The Death Penalty Controversy

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Controversy of the Death Penalty The death penalty has been a part of the United States since the colonial era. From the 16th century till our current century, the death penalty has been an enforced capital punishment for those who commit capital crimes which may include: hanging, electrocution, gas inhalation, firing squad, and many more. The death penalty is a controversial issue in America because people disagree about whether or not it is a just punishment for capital crimes. Some Americans agree that the death penalty is a just punishment for capital crimes because the inmates deserve suffering to death as a punishment. In "Waiting to die, dying to live," the author stated “It appears that the people of the United States have been misled …show more content…

This quote from a book chapter states, “When viewed in its entirely, the Old Testament is the story of a repeating cycle of redemption. God creates humans in his own image. Then comes human sin, God’s forgiveness and reinstatement, and so on” (Hanks 25). In these sentences, Gardner Hanks uses the Old Testament perspective to explain why the death penalty shouldn’t be the final solution of a punishment. One example the author used in the chapter was the story of Cain and Abel. Cain was recorded as the first murder “in modern terminology, this was a first-degree murder: premeditated and cold-blooded. However, the Lord God did not take Cain’s life for the murder. Instead the punishment chosen was separation from the community by banishment” (Hanks 26). These sentences the author stated show that the death penalty isn’t always the best punishment to serve …show more content…

The author wrote: “The amendment states that no person “shall be deprived of life…without due process of law,” meaning that before an execution, certain legal procedures-such as formal arrest, indictment, and a trail-must be followed” (Unknown 1). In the quote, the author explains what the 5th Amendment is and how it affects the death penalty with capital crimes. Also, the author states: “Furman’s death sentence was found to be a “cruel and unusual punishment” that contravened the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution” (Unknown 2). This quote used by the author explains that the death penalty can violate the 8th Amendment in different cases as it did in the case of Furman v. Georgia in 1972. Both quotes state an Amendment that can limit the number or the cruelty of a death punishment which causes few Americans to believe the Amendments should settle capital

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