Capital punishment has been around for thousands of years and to this day we still use some of the forms. It has been heavily reformed so that is a quick, humane, and effective way of execution. A person has to do a horrendous crime such as murder, or kidnapping where the victim dies for the death penalty to be an option when other alternatives such as life in prison with or without the possibility of parole are not sufficient. Even though many do not agree there are a numerous amount of people that do not agree with capital punishment and it may continue to change, it is a necessity for this…
The death penalty is used universally, in developed countries, as well as, in undeveloped countries. The death penalty is used more for retribution and retaliation than it is for justice. The death penalty does not deter crime effectively, it is incompatible with human rights and human dignity, used against minorities and the poor, and there is always the risk of executing innocent people. Its easy to agree to the death penalty when the accused is not someone you know...bu what if the accused was your son, daughter, father, mother, brother, or sister? Would you still be for the death penalty?…
That was then and this is now; the times have changed and so have people’s views, are likely the next points those opposed will make. Have they really changed though? According to an October, 2009 Gallup Crime Survey, “65% of Americans continue to support the use of the death penalty for persons convicted of murder, while 31% oppose it” (Newport, 2009). The simple fact that America is a democratic republic makes any topic, in which a two-thirds majority favor said topic, substantial. As mentioned above, the fact that capital punishment can guarantee a criminal will not commit vicious crime in the future, leads Americans continually to remain in favor of it.…
Historically there is no clear evidence that the death penalty has decreased the murder rate or acted as an effective deterrent to murder. Capital punishment is a violation of natural rights. This is wrong for everyone who is involved: The prosecuted innocent, the criminals, the victim’s family and our nation. The death penalty does not guarantee safety for the innocent. Nothing good comes out of hate, and nothing good can ever come from capital punishment.…
The death penalty has been an ongoing debate on whether it should be allowed or whether it violates our constitutional right. While most developed Western nations have stopped executing the United States continues to execute offenders (Zimring 2004). From 1977 through 2008 1,136 people have been executed, which consisted of people who committed murder (Procon 2010). Those who are in favor of the death penalty believe it is an important tool to help deter crime and it cost less than life imprisonment (Procon 2010). They believe retribution helps console the grieving family and it also ensures that the offender will never be able to commit another heinous crime (Procon 2010). According to Grant (2004) some people believe that some offenders should face the death penalty because of vengeance and retribution for violent crimes. During the…
The death penalty has been a criminal sentence imposed in America for hundreds of years, but it have been extremely controversial as Evan Mandery illustrates in “A Wild Justice: The Death and Resurrection of Capital Punishment in America.” Today, the death sentence is strictly used in murder cases and in thirty-two out of the fifty states in America. In these states, it is completely legal to use the ultimate punishment of death to incapacitate a criminal from committing any further harm to society. Throughout American history, many individuals have supported the death penalty because they believe it is an effective way to deter crime and is a form of retribution. Others have strongly advocated against capital punishment because it is not morally correct and it not applied fairly. Also, some argue that it is unconstitutional to use the death penalty because it violates the cruel and unusual punishment provision of the Eight Amendment written in the United States Constitution.…
Many look upon this topic as a religious moral issue. The National Coalition against Death Penalty states that “the death penalty devalues all human life- eliminating the possibility for transformation of human spirit.” This organization also states that the death penalty “is fallible and irrevocable” , their studies show that over 100 inmates have been released from death row after new technological testing regarding their cases found them to be innocent.(1) On the reverse side of this religious outlook, there are those such as J. Melton that believe, the death penalty was started by God, himself when wrote in the bible, “He that killeth by the sword must be killed by the sword.”(Revelations 13:10). (2) There have been studies by Emory University professors, in 2003, state that each execution deters an average of 18 murders. A similar study in 2004 stated that it is believed that speeding up execution would strengthen deterrent effect. For every 2.75 years cut from time spent on death row it is said that 1 murder would be prevented. Another aspect of the death penalty is that of those who believe that rehabilitation is ineffective and capital punishment is the only punishments that is equivalent to some of the violent offenses committed and think that it is a way for closure for the families of the victims.(3) In my opinion, I believe that it is not just a…
The United States of America is one of the only democratic countries that still use capital punishment. This has raised a rather extensive debate, especially over the last 4 decades. I became interested in this issue in 2011 after the controversy surrounding the execution of Troy Davis, and the issue has remained. In my research, one argument in favor of the use of capital punishment has always stood out as the most solid: that it serves as a crime deterrent and will save more lives than we kill. On the other hand, people from the opposing side state that if the death penalty really did act as a deterrent, states that implement it should have much lower murder rates than states that do not, and that is simply not the case.…
More than half of the states in our country use this barbaric technique of delivering justice. The death penalty is a very controversial topic so some people's stands on the death penalty might be different from others. But, there are many facts that show the gruesome nature of the death penalty as well as how unneccessary it is. All of the collected evidence about the death penalty proves how bad of a punishment it really is to us against criminals, a much more reasonable punishment would be a life sentence in prison.…
Evidence 1- Jean A. Elster and Helen Cothran state people who serve life sentences for crimes such as murder always have the chance to kill again in prison, get let out on parole, or escape. (Elster 47).…
out of offenders, and that the threat of death will be enough to deter the crime…
Did you know that 1,432 people have been executed since 1976? Capital punishment, aka the death penalty has claimed countless lived since it’s establishment in the United States in 1608. Executions happen pretty often, with 38 people being killed last year alone. The death penalty is an unnecessary and horrible punishment which should not be allowed.…
Some people are against the killing of others for any reasons. Other people feel that certain crimes should be punished by death. The death penalty is a very controversial topic in the United States today and has been for a number of years, because people's life is at risk. The reviewing the numbers of facts prove that the death penalty should not be enforced. I think death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment. It should be abolished in this country it's racial discrimination, the financial cost and barbarity.…
In society today there are murders committed everyday. And everyday the people who commit these crimes are found guilty in a court of law and sentenced to like in prison. Some even get chances for parole. What the courts should do is take every murderer, give every one of them the death penalty, and follow through with it. The death penalty should be legal in all 50 states and carried through when given out as a sentence. Gary Gilmore faced a firing squad at the Utah State Prison on January 17, 1977. There have been 55 murders in that state during 1976. During 1977, in wake of the Gilmore execution, there were 44 murders: a 20 percent decrease. As you can see, the execution had some effect on the murder rate in Utah. There are very few proven facts about capital punishment deterring crime at this time. This is so because capital punishment is not used enough to actually have an effect on people. It is a fact that of all murder sentences that 38 percent get the death penalty. If that 38 percent only 0.1 percent are executed. If we use the death penalty more often and actually carry through with it will have an effect on the crime rate in the country. People will see that finally we have justice in this country and if they do this, there is a large chance they are going to be caught and they are going to receive the death penalty. We also need the death penalty in this country because if we execute the murderer that person has no chance to ever kill or harm another person again. The person will never have a chance for parole and there will never be a risk of this person ever ruining another family's life. It is not fair for a murderer to get life in prison. The murderer still can have a life, not much of one, but they do have one. He or she can still communicate with their families. The victim of the murder cannot. The victim's family will never be able to see there loved one again. Another thing with life in prison is that the murderer may have a chance for parole.…
I along with many people in America today still believe that the death penalty is very important in that we use it as a tool in fighting violent pre-meditated murder. One big downside to the death penalty is the possibility that innocent men and women will be put to death. Also financial cost to tax payers of capital punishment is several times that of housing the perpetrator in prison. The punishment relating to this crime is quite fair, although I believe there are many cases in that a person has committed murder but has not received the death penalty for their actions. Of the 22,000 homicides committed every year approximately 150 people are sentenced to death (Death Penalty Facts, California, Death Penalty Focus, 3/31/2009). The only real problem I still see relevant to the punishment regarding any crimes that lead to the death penalty, is that there are still innocent people being put to death and obviously once this is done there is no reversing this action. Generally speaking I would say the death penalty as a punishment is fair and that we are being too lenient in that people who should receive the death penalty are given a life sentence in prison as an…