Texas and The Death Penalty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Texas and The Death Penalty - Research Paper Example Being represented by the right lawyer determines the chances of providing adequate evidence to ascertain one's innocence or guiltiness. Opponents of death penalties argue that some people may end up being killed while they are innocent if the trial is not fair or if the accused person’s counsel lacks expertise. This has raised the issue of the appropriateness of death execution for punishing offenders since the trial process may result in conviction and murder of innocent individuals (â€Å"American Civil Liberties Union† Web). Another issue surrounding the death penalty is diversity inconsistencies such as racial and gender. There have been arguments that the number of African Americans sentenced to death and executed is higher as compared to other races. Additionally, there are perceptions that cases where the victim is black rarely lead to death row while those involving white victims often lead to death rows. Such statistics have led to questions regarding the evenhandedness of the justice system when dealing with capital offenses. On the issue of diversity, there is a problem regarding the role of gender in determining the penalty. In most cases, capital offenses involving men are likely to lead to the death penalty as compared to those involving women. At times, this has created the notion that the justice system favors women suspects (â€Å"American Civil Liberties Union† Web). Another issue surrounding the death penalty in Texas is whether the punishment serves its purpose. Legal punishment is designed to correct the perpetrator of the crime and or deter others from committing such crimes.