The death penalty is not a constitutional way of punishment in most modern countries nowadays. However, some countries still use this method in some instances, including Japan, Egypt, and the United States of America (Bandera). The United States federal law allows states to define their approach to the death penalty. The majority of states support the ability to condemn someone to death on specific occasions, while Texas is one of the states that use the death penalty the most. Cameron Todd Willingham’s case is one of the most apparent collapses of the Texas Justice System that emphasizes the issues that need to be considered and changed.
Death Sentence Necessity Debates
In 2004, Cameron Todd Willingham was accused of murdering his children by setting the house on fire. This tragic event became famous across the country and, over the years, drew even more attention to this case because of the plenty of proof that confirmed his innocence after his death sentence. This occasion demonstrated that this type of punishment can be extremely not fair and leaves no place for corrections or amendments. Willingham did not have a chance to prove his innocence using the lawyer’s services. He was declared guilty using questionable methods to prove it. Even though this case is a fatal mistake, debates about the death sentence necessity are active in the United States and each state individually. Texas is known for its deplorable criminalistic statistics, having one of the most significant numbers of sentenced prisoners (455 in 2020), alongside Oklahoma and Arizona (Carson 16). Death penalty advocates use these numbers to prove its need. However, in 2020 Texas had almost seven hundred sentenced people die in prison (Carson 19). This information demonstrates the core of many problems that the justice system of Texas has, such as criminal prejudice.
Texas Justice System Issues
Many other issues in the Texas justice system need attention because cases like Willingham’s are just consequences of a systematic approach. One of the problems that need to be reformed is the state jail. The point is that “taxpayers spend around 165 million dollars a year on state jails and basically throw that money into a system that fails to address underlying causes of criminal behavior like substance abuse disorder” (Connelly). The Texas bail system is also broken and does not work correctly. Many people who are not even condemned for a crime and do not represent a danger to society get stuck in prisons because they are incapable of finding the cash to make bail.
Another system issue is the forfeiture of civil assets. The seized property and money use “provide a perverse incentive to take assets” (Connelly). A major issue is related to programs that do not allow people to get their licenses renewed in case of owing the money to the government. Many residents have their licenses suspended when they fail to pay the fees or miss the date of the court session. As a result, over a million people cannot get their licenses back.
To conclude, the Texas justice system needs to be reformed and changed. Cameron Todd Willingham’s case was a mistake that should not be made again. Every person deserves to have the right to challenge the court’s decision and to be heard. However, the death sentence is only one of the questionable concepts the Texas system uses to bring justice to residents. State prisons, bail, and civil assets forfeiture are other parts of an obsolete system.
Works Cited
Bandera, Gerardo. “The Surge in Death Penalty Use and the Road to Abolition.”Fair Planet, Web.
Carson, E. Ann. “Prisoners in 2020 – Statistical Tables.”U.S. Department of Justice, 2021, Web.
Connelly, Christopher. “Five Criminal Justice Issues Texas Lawmakers Are Expected To Consider.”Kera News, Web.