I think that while the actions of this man were horrible, putting him to death was not the right thing to do, especially if he truly had an intellectual disability. Executing mentally disabled people is considered cruel and unusual punishment under the Constitution, so Hill's execution could be considered unlawful or illegal. I think that while this man undoubtedly deserved to be in prison, he did not deserve to be executed.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Unlawful Execution?
In the article "Georgia inmate put to death after Supreme Court denies stay" (link to article) it states that Warren Lee Hill was executed today after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case for a fourth time. Hill's execution had already been postponed three times, all within hours of when he was supposed to be put to death, in the past three years. Hill was given the death penalty after he battered to death a fellow inmate while already in prison for killing his then 18-year-old girlfriend. Hill's lawyer claims that Hill had an intellectual disability which gave him the maturity of a young boy, and thus should not have been found fully culpable for his actions. Because of this disability, Hill's lawyer believed that the death penalty was unjust for him, but because the Supreme Court refused to review the case again, Hill was put to death.
I think that while the actions of this man were horrible, putting him to death was not the right thing to do, especially if he truly had an intellectual disability. Executing mentally disabled people is considered cruel and unusual punishment under the Constitution, so Hill's execution could be considered unlawful or illegal. I think that while this man undoubtedly deserved to be in prison, he did not deserve to be executed.
I think that while the actions of this man were horrible, putting him to death was not the right thing to do, especially if he truly had an intellectual disability. Executing mentally disabled people is considered cruel and unusual punishment under the Constitution, so Hill's execution could be considered unlawful or illegal. I think that while this man undoubtedly deserved to be in prison, he did not deserve to be executed.
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I don't really understand what crimes justify receiving the death penalty as punishment. I the news I hear about so many heinous crimes, yet I hear about others that do not seem quit are bad, yet the criminal is sentenced to death. I do not understand judges justifications sometimes. I do not think someone who murders one person--even by beating them to death--should be murdered as well.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I agree that if somebody is actually mentally disabled he or she should not be eligible for the death penalty. But this man was not. And if he was then we have a bigger problem. Our country is allowing men with the mental capacity of an 11 year old in the navy. I think we have to be very very cautious when we approach cases like this. Its just like how people call for insanity to get criminals out of harsher sentences. Its a cop-out. They're trying to pervert mental disability so that they might as well call anyvdoy who isn't very smart or isn't highly educated, ineligible for the death penalty. This man is a brutal murderer who under the law ought to be punished the same way any other man ought to.
ReplyDeletegreat point Travis, we can't say someone's disability should not keep them out of the Navy, but then say that same disability should keep them from the death penalty because they are not capable of understanding the severity of their crime... double standards are slippery slopes!
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