The death Penalty has in recent times come up as an issue of debate among governments and institutions with some against it while others have support for it. This is a discussion about the death penalty in the united states specifically on the states that are up against it I.e New York and Iowa.
It will be find out why these two states abolished the death Penalty and the reasons behind it.
Death Penalty in New York and Iowa
The united states comprises of various states which are governed by individual laws and order. The death penalty is one law and order that is as much applied differently to various states. The states of New York and Iowa are some of the states among others that have abolished the death Penalty. The states of Hawaii and Minnesota among others are some of the states that use the death penalty in their system.
The State of New York house of senate has debated and disapproved the death penalty without majority support of support from the people of the state. Thus it seems the State of New York has agreed satisfactorily as a People to abolish the death Penalty. The State of Iowa Remains Embattled in with the death penalty law. Time and time again the house of senate has continued to debate the issue disapproving it without majority of support.
New York’s Death penalty was abolished in la Valle. There are various factors that contributed to the abolishment of the death penalty in new York state including racial problems, religious views, mental illness, costs, innocence, and deterrence, among other subjects. Much of the legal landscape had changed by. There had been new technological developments such as the use of DNA in determination of murder cases where it was found that some had become victims of circumstances and therefore they had been convicted wrongfully (Death Penalty Information Center, US)
The death Penalty is a serious issue in the Legal justice system since if someone is convicted wrongfully and sentenced to death, the mistake can never be corrected. What is more compelling is when a family member becomes a victim of the death penalty, the sad emotions the family members undergo through is unjustifiable as their loved one was convicted innocently.
These among others such as the defendant’s future dangerousness is not a statutory aggravator that the jury is told to consider, that is to say that if someone committed death to another person , it may be because he was out of control of his normal human functioning capacity. The defendant may undergo guidance and counseling and revoke to ideal ethics thus not become harmful to others in the future. Thus as it comes out clearly that the death penalty was loosing more and more ground as put out by various witnesses to determine the legality of death penalty. It was evident that the death penalty was unconstitutional since it breached the bill of rights of the defendant despite infringing on the bill of rights of the victim (Death Penalty Information Center, US)
Despite Iowa law not proving for the death penalty, in October 2004 Dustin Honken was sentenced to death in the federal court system for the 1993 murders of three adults and two children. Angela Johnson was the first woman to be executed in Iowa for the death penalty. She had been found guilty against six victims. It was found that the federal law was imposed on Iowa; a state, may be because of the special circumstances surrounding the case. Majority of Iowans have been found to favor capital punishment according to public opinions carried out in the recent past.
In Iowa the death penalty is still an issue for discussion following the historic developments of debate among the senate members. The Senate has voted without majority of support from both house of representatives with the republicans voting overwhelmingly in favor of the abolishment of the death penalty while the democrats offering little support. (Death Penality Information Center, US)
Conclusion
The issue of Death Penalty in the United States continues to solicit mixed reactions and debates without a clear decision being reached among all the states legal systems in America. This Could be attributed to the mixed racial backgrounds and culture among the US citizens. For sure the death Penalty code will continue to be abolished or dissolved now and the future depending on the circumstances of which representatives has a majority in house( democrat or republican)
Its an issue left to the congressmen of both house of representatives to decide now and often depending on changing times. Republicans seems to vote overwhelmingly for the death penalty while democrats tend to vote against it. The decision on whether to abolish or support the death penalty will definitely be left on future generations to decide
References
Death Penalty Information Center, US (2010)
Iowans Against the Death Penalty (2010)