Neal Biswas
Mr. Hinton
World Lit
5/6/14
Death Penalty Must Be Abolished
On April 29, a botched death penalty execution in Oklahoma shocked the nation. Clayton Lockett, a 38-year old man, convulsed, writhed, and groaned for an extended period of time as lethal injection was being administered. According to eyewitness accounts, Lockett died from a collapsed vein and a heart attack nearly an hour after the execution began. President Barack Obama even responded to this incident, describing it as “deeply troubling” and calling for a review of the death penalty’s application.
This extremely disturbing episode reenergized an ageless debate over the legality of the death penalty and sparked my passion on this controversial topic. The death penalty must be abolished in America. It goes against everything this country has stood for since the beginning of its existence. The underlying issues of constitutionality, morality, failure of deterrence, irrevocable mistakes, bias, and cost are among the many reasons that all point to how ridiculous of a punishment the death penalty actually is.
There are currently 32 states, including California, in America that actively use the death penalty. Since 1976, there have been 1378 executions, carried out in a number of different ways. The government has used gas chambers, firing squads, hangings, electrocution chairs, and lethal injections with the goal of providing an instantaneous and painless death. Lethal injection is the most common of these methods, using a fatal cocktail of drugs to immediately stop the victim’s breathing and heartbeat. This technique, however, will now undergo immense scrutiny and may even be outlawed in the wake of the Oklahoma incident.
The biggest issue that arises from this i...
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...realize the numerous drawbacks of the death penalty and are better understanding the more logical alternatives. A nation that previously had overwhelming support for the death penalty is slowly, but surely, shifting towards a more liberal view. Last year’s Gallup poll revealed that support for the death penalty in America has dropped from 80% to 60%, the lowest in nearly 40 years. This is also reflected in many state governments, as 29 states have not carried out an execution in the last 5 years and many vigorous repeal campaigns are underway. Last year, California’s Prop 34 narrowly failed to pass by about 250,000 votes. Prop 34 would have replaced the death penalty in California with the sentence of life without the possibility of parole. However, we are certainly moving in the right direction. It is only a matter of time before the death penalty is abolished.
Capital Punishment in the state of California represents the ideals of justice in no way which can justify the great financial and legal burden required to maintain a system that has not actually put any person to death since 2006. It is somewhat of a mystery why California voters allow the process to continue despite having opportunities on fairly recent ballots to discontinue the practice. The current implementation of capital punishment in the state of California spends large amounts of money on the many legal proceedings and processes, while carrying out so few executions of death row prisoners that some would label California as a “De-facto prohibition” state regarding it's practices of capital punishment. Capital Punishment in California fails miserably to represent justice for anyone, and should be abolished.
Although the flaws of death penalty are lucid, they are often times over looked by society. Innocuous people have been ruled to death based upon mistaken eyewitness testimonies, mistaken identity, and false confessions through coercion. Former Governor of Illinois George Ryan was a staunch proponent o...
Throughout America’s history, capital punishment, or the death penalty, has been used to punish criminals for murder and other capital crimes. In the early 20th century, numerous people would gather for public executions. The media described these events gruesome and barbaric (“Infobase Learning”). People began to wonder if the capital punishment was really constitutional.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, the most common method of execution among states with the death penalty is lethal injection, which is authorized by 35 states, as well as the U.S. Military and the U.S. Government. Smaller numbers of states continue to use methods such as electrocution, gas chambers, hanging, and even firing squads
Currently, 35 states still impose the death penalty while 16 states, including the District of Columbia, have abolished it. Opponents of capital punishment point out that the states that allow the death penalty experienced 42 percent more murders than the states who have abolished the deat...
“The Death Penalty in America: A Cultural and Historical Analysis.” Supreme Court Debates (2004): pp. 259-288.
Despite ample evidence that the capital punishment system in California is broken, when ending the death penalty was on the ballot, our state voted to keep it in place [17]. Though this disappointed the opponents of the death penalty, they are not giving up on their cause[18]. Perhaps in the next few elections, the death penalty will be abolished. Only time will tell.
While one person lays with their wrists circumscribed to the worn leather of the gurney, another person holds two skin-piercing needles. The individual holding the needles is an inexperienced technician who obtains permission from the United States federal government to murder people. One needle is held as a precaution in case the pain is too visible to the viewers. Another dagger filled with a lethal dosage of chemicals is inserted into the vein that causes the person to stop breathing. When the cry of the heart rate monitor becomes monotone, the corrupt procedure is complete. Lying in the chair is a corpse when moments ago it was an individual who made one fatal mistake that will never get the chance to redeem (Ecenbarger). Although some people believe that the death
Since the 13 colonies were first established in America, the death penalty has been the main form of capital punishment as a firmly deep-rooted institution in the United States. Today, one of the most debated issues in the criminal justice system is the issue of capital punishment. While receiving disapproving viewpoints as those who oppose the death penalty find moral fault in capital punishment, the death penalty has taken a very different course in America while continuing to further advancements in the justice system since the start of the new millennium. While eliminating overcrowding in state jails, the death penalty has managed to save tax payers dollars as well as deteriorate crime and apprehend criminals.
Clayton Lockett was a convicted murderer of a teenage girl, that he kidnapped, shot and buried alive. He received the death penalty. In 2014, the sentence was carried out, but apparently he did not die painlessly and quickly enough. Apparently, his vein
One of the most repetitive and controversial topics discussed in the criminal justice system, is the death penalty. Capital punishment has been a part of our nation’s history since the creation of our constitution. In fact, as of January 1st, 2016, 2,943 inmates were awaiting their fate on death row (Death Penalty Information Center). Throughout my life, I have always been a strong advocate for the death penalty. During the majority of my undergraduate degree, I was a fierce supporter of capital punishment when discussing the topic in classes. However, throughout many criminal justice courses, I found myself in the minority, regarding the abolishment of the death penalty. While debating this topic, I would always find myself sympathetic to the victims and their families, as one should be, wanting those who were responsible for heinous crimes to
Legal killing can include the enforcement of the law by a police officer, acting in self-defense, or medical euthanasia. Medical euthanasia is a provocative topic that many people don’t feel should be legal. Euthanasia has caused much controversy among doctors and hospitals as some feel it is against a doctor’s sworn Hippocratic Oath to, “do no harm”. In fact, policies and laws surrounding euthanasia vary from hospital-to-hospital and from state-to-state. Finally, capital punishment is when some one is convicted of a crime and sentenced to death. Historically methods of death included the electric chair, hanging, and shooting squads. Although not legal in all states, the current practice of capital punishment is typically by lethal injection. The drug(s) used in lethal injection renders the person unconscious, causes paralysis of the muscle and eventually stop the heart. Interestingly this all takes place under the supervision of a
When someone is legally convicted of a capital crime, it is possible for their punishment to be execution. The Death Penalty has been a controversial topic for many years. Some believe the act of punishing a criminal by execution is completely inhumane, while others believe it is a necessary practice needed to keep our society safe. In this annotated bibliography, there are six articles that each argue on whether or not the death penalty should be illegalized. Some authors argue that the death penalty should be illegal because it does not act as a deterrent, and it negatively effects the victim’s families. Other scholar’s state that the death penalty should stay legalized because there is an overcrowding in prisons and it saves innocent’s lives. Whether or not the death penalty should be
Capital Punishment is defined as the legal infliction of the death penalty. The death penalty is corporal punishment in its most severe form and is used instead of life long imprisonment. Putting people to death that have committed extremely terrible crimes is an ancient practice, but it has become a very controversial issue in today's society. Capital punishment has been used for centuries, even the Bible contains over thirty stories or incidents about a person put to death for a crime they committed. Public executions stopped after 1936. The death penalty has been inflicted in many different ways. Today in the United States, there are five ways that the death penalty is performed. These criminals are put to death by a lethal injection, electrocution, lynching, a firing squad, or the gas chamber. These punishments are much less severe than the forms of execution in the past. In the past, people were executed by crucifixion, boiling in oil, drawing and quartering, impalement, beheading, burning alive, crushing, tearing, stoning, and even drowning. The methods used today compared to those of history are not meant for torture but instead for punishment for heinous crimes and to rid the earth of these dangerous people. The majority of America supports the death penalty.
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is how the saying goes. Coined by the infamous Hammurabi’s Code around 1700 BC, this ancient expression has become the basis of a great political debate over the past several decades – the death penalty. While the conflict can be whittled down to a matter of morals, a more pragmatic approach shows defendable points that are far more evidence backed. Supporters of the death penalty advocate that it deters crime, provides closure, and is a just punishment for those who choose to take a human life. Those against the death penalty argue that execution is a betrayal of basic human rights, an ineffective crime deterrent, an economically wasteful option, and an outdated method. The debate has experienced varying levels of attention over the years, but has always kept in the eye of the public. While many still advocate for the continued use of capital punishment, the process is not the most cost effective, efficient, consistent, or up-to-date means of punishment that America could be using today.