Hot Topic (Suicide by Execution) Papers for the Criminal justice Class - Essay Example

The academic journal article, Suicide on Death Row, and the textbook hot topic , Suicide by Execution, both focus on the issue of voluntary execution of death row inmates, and contain important differences in how they present it. The hot topic presented a succinct analysis of death row inmates and their decisions on voluntary execution from 1976 to the present day in the United States. Suicide by Execution asserted that twelve percent of all death row inmates had chosen to die voluntarily (Hot Topics).

Based on this fact, the informed consent and sanity of these people has been questioned. This hot topic alluded to the fact that prolonged stay on death row affects ones sound judgment; thus, likely to propel inmates to choose to die. The article showed that staying on death row gravitates one towards developing death row syndrome. This has been demonstrated in several cases like that of Michael Ross, a Connecticut inmate. Death row syndrome also known as death row phenomenon is a legal term used to refer to dehumanization and resulting effect emanating from continued stay on death row.

These effects deprive in mates sane decision-making capability. Ross attempted to waive his appeals, this was against the will of his lawyer, who said Ross was not competent enough and mentally stable to make such a decision due to psychological distress he suffered as a death row inmate. Ross' request was ultimately honored, and he was executed. Despite the blatant evidence showing inmates to frequently have “death row syndrome,” no court in the United States has ever overturned a death voluntary execution based on this revelation (Hot Topics).

This syndrome is a legal, rather than a medical term, that is defined as “the psychological effects of living on death row” (Hot Topics). Although the hot topics article does not go into greater detail, Blume notes that symptoms might include loneliness, depression, and active suicidality (Blume). The article posed a point to ponder on whether the death row sentence deprived the offenders of the right to live, and in doing so, affected the judgment of the inmates when they opt for voluntary suicide (Hot Topics).

Thus, the inmates forgoing their right to appeal in preference of death was put into question. The article focused on suicides committed in correction facilities, including both juvenile and adult facilities in the United States. It centered its argument on revisiting several cases of voluntary execution of inmates on death row (Lester and Tartaro). It used secondary research (closed cases of voluntary execution) to present its claim. This article attempted to determine if suicide cases in prisons are attributed to the social pressure outside the correctional facilities or some pressure within the facility itself.

The link between the inmates on death row and voluntary execution could not be traced to any societal pressure, only the fact that death is a natural enemy to life, and every person’s sanity might be affected by a death sentence (Lester and Tartaro). The article used correlation analysis to establish the relationship between being on death row and choosing voluntary execution. It concluded that indeed being on death row affects ones decision-making capabilities; thus, it recommends that voluntary execution is not entirely ethical.

The article under review, Killing the Willing, and the hot topic article share