Death Penalty Information #3

The aspects of the stages in a capital case are designed to protect the rights of the accused can be in the pre-trail . First the evidence that is gathered must relate and to the criminal. The photographs of an individual who have committed crimes in the past are shown to an eyewitness and even though a criminal from the past might have no connection to the crime in process he can still become a suspect.There needs to be enough evidence to prosecute a criminal. Many times suspects do not have any involvement in the case , but because there pictures were shown by police as being criminals it seems that many eyewitnesses would point and pick a few. Having evidence in a case is most important , but what happens when there is not enough and accusations are made. Many people suffer by wrongful accusations which is why the system is insufficient to guarantee that only the guilty are convicted. I do not doubt that there are innocent people in jail today.


After reading all the methods of executions the most humane one was lethal Injection because the only pain that could be caused was the misplacement of the needle. The death occurs silently and when the person is unconscious is when they go into cardiac arrest. Yes I think that hanging and electrocution should be considered as cruel and unusual punishment because the reactions to how the body can go into a seizure like function is disturbing. The electrocution is literally cooking a person from inside out this method bothers me the most because it has a smell and a reaction. Hanging is was appropriate during 1890's and I wish I could say that we have advanced from that , but Delaware and Washington still have this as a method of use. There are so many rules and regulations that need to be followed for a hanging. Most likely the people who are preparing it will not have the exact measurements and orders. If the directions of the hanging are not followed then the criminal will feel pain and can go into a seizure like function.


From the first map that I saw which was Executions and death row inmates by state it classified the inmates sadly by what really matters to Americans. The key at the bottom is labeled by ethnicity,gender, and age. It was amazing to see how there is an over population of Asians and barely any of them are on death row! I feel that in many parts of China they are not as advanced they do not seek to violence and crime. Black and whites are mostly in death row or have been executed, which does not surprise me. The gender that is most common on death row and that has been executed in mostly males. Very few women have ever been on death row.Looking state by state the data shows that many states that have the death penalty using lethal injection.Many states have tried other methods of the death penalty such as hanging and electrocution.There are very few states that do not have the death penalty.In the southern states such as Mississippi they have a Choice between lethal injection or lethal gas if the inmate was sentenced before 7/1/84. In South Carolina and Virginia they have a Inmate choice of lethal injection or electrocution. Depending on the location of the state the death penalty varies in the method of dieing. In many states it varies on what race the criminal is and if they are male or female. Society has certain characteristics they classify a criminal and depending on the location it can vary. Justice can rarely be given to those who have a profile of a certain race,age, and gender. States can say they are equal and fair to all who walk into a Court room, but data doesn't lie.


My response is influenced more on how judgmental Americans truly are. The Court prosecutes people not only on the evidence , but what color skin they have and where they come from. Each state varies in how many Blacks, Whites, and Hispanics there are on death row.The death penalty is a waste of money and tax payers should not be putting their money into something that rarely happens and can drag on for many years. In 2009 the police chiefs also considered the death penalty the least efficient use of taxpayers’ money. Race was the first thing that I saw when deciding the death penalty for a person. Race has a such a strong influence on society even though America is supposed to be equal for everyone. The Courts still punish one another for being who they are. Whites and Blacks are the main race of death row inmates. Hispanics are very low in numbers and Asians barely exist in death row. The public took a poll in 2006 and found that overall support of the death penalty was 65% (down from 80% in 1994). The same poll revealed that when respondents are given the choice of life without parole as an alternate sentencing option, more choose life without parole 48% than the death penalty 47%. The point of view that the Death Penalty Information Center has is that the death penalty is unfair in many states. There is no right why to kill a person and the Courts have faults in them. I think a lot of this information makes people more aware of what they are paying for and how these inmates are being treated. It gives a lot of important facts that myself and others can think about every time another person is put on death row. I think that this is a very important website and should be shared with those who argue if the death penalty is just. Data does not lie it gives the truth ,which is what the Courts should be doing too.

Death Penalty

I do not believe in the death penalty because a human should not be able to take away someones life. If someone has killed what lesson is being taught by killing another person. Clifford Boggess killed two people and by killing him how is that punishing him. Boggess was born into a troubled house hold having a mother who was an addicted and him having an unstable living arrangement. Boggess witnessed as a young child physical and mental abuse. He was surrounded by conditions that were not suitable for a child. Being at a young age habits and characters form that have stayed with him throughout his adult years. I do believe people can change because as time goes on knowledge is gained. Life is about giving people chances and growing to be a better person we must accept those who put forth an effort to change a life. I do not believe Boggess has fully changed into a better person. He is immature when speaking to the interviewer by jumping around certain questions and not focusing on the main points. Boggess know what he did was wrong and can speak about it ,but it does not mean that he is fully understanding that he is mentally unstable.Boggess life as a Christian seems to have the main beliefs. The bible can only give so many guidelines and stories. To be a true Christian he needs to act the way Jesus would act. Jesus made mistakes , but he still knew when certain situations were truly discouraging. Throughout Boggess art the painting and drawings have changed as he has grown with the bible. He went from dark painting to a softer paintings. Boggess is not the same person as he once was , but that does not mean he is healed from his sins. The families that were affected by Boggess murders could feel closure by knowing this man is dead and is not able to harm anyone else. The feeling that Boggess is alive can haunt a family knowing that his mind is still wondering through his disgusting thoughts. Boggess can read, write, draw, and talk with others because he is alive which can be considered unfair to the victims' families. Justice will never be fully served because of another mans death. The death Penalty takes another life and doesnot bring one back.

Bullying

1.Learning about bullying in class stretched the importance of how serious bullying is. Usually bullying is started because of something that is happening at home, which is where the bully gets the anger and hate to tease someone. Listening and reading about all the stories and experiences kids have had around the United States about being bullied is interesting because they all have the same basic story. Whether the bullying is physical or mental it still damages people. When discussing in class many people shared there personal stories about being bullied , knowing someone who was bullied ,or being the bully. Opening up in class helped the topic of the situation because people became comfortable in the class room knowing that they aren't alone. When we were handed the packets filled of stories and news articles about bully it showed that bullying is a serious problem. Teens are being harassed and in many cases nothing is being done. Learning about this in school and not just in the news I believe helps the bullying problem.

2.In the case of Phoebe Prince there was many students involved in her death. Phoebe was taunted on a daily bases when she went to school and after school.She was physically and emotionally harassed throughout her days in South Hadley. Students harassed the young girl until she hung herself because the older students would not stop taunting her about a senior football player.I could not imagine coming to a new country and in the first couple months experiencing America by being tormented everyday. Not only do young girls at South Hadley look bad ,but Americans look bad.Six of the teens will be indicted on charges connected to Prince's suicide. Three of the indicted students are girls, charged with violating Prince's civil rights, criminal harassment and disturbing a school assembly. Two of the indicted students, a 17-year-old male and an 18-year-old male, will also be charged with statutory rape. Criminal complaints were filed against three other students. Of the six indicted students, three are still students at the school and three were expelled in February. These consequences should make a statement to young teens in America.Bullying is being too common in schools and needs to be stopped. Teens,parents, and schools need to come together and take note on these situations when they occur. In the United States we do no believe in torture and it should be taught throughout school districts that this behavior is not okay and there will be severe consequences.

3. Personally I do not think we have a bullying problem at DHS. Obviously there are going to be times where girls and boys get a temper and say things that hurt one another , but that happens not only in schools. DHS does a great job setting consequences and letting the students know that this is not tolerated. When someone does step out of line the students know that they have done wrong and many people are shocked when this happens. DHS is a very respected and tamed school with rarely any out bursts. When bullying does occur the school gets involved even if it is the smallest act of meanness. The deans are well aware of what the students do in and out of school , so they maintain the student life. Comparing DHS to another school like Stevenson where they have big classes and more diversity there is more bullying. A school can only control so much before they get lost in the crowds of who's who. I know that if I went to a larger school I would be a completely different person even though its a few miles away from Deerfield. Other schools have bigger problems then not using a lunch tray. We are lucky to have a well protected and maintained school.

4. Bullying has been going on throughout years and in the past when my parents grew up it was taken lightly. Students would not go to the extremes as to kill themselves or bring weapons to school. Literally times have changed drastically and now we need to take precaution. I think Challenge Day was a great way to address the issue. I hope that many school around the United States begin to take this day into there own hands.Schools are presenting videos to classes making sure that everyone is aware that bullying is not accepted and can harm others. The fact that were talking about bullying in school makes it easier to stop these mean acts. There's many prevention sites on the Internet that help parents and students deal with bullying. In fact last night I was watching MTV and a commercial came on ,but this wasn't like every other commercial. It was a young boy getting tattoos all over his body and a big tattoo artists the young boy receives a text and he says " oh I have another one, worthless" . The tattoo artist begins to tattoo that word on the boys body along with 20 other hurtful words that are on his body. It was a very powerful commercial and I was surprised to see it.It made an impact on me and I hope it did to those who are bully's.

Students and the Fourth Amendment

I am against drug testing in schools because of the invasion of personal privacy.I do not think that the school should act like parental figures. If the school only drugs tests the athletes it shows that there only concern if those who are representing the school ,which is wrong because a a school should care for all the students. Pointing out a group of athletes that need to take drug tests can turn many students away from having a sport after school. The school should be putting more money the the sports so the students have a more options to choose drugs or sport. Wasting money on drugs testing will limit the amount of students that will choose to do a sport even if these students are or are not doing drugs. From the information used in class the amount of money that would be spent on buying and testing drugs tests would be outrageous and should be used towards promoting sports.If one of the athletes is found doing drugs they would repeatedly need to be tested which involves more money for follow-ups.  If the students were pushed to do sports because there are so many opportunities and enjoyment out of them they would help students to choose sports over drugs.When Mr.Kramer said Deerfield would start doing drug tests for athletes and clubs many people thought that there would be less numbers in our athletics and clubs. I believe that students would choose not to do clubs and activities because there is that risk that teachers find out or friends parents find out that your drug test didn't pass. I believe that in Deerfield many people are worried about there image and what students do on there spare time is completely different then how they work in school.

After reading the Ruling In ACLU Case Is Vindication of Students' Constitutional Rights my opinion has been strengthened because of the way the schools are handling certain situations. Having a young girl who is an Honor Roll student being accused of having aspirin on her and then strip searched because a source that was unreliable claims she has them. Schools are out of line and do not realize that students walking into the school still have rights that need to be protected. It is sad to know that this girls pain was caused by people who are suppose to protect her not embarres her. It was said ,"Today's ruling affirms that schools are not constitutional dead zones. While we are disappointed with the Court's conclusion that the law was not clear before today and therefore school officials were not found liable, at least other students will not have to go through what Savana experienced." Students have rights and they need to know what rights they have because schools are not understanding whatt rights they have either. I am glad that the law is now clear to the school's that word of mouth is not a reliable source to strip search a young girl. After reading about this case I am glad to know that the rights I have will carry into my school and that the school will make mistakes, but learn the rights that they have.

The Bible in School

Looking at the results of the State of First amendment is surprising to me. Question 4 asked "Student speakers should be allowed to speak about their religious faith at public school events?" 54% strongly agreed. I was surprised by this because the other responses to different question did not match.  Keeping religion out of school makes students less competitive. In question 5 is asks "should student speakers be allowed to offer a prayer at public school events?" If students can't agree on one religion then prayer in general can become difficult and many will disagree. If the people of America can't decide on one religion then there needs to be boundaries set. In question 5 is says "The First Amendment requires a clear separation of church and state.” 38% responded that they strongly agree. Less than have know what the constitution says. How are schools able to decide if they want religion or not. Deciding on one religion to teach is hard enough or picking a few and leaving some out. Students and parents will not be happy because what makes America so special is we don't have to even have a religion or follow a God. In the First Amendment Center it says "Educators widely agree that study about religion, where appropriate, is an important part of a complete education. Part of that study includes learning about the Bible in courses such as literature and history. Knowledge of biblical stories and concepts contributes to our understanding of literature, history, law, art and contemporary society." This is a controversy because teachers are creating the child to do the best they can and based on certain religions the values of a teacher can come from a religion. Keeping religion completely out of the school is almost impossible. To end the fight of religion in schools they need to find common ground not only in public schools, but schools around the nation. In 2006 Georgia allowed the bible and the ten commands to be taught in public schools. For the first time government has officially agreed to allow the schools teach. it was said "The new law allows elective classes on the Bible to be taught to high school students. Local school systems will decide whether to teach the courses."The law requires that the courses be taught "in an objective and no devotional manner with no attempt made to indoctrinate students."The bible creates values and the student can take what the teacher says in many different ways. If the teacher chooses to teach the religion many kids can learn values that with help the students grow as a person. In Deerfield and suburbs around here this would never pass. Christians are the minority in Deerfield and I think it is strange to see that schools are allowed to teach Christianity in public schools. Here Judaism would be taught if anything which is strange because I am Christian. I believe that religion should stay out of public schools unless everyone agrees to teach a certain religion in that area. Religion is an important part to who a person is and that is a private part too. Religion should be left out of public schools and stay in sacred places.

Sept 11 Movie

On Sept 11, 2001 I was in 3rd Grade with Mrs. Hilbert. That morning seemed like every other morning I waited for my bus looking outside the window while nbc news was playing on the tv. My mom and dad started to panic and I didn't understand what the big deal was the news is filled with bad things. I realized that my family was in New York which was my dads side of the family. My mom shoved me off to the bus and sent me to school. That day the teachers were very quiet. Watching the video today made me realize the extent of what really happened on September 11. The footage shown was unbelievable. Many students around me were sniffiling through the video. From the first plane hitting listening to the narators that were every day people was amazing to hear their shock and how they handled it along with the people around them. The people of New York thought that damage was done after one plane ,but it wasn't out of no where the second plane hit the other building right in the center. By then the city was in shock and realized this was not an accident. With the second plane hitting right in the middle is devestating because the people on the upper floors had no chance of survival. The next terrifying moment was when the first tower fell. It felt like it was from a movie with all th smoke coming through the streets and the people running. Seeing people coughing and spitting because the dust has covered them was insane. Everyone coming together tring to find shelter helping one another was amazing. Watching the footage and seeing true act of kindness and compassion was amazing since New York is a fast moving place. By the end of the day I loved watching the voluteers donate blood and doctors coming out of the hospital asking people to come in and help. Everyone wantd to be a part of this because that was the only way New York would ever get back on its feet. After watching the footage I realized that the city is filled with business and workers who are dedicated to there jobs ,but when disaster hits the compassionate side of the people come out and help. We should see this side of people not only when tradgedy strikes but day to day.

Hate Speech

The article Hate speech and Campus speech codes talks about what the restrictions of Universities first amendement. The student's cannot stripped of their legal rights as they walk in the door. There needs to be a line between harrasment and jokes ,since certain groups become offended of others when actions are taken. In college many Sororities and Fraternities have themed parties and events usually immataing one "type" of person. These parties are condoning steorotypes and judgements of individuals without realizing how it can affect someone else. In the Wisconsin speech code case  a fraternity brought a picture of a black Fiji islander during a party. Another  fraternity hostested a party that was themed "slave auction" many students painted there face black immitating African American enterainers. The students are representing not only there fraternity or soroity ,but also the school. Many students of different race,relgion, or sex can be discourage to attend to the universities that have held offencive events. The students need to know their audence and understand that they are not the only ones who know about the parties. Being involved in a courtcase about discrimmination will be hard to fight and embaressing. If the court or University has a race or stearotype that would be involved the situation will only get worse and uncomfortable for the students. At the time of these parties the students don't realize how offensive their actions can be teaching a lesson will let not only them ,but others in the future aware of current problem of discrimination. The question is where does the line draw? Students keep getting offended. How can they find a way to keep the harrassment out ,yet not take away the students first amendment?