Wanda Jean Allen Research Paper
Who is Wanda Jean Allen? Wanda Jean Allen was the second born of her eight siblings, born in Oklahoma on August 17, 1959. Wanda’s father left home after her last sibling was born and her mother was an alcoholic. In an unbalanced family structure, they all lived in public housing with the help of public assistance. At an early age Wanda Jean Allen went through two situations that later shifted her mental state. First, at the age of twelve Allen was struck by a truck and knocked unconscious for hours. Then, at the age of fifteen Allen was stabbed in the left temple of her head. More in depth, doctors and medical specialist discovered that her abilities were impaired, a retardation IQ of sixty-nine, and a dysfunctional hemisphere of her brain. These factors caused Allen to loose ability in expressing herself, analyze cause and effect, and loss control of stress. However even though Allen committed murder twice, is it still fair to sentence her to a death sentence while being mentally
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ill? To begin with, Allen was sentenced to a death sentence after drawing and opening fire on her ex-girlfriend Detra Pettus in 1981. The societal factor of poverty played a major factor in Wanda Jean Allen’s murder trial. In court, officials bypassed her mental state and focused on Allen’s background only. Judges were more likely to give her a death sentence because Allen came from a poor community of crime. Not only that but she had committed murder before, giving officials an image of just another criminal in Oklahoma.
However, Wanda Jean Allen’s limited mental capacity should have prevented her from being put to death.
I believe that government cannot punish someone who does not know the difference between good and bad or cause and effect, because punishment would be worthless since the problem is in a one’s own mental. In support, Atkins v. Virginia was a Supreme Court closed on 2001 that states “executing people with intellectual disabilities violates the eighth amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishments, but states can define who has intellectual disability”. This states that Wanda Jean Allen would have had a chance of mental rehabilitation or life in prison if court officials would have not bypassed her mental state. However, I still believe Wanda Jean would murder again because mental flaws are permanent. This can be heard in Allen’s last phone call before she was transported to the execution department, Allen was still very joyful and hope without expressing mercy of her own upcoming
death.
In Conclusion, based on my research the death sentence has a gender bias. They’re two factors that develop this gender bias. First, females are 90% less likely to commit murder then men. Second, the growing society of feminism in which jurors see woman in a different aspect than men. If I were on the Parole and Review Board, I would’ve grant Wanda clemency for an important reason. First, Wanda Jean Allen was a mentally ill person that did not know the basic logic of cause and effect or the expression of feeling during the incident of crime. However, respecting the eighth amendment of prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment, I would’ve sentenced Allen to life but not on death row.
ill? To begin with, Allen was sentenced to a death sentence after drawing and opening fire on her ex-girlfriend Detra Pettus in 1981. The societal factor of poverty played a major factor in Wanda Jean Allen’s murder trial. In court, officials bypassed her mental state and focused on Allen’s background only. Judges were more likely to give her a death sentence because Allen came from a poor community of crime. Not only that but she had committed murder before, giving officials an image of just another criminal in Oklahoma.
However, Wanda Jean Allen’s limited mental capacity should have prevented her from being put to death.
I believe that government cannot punish someone who does not know the difference between good and bad or cause and effect, because punishment would be worthless since the problem is in a one’s own mental. In support, Atkins v. Virginia was a Supreme Court closed on 2001 that states “executing people with intellectual disabilities violates the eighth amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishments, but states can define who has intellectual disability”. This states that Wanda Jean Allen would have had a chance of mental rehabilitation or life in prison if court officials would have not bypassed her mental state. However, I still believe Wanda Jean would murder again because mental flaws are permanent. This can be heard in Allen’s last phone call before she was transported to the execution department, Allen was still very joyful and hope without expressing mercy of her own upcoming
death.
In Conclusion, based on my research the death sentence has a gender bias. They’re two factors that develop this gender bias. First, females are 90% less likely to commit murder then men. Second, the growing society of feminism in which jurors see woman in a different aspect than men. If I were on the Parole and Review Board, I would’ve grant Wanda clemency for an important reason. First, Wanda Jean Allen was a mentally ill person that did not know the basic logic of cause and effect or the expression of feeling during the incident of crime. However, respecting the eighth amendment of prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment, I would’ve sentenced Allen to life but not on death row.