themselves as being potential prisoners hence doing nothing to avoid the prison systems. This factor makes them to become imprisoned for various offenses, and their naivety makes them unable to fight for their rights (Lewis, 125).

Work CitedGoldthorpe, John. "Rent, Class Conflict, and Class Structure: A Commentary on Sorensen." American Journal of Sociology (2000): 105 (6): 758-975.Lewis, Oscar. Anthropological Essays. New York: Random House, 1970.Miller, Simon. "The Culture of Poverty Research." Contemporary Sociology (2009): 11 (5): 426-483.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Is there inequality in the death penalty Assignment”, n.d.)
Is there inequality in the death penalty Assignment. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/sociology/1691302-is-there-inequality-in-the-death-penalty
(Is There Inequality in the Death Penalty Assignment)
Is There Inequality in the Death Penalty Assignment. https://studentshare.org/sociology/1691302-is-there-inequality-in-the-death-penalty.
“Is There Inequality in the Death Penalty Assignment”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/sociology/1691302-is-there-inequality-in-the-death-penalty.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Is there inequality in the death penalty

The Punishment by Means of Death Sentence

According to the text, death penalty even referred to as capital punishment or death sentence is used to execute a criminal/convict for his wrongdoings.... death penalty, offers more benefits than costs to the society, therefore, it is considered as a morally and ethically correct action.... The various benefits of death penalty include; death penalty is considered as a very harsh punishment, people fear death.... Another benefit of death penalty is that those criminals who are currently conducting crimes and will possibly commit future crimes will be removed from the society and the number of criminals currently existing in the system will decrease....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Philosophy of Hugo Bedau and Ernest vd. Haag

Hugo Bedau upholds the American Civil Liberties Union that "death penalty inherently violates the constitutional ban against cruel and unusual punishment and the guarantee of due process of law and the equal protection of the laws".... Bedau also demonstrated that "death penalty violates the constitutional guarantee of the equal protection of the law" as it is applied randomly at best and discriminatorily at worst.... More so, "death penalty certainly deters the murderer who is executed"....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

The Death Penalty Distinct Ruling's

death penalty is unethical when it entails the victim's dignity.... However, death penalty could be said to be ethical since it helps protect people against crime.... For example, it has been argued that people do not change, but rather just hide their behaviors, so when a person commits murder, the best way to deal with them is for death penalty distinct rulings The rulings ethical implications death penalty could involve hanging, firing a person to death, electrocution or even use of poison....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment

Women getting the Death pentaly

The penalties include: imposing fines ,imprisonment,… ional discharge ,community service orders and death penalty among others .... he paper will explore death penalty as imposed on women and come up with an opinion whether it is appropriate or not.... To discuss this topic appropriately, it important to understand what death penalty What is death penalty?... According the American Heritage Dictionary of English Language (2000), death penalty refers to, “a sentence of punishment by execution....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Support the punishment (ex. death penalty)

the death penalty: A Worldwide Perspective.... The proponents of death penalty have their ground on which they attempt to convince the society to uphold the… ding to utilitarian ethical approach, capital punishment will yield the highest balance of good over evil by deterring further violent acts (Kramer 56).... In this regard, those who have committed such crimes like murder once subjected to death penalty serve as an example that Support the Capital punishment The issue of capital punishment like death penalty raises significant ethical concerns....
1 Pages (250 words) Coursework

Race and the Death Penalty in America

In the paper “Race and the death penalty in America,” the author discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the death penalty in the United States.... The first disadvantage is connected to the abolitionists who would use the death penalty selectively guided by the victim's race, the religious conviction.... According to the American civil liberties union, it is clear that even those who are for the death penalty, not at any point would they advocate for passing such judgments to people based on their skin color, where they reside or financial status....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper

People with a Mental Illness Should be Exempt from the Death Penalty

nbsp;The main thesis of the discussion is that people with mental illness should be exempt from the death penalty.... hellip; The issue of capital punishment especially the death penalty has raised debate in various different sectors of society.... However, a notable concern is an aspect that people who are mentally challenged should not face the same fate as their normal counterparts as far as the death penalty is concerned....
6 Pages (1500 words) Article

People with a Mental Illness Should Be Exempt from the Death Penalty

The author argues that mentally ill people should be exempted from the death penalty because they lack reasoning, are entitled to the right to equal protection, not responsible for their deeds, can easily be subdued by police pressure, are not aware of the consequences of their deeds.... The negative side of the death penalty for the offenders who are facing mental problems is that this sort of punishment cannot create any change in society.... When an offender who is facing mental problems is forced to undergo the death penalty, the basic purpose or aim of the 'Right to Equal Protection' is violated....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us