Imagine this: A boy, around the age of 14 sitting in an electric chair, awaiting the inevitable. This is the story of George Stinney, the youngest person to be killed by the electric chair.
On March 23 1944, the bodies of Betty Binnicker and Mary Thames were found in a ditch in Alcolu, North Carolina. In the town of Alcolu, there was segregation everywhere, schools, churches, the houses were even separated by train tracks, so when two white girls were found in the black community, a search was conducted. The girls were killed by blunt-force trauma to their heads, the last time they were seen was going past the Stinney house. The sheriff testified that George admitted to the murder of the girls, however there was no written or signed papers confirming that. George and his brother were arrested, but they let his brother go and kept George in custody, forbidding visits until after his trial and conviction.
Not only did Stinney not have much support while jailed for 81 days, he also was questioned without any representation, and he was also jailed 50 miles away in Columbia for fear of lynching. During the trial, the prosecution brought up 3 witnesses, while George’s defense brought no witnesses, nor did they properly cross-examine or help his case. The trial lasted around 2 - 2.5 hours. Stinney was sentenced to Death Row by electric chair. He was executed on June 16, 1944. Because of his age and height, rumors say that he had to sit on a bible and a few other books in order to sit in the chair right. As he was electrocuted, the adult-sized mask fell off multiple times, and they had to restart the shocks.
Seventy years later, in 2014, the case reopened to exonerate George from his charges.The argument for his innocence was that his trial was unconstitutional and new evidence and suspects had been found. After the two day hearing, it was concluded that George had his rights taken away during trials and that it was an injustice to him. He was then vacated from the charges set on him.
Since the 1890s when it was invented, there have been 4,300 deaths by electric chair. Currently 27 states in the US have the death penalty, and out of those 8 have the electric chair as a method. Many states that do not use the electric chair as a method for the execution reason that it is unconstitutional and “cruel and unusual punishment”. Iowa has not had the death penalty as of 1965, when a bill signed by Governor Harold Hughes abolished it.
I believe that this story is horrible, and I would not want to be in his position. Personally, I think that we should not continue with the death penalty, as new evidence is found all the time. Imagine a convict being sentenced and executed, and after that, new evidence is found and they are no longer guilty - how do you fix that situation?
Questions
What do you think of this story?
Would you be scared if you were George Stinney?
Do you think the US should continue with the death penalty?
If you said yes, do you think that we should continue with the electric chair as a method?
Sources
Replies
I completely agree. It would be really scary if you were framed for a crime, and then had to die because of it. The sad part for me is that he didn't get justice until 70 years after his death.
I think that it was completely unnecessary and harmful and if I were him, I would be mortified. I think that there are some cases where the death penalty is not needed and there are some where it is absolutely necessary and I think that the electric chair is helpful for situations like this.
I this this story is really sad and horrible, of course I would be scared if I were him, I think that if the prisons are really very well protected and no one could escape or anything, the death penalty should not continue, or maybe yes but for the people who committed really horrible and sick crimes. I don't remember what other method they can execute people apart from the electric chair, I really don't like the electric chair because the people who will be executed will really feel the pain for a long time.
I agree, the complicated part with the death penalty is that jail time can only do so much for a person, but death can seem extreme. It is a very controversial topic.
This story is a terrible reality and I agree that the death penalty causes a lot of issues becuase new evidence can be found after someone has been executed. Also the people who are so twisted that they commit crimes to be senteced to death often would rather die than stay their life in prison. In a way giving the the death penalty lessens the punishment they deserve and gives them an easy way out.
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