Susan Smith Essay, Research Paper

Susan Smith

When turning on the television, radio, or simply opening the local newspaper, one is mess with news of arrests, murders, homicides, serial killers, and other such tragedies. 1994 must be a great year to be alive if you are a criminal! Nobody takes liability for his or her own actions anymore. Someone commits a heinous crime, and everything but the criminal is blame, it was a cruel childhood, abusive parents, in my mind, if you commit a crime, and then you are a criminal. Others may influence my decisions, but ultimately, I am the one that makes that final choice. No matter how hard and pathetic you think your life is, or how badly society treats you, you made the decision to break the law-nobody made the decision for you.

The Susan Smith case is a good example. Does such a statement as “hurt people, hurt people” excuse one’s action. Does it exaggerate the apparent thought that an individual who is hurt by others will, in their pain, inflict hurt on others–even the innocent? It is hard to figure out how someone could kill his or her own children. We live in a society today where killings happen on a day-to-day basis, and many get away with it. Those who are caught do not usually stay in that cell for the rest of their life. For a cold-blooded killer, capital punishment is the only true justice.

Susan Smith drove her two innocent kids in to the lake. She freely drove her car into the lake as her two young sons sit seat belted in the backseat of her car. Susan then got out of the car and watched as the cabin of the car filled up with the freezing cold water eventually drowning the two. Just think of how they felt as they sit in the car crying for their mother frantically, wondering why mommy left them there? For nine days, she stuck to her story about a black carjacker who confiscate the car as she drove on a dark and empty back road. Friends and relatives joined an apprehensive search, until she confessed to killing them.

The jury of nine men and three women promptly discarded the death penalty for Susan Smith, sentencing her to life in prison after her lawyer argument she is tormented enough in her own “lake of fire” for drowning her two young sons. Ms. Smith’s lawyer, David Bruck, said in his closing argument that her grief, remorse and memories while serving life behind bars would be torment enough. Many people are only thinking of the criminal in this type of situation, yet do they ever stop to think about the families of these murder victims. The pain, the torment, and the immense suffering these loved ones go through because of the actions of these cruel criminals. Mr. Smith, the father of the two, broken up by the ruling said, Me and my family are disappointed that the death penalty was not the verdict, but it wasn t our choice. They returned a verdict that they thought was just. The Jury only explained that she would suffer more through her despair, but does that justify the short-lived lives of two completely harmless, defenseless and innocent children

A person may think it is immoral to kill someone no matter what they have done. I articulate it is retributive justice to take the life in turn for the taking of another life, it could be argued that a criminal is not able to learn a lesson since he dies as an immediate result of the punishment. How can this be called punishment if no lesson is taught? In my opinion, the only way for justice to be served is to have the criminal pay with their life, ” an eye for an eye.” Many people believe that capital punishment does not belong in a civilized society. I believe it is considered necessary because we do not live in a civilized society, if we did there would be no crime. We live in a day and age where killing happens everyday, and many get away with it. Those who do get caught, don’t stay in a jail cell for the rest of their live. If we could exonerate our streets of murderers, it could mean a safer place for everyone. Men and women could feel safer jogging or doing responsibilities at night. Single women could feel safer in their homes. Children could feel safe playing in their yards. No executed murderer has ever killed again.