Lethal Justice

1453 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Punishment within the criminal justice system

There are guilty people who walk free every day. It is appalling is that there are people who are responsible for egregious crimes such as premeditated murder, that walk free or are allowed to live the rest of their lives provided with nourishment and clothing. These same people are the people that tax dollars are spent supporting. Some of these people do not deserve to live after the crimes they have committed. For example, Joe Atkin’s was a man who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for murdering his half brother. His adopted father’s constant pleas for parole were ultimately accepted and Atkin’s was released from his sentence on parole. Atkin’s went on to murder 13 year old Karen Patterson by shooting her repeatedly in her bed. Atkin’s then proceeded to kill his adopted father in cold blood (McAdams 1). There must be a more severe form of punishment equivalent to the cruelty of crimes that people like Joe commit. What other retribution is appropriate for this situation other than capital punishment? The death penalty has been used as a form of capital punishment since the early 1600’s and should still be enforced worldwide (Eddlem 4). The death penalty must be enforced and exercised to the full extent of the law because it lowers the amount of premeditated murders and punishes capital crimes. Furthermore, premeditated murders are nearly impossible to stop. It is just a truth that when people have the determination to kill, they will find a way to do just that. The death penalty will not stop a man from doing so, nor will it bring the victim back to life. However, it does give justice to the victim’s family and friends as well as punish the murderer for his blatant crime. For every 1,000 murderers, on average, there are 2,000 v... ... middle of paper ... ..., Pa.. 14 Jul. 2002: P4. eLibrary. Web. 23 Feb. 2011 Dezhbakhsh, Hashem. “The Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment: Evidence from a “Judicial Experiment”.” Economic Inquiry 3(2006):512. eLibrary. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. Eddlem, Thomas R. “Ten Anti-Death Penalty Fallacies.” New American, The. 03 Jun. 2002: 23. eLibrary. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. McAdams, John. “Who Speaks for the Victims of Those We Execute.” Marquette University/Department of Political Science 17 Aug. 2010 eLibrary. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. Mubalama, Passy. “Death Penalty Debate [Analysis].” AllAfrica. 03 Feb. 2011 eLibrary. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. Nduru, Moyiga. “South Africa: Political Parties Want Death Penalty Reinstated.” Global Information Network. 08 Jun. 2006 eLibrary. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. Zimring, Franklin. “Marking Time on Death Row.” World Book Year Books. 01 Jul. 2009. eLibrary. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Bryan Stevenson's Close To Death: Reflections On Race And Capital Punishment

    1861 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many people are led to believe that the death penalty doesn’t occur very often and that very few people are actually killed, but in reality, it’s quite the opposite. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1,359 people have been executed as a result of being on death row since 1977 to 2013. Even though this form of punishment is extremely controversial, due to the fact that someone’s life is at stake, it somehow still stands to this very day as our ultimate form of punishment. Although capital punishment puts murderers to death, it should be abolished because killing someone who murdered another, does not and will not make the situation any better in addition to costing tax payers millions of dollars.

    Read More

  • A Time to Kill

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although the death penalty alone cannot bring back the life of those who have been murdered, it can serve as ultimate justice for the victims and their families. The deterrence of the death penalty can save lives. While opinions abound on both sides of the fence, in the use of the death penalty on juveniles, no one can argue with the fact that the voices of those murdered cannot be heard. Juveniles may not have fully developed brains, as Raeburn argues, but this is not an adequate excuse to dismiss the death penalty. American society cannot afford to babysit murderers, nor can they rehabilitate them. The end of the innocence begins when an innocent life is taken, and the sanctity of life is held defenseless.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    Murder, a common occurrence in American society, is thought of as a horrible, reprehensible atrocity. Why then, is it thought of differently when the state government arranges and executes a human being, the very definition of premeditated murder? Capital punishment has been reviewed and studied for many years, exposing several inequities and weaknesses, showing the need for the death penalty to be abolished.

    Read More

  • Death Penalty: Capital Punishment is State Sanctioned Murder

    1100 Words  | 3 Pages

    Capital punishment does not represent justice, but vengeance and hate. Among the 7,000 people estimated to have been killed in the United States between 1900 and 1985, at least 23 were innocent (Finnerty 18). In at least 8 of 261 executions performed since 1976, something went wrong; for example, the executioner couldn't find a good vein, or the first jolt of electricity failed to do the trick (Finnerty 18). An innocent person, let alone 23 that were wrongfully executed, might seem insignificant to one. Just for a moment, think if that one person was your brother or father, and they were innocent!

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment: The Only True Justice

    1599 Words  | 4 Pages

    Justice cannot be served until the debate on capital punishment is resolved and all states have come to agree that the death penalty is the best way to stop crime completely.

    Read More

  • America Needs The Death Penalty

    1853 Words  | 4 Pages

    When a person inquires about death, they never expect that it will arrive early to meet them. A part of these innocent people never see it coming, but they are reconciled with death early as a result of another person’s malicious behavior. These people need to be punished by paying an equal price for what they stole from someone else: their life. Once a person is deemed a killer they are no longer a use to a society, they are a threat. Keeping them alive costs money that could be put to better use. Insurance is granted to them, even though they do not have a job and there are other hard working people who deserve it. They are given a decent home with accommodations that homeless people are forced to live without. There is an abundant amount of gray area in making a decision of this magnitude. The argument of being falsely accused often arises because once a mistake like this is made it obviously can not be undone. However, the Death Penalty is essential to keep the innocent citizens of the country safe.

    Read More

  • Dead Man Walking Criminal Justice

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although most deaths by the death penalty are to people that committed a dreadful crime, we often hear about the people who were killed and later proven innocent. These incidents are a huge issue with the death penalty because two facts are that we have killed innocent people with it, and that it will happen again sometime in the future if capital punishment continues. Another issue with the death penalty is its cost, after doing a little research I realized that the death penalty actually costs more than keeping someone in jail for life because of the long process of the court cases and the numerous attorneys and work required for it to happen. Another problem with the death penalty is that at times of desperation people are not thinking straight. If hypothetically someone had murdered a member of my family whom I love, in the heat of the moment I would want that person killed so it is very understandable that the family of the victims are calling for it. But right now we have the advantage that we can think about it with a stable mind. It is clear to me now that locking someone up for life is the correct punishment to give to people who commit these crimes because it reflects on this countries values to a greater extent, we should not be killing people if we want to improve as a

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment

    367 Words  | 1 Pages

    The debate over capital punishment has been going on for years, and continues to be an extremely indecisive and complicated issue. The death penalty is a very touchy issue within society. There are many pro's and con's on this issue. On one hand, there are people who claim that capital punishment is a form of vengeance on a killer. One the other hand, there are people who believe that locking someone behind bars for life is vengeance enough. But is it "humane" that an individual who takes the life of another should receive heating, clothing, indoor plumbing and 3 square meals a day? While a homeless person who has harmed no one receives nothing?

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment

    441 Words  | 1 Pages

    Capital Punishment I recently read an article from the ACLU, written by Adam Bedau. It explained, quite eloquently, that for society to execute a murderer made society no better than the murderer himself. He said, “The executioner is no better than the criminal.” I was impressed by this moral stance, but I was surprised to read that he failed to apply this logic consistently. For example, the he went on to argue that life imprisonment would be a more appropriate penalty for murder than death. Using this ACLU logic, it appears that for our society to lock someone in a room against his will and not free him for a considerable length of time makes our society no better than the everyday kidnapper. But if an individual locked another up against his will, wouldn’t the ACLU view this as kidnapping. Being from the Methodist faith I found this argument somewhat difficult. For in the Bible there is a scripture that states, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” I presume the ACLU would agree that beatings or torture are also unacceptable forms of punishment for crimes. They seem to be inhumane. Yet in Eastern cultures, if one steals something, they lose a finger or two and sometimes an entire hand depending on the severity of the crime. This seems to be reason enough not to steal, as in these cultures there is a very low theft rate. Maybe the ACLU would find a monetary fine a more appropriate punishment? For society to take money away from someone against his will without giving him any tangible goods in return would make society a thief. Of course, the Bedau also explains that capital punishment brutalizes society, leading to even more murders. If we, as a society, adopt this no-punishment position, it logically follows that there would be less crime. Once criminals realized that no matter what they did, no fellow citizen would lift a finger to stop them, why, they’d just be so overcome with the generosity of their neighbors that they’d naturally be inclined to become upstanding, productive citizens.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment

    541 Words  | 2 Pages

    years. It has always been considered a relatively cheap and effective way to punish the

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment

    1716 Words  | 4 Pages

    Capital Punishment For my Personal Research Study (PRS), I am going to research Capital Punishment. Capital Punishment is about taking a life for a life(s). For example if you commit a crime like Murder and you are convicted of murdering someone you could end up being killed by "The Electric Chair" or you could get an injection that will kill you. Capital Punishment is an interesting topic because people have debated about this subject for years.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    The death penalty has been around for centuries. It dates back to when Hammurabi had his laws codified; it was “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”. Capital punishment in America started when spies were caught, put on trial and hung. In the past and still today people argue that, the death penalty is cruel, unusual punishment and should be illegal. Yet many people argue that it is in fact justifiable and it is not cruel and unusual. Capital punishment is not cruel and unusual; the death penalty is fair and there is evidence that the death penalty deters crime.

    Read More

  • Death Penalty Position Paper

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • The Problems with Our Justice System

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    Murder should be punished in a manner similar to the way it was committed. A man convicted of a cold-blooded shooting murder such as a drive-by shooting should go before a firing squad. Each man in that firing squad would fire one at a time so the convicted would not know when the angel of death would come for him. A man convicted of strangulation murder should be hung at high noon. A man convicted of a beating death should be slowly beaten until death comes. A Jeffery Dahmer style murderer should suffer dismemberment and decapitation.

    Read More

  • capital punishment

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    On 16 February 2003 the Australian PM said in a Sunday morning television interview that the Bali bombers “should be dealt with in accordance with Indonesian law. …and if [the death penalty] is what the law of Indonesia provides, well, that is how things should proceed. There won’t be any protest from Australia”.[1]

    Read More

More about Lethal Justice

Open Document