How effective, in practice, are the safeguards in place for guaranteeing the rights of those facing the death penalty in the U.S.A?

The death penalty has been seen as a human rights issue as some regard it as 'cruel and degrading' treatment of individuals. This essay will concentrate on three out of the nine safeguards that are in place to protect those facing the death sentence. It will be argued that, in relation to the U.S.A, these safeguards are ineffective in practice. In some instances, U.S domestic law rather than the safeguards offer more …

…Penry may greatly change the situation; the safeguards to ensure a fair trial and to protect the innocent seem to, taken on their own, be ineffective in practice. However, due to some revisions in American domestic law there may be significant changes that will lead to less error. Yet, it should be noted that we have only considered three of the safeguards in detail; any of the other six safeguards may be effective in practice.