Thousandth execution sparks off fresh debate

Thousandth execution sparks off fresh debate
The capital punishment debate in the US has taken a fresh rise following the 1000th death sentence which was carried out in North Carolina in the wee hours of Friday. Kenneth Lee Boyd, aged 57, was awarded the death penalty by lethal injection and was declared dead by 2:15 a.m. The execution is a statistical watershed in the history of criminal law in the United States, since the Supreme Court judgment to restore death penalty was passed in 1976 after a 10 year hiatus.

Boyd had been convicted of brutally killing his separated wife and her father, witnessed by his two sons, in1988. He was an erstwhile Vietnam veterinary.

The mercy plea of the defense was rejected by the North Carolina governor Mike Easley who could not substantiate a mercy stand.

Kenneth Boyd's death execution is at the core of global discussion because it represents a trend which is the heated element of protest from anti-execution followers.
Thomas Maher, Boyd's counsel, was among the first few who were vocal in their sentiment against capital punishment. He was of the opinion that such a landmark in history ought to make America ashamed.

Protestors thronged The Pullen Memorial Baptist Church for prayers and mass on Thursday and to hear Maher speak of Boyd's story. Later they congregated outside the Raleigh prison to demonstrate their anguish at the continuation of what they say is an irrational response to crime. The protest was silent and demonstrated through candles and anti-capital punishment signboards. They also recited the names of the previous 999 convicts sentenced to death.

Later, of the 100 protestors, 20 were arrested when they attempted to enter prison premises.

According to Amnesty International, 2004 witnessed 25 countries awarding the death sentence to convicts. Of the total number of sentences, 97 percent were implemented in all of four nations; China, US, Iran and Vietnam, with China leading in figures. The US stood fourth in number.

Currently, 38 out of 50 federal states in the US have granted the green signal to capital sentences. Texas leads the lot, with 355 executions within its jurisdiction, amounting to over a third since the 1976 revival.

Although 64% of Americans still vote for capital punishment, this figure is the least reported in the last 27 years. The number of executions has also progressively declined with each passing year. Moreover, the rate of application of the death sentence has also dipped by half since 1990.

Many reasons are cited as responsible for the above trends; one being that governors of several states have displayed more inclination to heed mercy pleas, another that legal counsels are wary of pleading death because it invariably leads to excruciating long and costly years of trial in court.

Additionally and more importantly, the advances in DNA research have aided the establishment of truth better, thwarting many a potentially wrong decision. The judicial system has come under glare with questions pertaining to the authenticity of guilt being raised in many cases.

Other restrictions like non-application to juveniles and the mentally challenged have lowered the rate of appeal and execution both.

At the other end of the spectrum, the republicans argue that the various twists are doing nothing for speedier justice. Their attempts are directed at hastening the gap between conviction and the gallows. The gamut of crimes worthy of the death penalty is also being increased.

The sliding figures of death sentence support notwithstanding, the debate pertaining to the viability of capital punishment continues to flourish in the United States.