100-year-old death-row inmate Celestine Egbunuche was found guilty of hiring hitmen to murder a man due to land disputes and sentenced to death in 2014. 4 years later, he is still waiting in the horrible conditions of prison; due to his advanced age, he needs the help of his son and other inmates to bathe and use the restroom, and the prison officials need to give him drugs daily. This August, he turned 100, and many of the prisoners are asking for his release as he is barely able to speak and does not seem to comprehend anything prison officials say to him.
Nigeria's capital punishment system is notoriously slow and unorganized; in fact, it is not uncommon for an inmate to spend 30 years on death row. This connects to the U.S. because the death penalty is still a very polarizing debate. The supporters and advocates against Egbunuche argue over the same morals of justice versus morality just like the supporters and advocates against the death penalty do in the United States.
Questions:
Some believe that Egbunuche is a criminal and he must be penalized for his actions whereas others say that the wait is cruel and torture. Should he be pardoned?
Should the death penalty be abolished or upheld?
Is it just to keep inmates on death row for an indefinite period of time? Should inmates who have waited a certain period of time on death-row be pardoned automatically?
Although Egbunuche's death penalty sentence may appear to be justice for his crime the death row process seems inefficient and unnecessary. The justice system should not be based upon revenge and "eye for an eye" ideology. It should focus on rehabilitation and contributing to a better functioning society. Certain crimes are understandably not forgivable and individuals who have committed such crimes should bear a life sentence. The death penalty and death row process is too flawed to adequately carry out the supposed "justice" it is meant to provide. If anything it appears Egbunuche's suffering while he struggles to live in prison is more of a punishment than the ease of death would be. Either way the criminal justice system should not focus on making individuals suffer or inflicting pain and hardship. This case is more evidence of the death penalty's failure as a form of seeking justice.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think that the whole death penalty ideology is flawed and only works in extreme cases. Rehabilitation should be the main focus of any correctional institution. However, I recognize that while rehabilitation sounds good, it is also extremely hard to execute effectively.
DeleteI believe Egbunuche shouldn't receive the death penalty. He is 100 years old, and has obvious health issues. taking his life at this point wont better the world in any way, shape, or form. He is not a threat to society, for he doesn't even have the ability to speak or act out violently. At this point in life, it should be considered murder if this person is put to death at the age of 100.
ReplyDeleteNigeria's criminal justice system desperately needs reform. Not only is keeping Egbunuche on death row unnecessary and cruel, it uses up valuable resources. Maintaining adequate living conditions for prisoners is expensive, and keeping thousands of people on death row for long periods of time wastes money that the government could be spending in more productive ways, such as further trials and investigations for the criminals. Furthermore, although the death penalty can be defended with the "eye for an eye" principle, numerous studies have shown that the death penalty does not act as a deterrent to crime. Ultimately, it is not a question of whether or not Nigeria should administer the death penalty but how it should go about treating its prisoners more fairly—namely, providing timely trials and ending the indefinite waits on death row.
ReplyDeleteEgbunuche lost his basic citizen rights after he broke the laws of his society and hired hitmen to kill another man. The criminal of this case is receiving much more sympathy than the actual victim and that in itself is a from of injustice and apathy towards the dead. Therefore, he should not be pardoned because he willingly made poor choices which resulted in his current situation. The death penalty is only for the most severe of cases such as this one and it should be upheld because it is a very powerful deterrent for serious crime. If everyone is just pardoned for their crimes, then why would anyone think twice about killing another individual? There are rules to protect the rights of people for a reason, and once someone had broken those rules then it is only just that their rights would be revoked. In this case the death penalty serves to enforce the "eye for an eye" ideology.
ReplyDeleteI think that it the sentence just doesn't really make sense anymore. He should have been executed long ago, and if the resources are currently available he should be executed right now. I think that nations should not have capital punishment if they do not have the resources to take out.
ReplyDeleteIn this case, Egbunuche should be pardoned for his actions. It is obviously unnecessary for Egbunuche to be sitting on death row while he is not an immediate threat to society and is just using up money and resources that could be used elsewhere. Since Nigeria’s capital punishment system is so slow and ineffective, there is no point in leaving Egbunuche on death row if he is awaiting the death penalty that may or may not happen before his natural death. While I do believe that some crimes are severe enough to require the death penalty, because of Egbunuche’s age, I do not think that it is realistic for him to still be waiting on death row.
ReplyDeleteIn this case, I think the prisoner should receive a pardon for his actions. He doesn't seem to be capable of much interaction and may not be totally cognizant, so any of the perceived judicial effects would be lost on this case. Despite this, his health condition will not improve if he leaves confinement, so I think complaints about condition and rehabilitation are moot. I think if states can figure out a way to make their respective systems cost efficient and have a way to ensure justice is dealt properly, they should not be barred from having capital punishment as long as members of the state support it. It is unjust for inmates to be kept on death row longer than they are told. They absolutely should not be pardoned, but if they are not executed on the originally set date, they should instead receive a life sentence.
ReplyDeleteMr. Egbunuche's situation is very unfortunate and the Nigerian government should address this issue right away. With or without a pardon, Mr. Egbunuche clearly needs medical assistance. Obviously it wold be unfair to the victim's family to say that Mr. Egbunuche has received enough punishment, but it is also unfair to deprive a human being from the basic care one needs. I do not think that a pardon is essential in this case, but I do think that the Nigerian government needs to start taking care of its prisoners especially those in advanced ages. Mr. Egbunuche's situation really just calls for prison reform since the government is being inefficient and frustrating.
ReplyDeleteThe Nigerian government should have been aware of their current status of resources when sentencing Mr. Egbunuche to the death penalty. If they had sentenced him to prison for life, the situation would have looked more just from an outsider perspective. If the death penalty leads to events like this frequently it should be abolished or restricted to special cases.
ReplyDeleteI don't think my opinion matters about whether or not he should be released, because it is not my job to decide and know all the laws and regulations. It is the job of the Nigerian government. The fact that Mr. Egbunuche is 100 years old is not that big of a deal I think. The more pressing matter is the disorganized justice system in Nigeria and the fact that keeping death row inmates on death row is extremely expensive. I think the death penalty should be upheld, but it should be upheld efficiently without wasting valuable resources. If I were in the Nigerian court, I would just put Mr. Egbunuche into general population. His son would be a separate case that the court would have to hear. However, if Mr. Egbunuche is put in gen pop, then his son should be as well because they are in for the same crime. I don't think they should go back out into society though.
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