Yusuf Sahibzada
POLI 337
Dr. Davis
February 2, 2015
The
Night Stalker
Justice in
the court system is not just about righting a wrong that was made or returning
stolen property. The true meaning of justice goes deeper on a personal level,
to where the individual being wronged can be relieved and compensated for what
was done to him or her. In the case involving Richard Ramirez, also dubbed
“Night Stalker”, injustice prevailed and trumped the justice system in the US.
Ramirez was a serial killer, rapist, and burglar in the Los Angeles area and
terrorized people from 1984 to 1985 (“Richard Ramirez”). Ramirez used a variety
of weapons from handguns to hammers to torture his victims and commit the
horrendous acts of injustice (“Richard Ramirez”).
The reason that this case is a clear
representation of an injustice is because of what happened while Richard
Ramirez was in prison. Ramirez was sentenced to death row, but while awaiting
his execution he actually died from B-cell lymphoma, before he could be
executed. Naturally this caused an uproar for the families that were scarred by
Ramirez and his past criminal activity. Not being able to see the one that
violated your family executed can leave anger and vengeance in one’s heart and
frustration in the criminal court systems failure to process fast enough. The
families that were left shattered from Richard Ramirez have all the right to
feel like an injustice was done because firstly the court system let Ramirez
live in the comfort of a prison cell on the family’s tax paying money, eating
and sleeping care free (“Letters…”). Furthermore, not being able to see the
condemned man brought to justice leads a feeling of frustration and anger in
the effected families with both Ramirez and the court system. This only adds
more anguish and heartache for the families who survived the atrocities
committed on their loved ones by Ramirez.
Specific actions that can be taken to avoid
this kind of injustice from occurring again is to pay extra attention to medical
conditions of condemned prisoners in the prison system. Another innovation to
prevent this type of happening is to speed up the process for an execution of a
death row inmate in the prison system. If these two simple yet crucial steps were
considered then cases like, “Night Stalker”, would never be repeated
again. Justice can never be truly served
for the effected family because of the prison system’s blunder however, a
remedy for the family members could be some form of compensation that they
receive. To add to this, it’s possible for the media to publicize this case on
the news so that it can set a precedent for future offenses and make sure it
does not occur again.
Classmates can help encourage justice to be
brought forth by supporting the families that were harmed during Ramirez’s
reign of terror, through fund raising to help with funeral cost, and general
compensation. Classmates can also make their voices heard and help spread the
word to quicken execution of prisoners that have committed serious crimes so
that justice can be served and the families can have closure. With all this put
into perspective, it is sad to say that the only way to truly remedy this unfortunate
situation is to change how the criminal system works and how an inmate on death
row can be prosecuted.
Bibliography
"Letters:
Ramirez's Non-execution an Injustice." Los Angeles Times. 11 June
2013. Web. 8 Feb. 2015. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jun/11/opinion/la-le-0611-tuesday-night-stalker-20130611
"Richard
Ramirez." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 08 Feb.
2015.
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