Death Penalty Essay (For a scholarship)

This is an official entry for a scholarship through The Law Office of Joshua Pond. Thank you for reading.

Seven Minutes

            Seven minutes. A few words that carry with them the finality that comes with knowing nothing that is said will change the circumstances. The amount of time from a death row prisoner’s last statement until the time he is pronounced dead. In the land of the free and the brave, this does not seem like a fair way to treat citizens. America is the land of second chances, which our government throws away in seven minutes. No matter what the prisoner has done, they deserve what this country has promised them: an assurance that they have a right to life.

            It is understandable why many states still have the death penalty in place. It helps with overpopulation in the prisons, reduces the risk of a prisoner escaping, assuring that the person who did wrong will forever be a memory and shows our justice system will deliver the punishment the people see fit. What it doesn’t bring is an end to the suffering of the victim’s families, the bills that keep piling up (execution is not cheap), and the heartache of the prisoner’s family, that sees everyday on the calendar an end date to their relative’s life. As for the prisoner himself? A life in prison is far more deteriorating than serving ten years of a sentence before being killed. The way America setup, it is not right to still be in the age of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Instead of the having the death penalty, our society should be focused on helping prisoners realize the depth and seriousness of their crimes and spending their lives in prison turning their lives around. Death row inmates should be commuted to life sentences. While this doesn’t help overpopulation in prisons, it would greatly improve America’s report with the European nations who are so against this policy, and show that American government is not going to take the risk of murdering possibly innocent or mentally challenged people. The question is not what to do in place of the death penalty, the question is how to work with what we already have, which is the life sentence with no possibility of parole.

            Now is the time of reform. America should consider abolishing the death penalty and show that life in prison is a worse consequence than being put on Death Row, that during a life sentence, it is not waiting to die for these prisoners, it is a way to realize the severity of their crime and spend their lives contemplating that. The victim’s family will be assured that the vivacity of their relative’s life is realized and it is not forgotten what they have done and the pain they have caused said family. Seven minutes will no longer be enough to repent, to say everything that needs to be said, because some things need a lifetime. 

 This blog post is an official entry for the <a href="http://www.joshuapondlaw.com/scholarship">Law Blogger’s 

Venezia, Verona e Roma :)

Hey guys! I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and New Year's! Certainly, my holidays looked a little bit different this year, but I will always remember how special it was surrounded my family and friends from Italy and America. One of my favorite holiday traditions here is that on Christmas Eve, there is a big dinner with the whole family, that goes from 8:30 until midnight and at midnight, everyone stands up and kisses everyone's cheeks, wishing them a Merry Christmas, I just thought it showed the spirit of the Italians. On Christmas Day, my mom and sister flew into Rome and decided to spend a Christmas meal with my host family and I. Me, Giorgio and Aurelio drove to the bus station to pick them up and I can't describe how great it was to see my family for the first time in 3 months. Introductions were made and we all talked on the way home, getting to know each other. Once we got home, dinner was set for 17, everyone was celebrating together and my family blended right into the craziness. For dinner there was pasta and 3 types of meat and dessert and it truly was just  like those Italian family dinners we see in the movies. After dinner, there was singing, dancing and talking.
The holidays were especially fun for me this year because of all the traveling I got to do. With my mom and sister, I went to Venice and Verona. Venice is a city unlike any other. Beautiful buildings in all colors, no roads and only canals by which to travel by boat. Though Venice was beautiful, it was Verona that made an impression on my family and I. We saw Juliet's home and museum from Romeo and Juliet and it was gorgeous! The whole town had this welcoming feel with wide streets, open markets, food stands, and ancient ornate churches lining the streets. It was by far one of my favorite places I have seen ever. After my family headed home, there were a couple days of rest before I went to Rome with my host family. I have seen Rome before with the Latin club at my school, but was blown away by how many new things I learned this time around. I saw the village where Mussolini lived (now a park with running trails, with Mussolini's house and buildings still remaining as a museum), the Trevi Fountain, Saint Peter's Basilica, where the President and Prime Minister live, a planetarium, Piazza Navona (always my personal favorite) and Castel Sant'Angelo (where there's the path to the Vatican, the one in "Angels and Demons"). We walked a lot too and so many things I saw on foot that I'd missed before. Although all the sights were fantastic, it was the speaking in Italian and understanding the people that I enjoyed as well. A couple people asked me to take pictures of them and I was so excited that I understood when the asked without even thinking. All in all, a great break :) I hope everyone had a great holiday!!
-Kailey