"Justice means that the death sentence can never be an option no matter

what the circumstances."

Australia is one of the countries which luckily don't implement the death
penalty for the most severe crimes, but unfortunately, countries overseas
such as the US continue to use the death penalty, a punishment which some
people believe is inhumane, while others think it's the right thing to do for the
worst offenders. For Rick Perry, Texas Governor, he believes capital
punishment is the correct decision for Humberto Leal, despite pleas from US
President Barrak Obama and the US State Department for a repreive. Leal
was sentenced to death row for the rape, torture, and murder of Adria
Sauceda in May 21, 1994 . He unfortunately was executed by lethal injection
on July 7, 2011. Does the execution of Leal really change anything? Has
justice been really served?
Rather than sentencing offenders to death row, they should be given the
opportunity to rehabilitate themselves. One of the main reasons criminals are
sentenced to jail is for them to become the correct law citizen, and those sent
to death row aren't given that opportunity. More often than not, criminals'
troubled past leads them to commit such crimes. For Humberto Leal as
disturbing as his crime which sent him death row. He suffered from brain
damage and was sexually abused by a priest as a child. To Leal, his actions
may have been an act of revenge for what the priest had done to him or what
he believed is normal. By looking at his past, many of us would agree this
man would be better suited to a second opportunity of life in the right
direction through external guidance, instead of an execution. Mark Stroman's
past is very similar of Leal's. Stroman was diagnosed as suffering mental
health problems in childhood, but it was never properly treated. He began
"treating" himself with drugs at the age of 11 and grew up in a troubled
houshold, where he learned to solve problems through violence and be
suspicious of people not like him. Following the events of 9/11, he murdered 2
people who he believed were of Middle Eastern descent. He lost his half-sister
in the World Trade Centre. While his crimes are not excusable, it does give it
context. For both of these offenders, many people have supported them for
their sentence to be reprieved. Leal gained the support of President Barrack
Obama and the US State Department, and Stroman gained the support of one
the unlikely people - Rais Bhuiyan, the person Stroman shot in the face, yet
he miracously survived and recovered to stop the execution of Stroman.
Unfortunately, in both cases, the appeals from the most high profile of people
in both cases proved ineffective, and both Leal and Stroman were executed
on July 7th and 21st, 2011 respectively.
So what can be done to prevent further people from being sentenced to
death row? Sandra L. Babcock, attorney for the late Humberto Leal stated

that "It is shameful that Mr. Leal will pay the price for our inaction. The need
for Congressional action to restore our reputation and protect our citizens is
more urgent than ever." This is more of a reason for true justice, meaning
that the dealth penalty will no longer be a viable option for punishment
regardless of the cicumstances. If change to the dealth penalty is met, this
may save the lives of two members of the Bali Nine - Andrew Chan and
Myuran Sukumaran. They have already shown signs of rehabilitation. As their
lawyer Julian McMahon reports "Slowly, over six years in jail, they have
become really decent men. From the typical nariccistict, unimpressive young
men I first met in 2006, they are now mature and caring, lots of love, always
generous, very enjoyable company, sharp witted and full of life." This
supports the notion that jail is a place for people for rehabilitate themselves
to get their live back on track permanently. While all may not choose to to
that, it seems that they should be given the opportunity to do so. For Leal and
Stroman, they did not receive that opportunity, but no more people should be
refused a chance to set their lives straight and sent to death row.
Through Albert Camus' words "For centuries the death penalty, often
accompanied by barbarous refinements, has been trying to hold crime in
check; yet crime persists" we can ask ourselves, What does the dealth
penalty actually achieve? It clearly does not deter people from comitting the
most serious of crimes and rarely "saves other people's lives" as former US
President George W. Bush stated. We are no longer in the period where
witches were burnt and heretics decappitated. Society should look to find
more humane alternatives in order to help the those who committed crimes
get back on their feet and become the law abiding citizen we wish everyone
to be.