Is the death penalty inherently unfair?: An examination of the viability of race-based claims in the McCleskey era
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Should the death penalty be abolished or should it be applied equally to everyone? Is there credibility to the argument that courts and the justice system should just make sure that like crimes are punished in the same way?
I am arguing that the death penalty should be abolished because it cannot be applied equally, but I try to be neutral on this front until the end of the paper as a rhetorical device. Could you clarify your second question? Are you saying that there is no value in ensuring equal protection to criminal defendants? But thanks for the edit! I need to shorten this paper. Would you recommend cutting anywhere?
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Some people are of the opinion that if you simply start sentencing more white people to death for crimes that black people would be sentenced to death for, then the numbers would even out. But, I guess you are arguing that the fact that someone's race strongly influences the prosecution and the jury isn't even being allowed as an element that needs to be mitigated in the penalty phase, thus there is little to no way to make application of the death penalty more equitable.
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But thanks for the edit! I need to shorten this paper. Would you recommend cutting anywhere?