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cost benefits of the death penalty
controversies on the death penalty
controversies on the death penalty
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Against the Death Penalty
The death penalty is one of the most controversial issues in our time. There are many issues that show and prove the death penalty is wrong and reasons why it should be ceased. Many issues have objections towards the death penalty shows that the death penalty is unfair, irreversible and expensive.
The Death penalty is an unfair system used as punishment to criminals that performed wrong and unmoral crimes. The death penalty is unfair in the way that is discriminatory towards color, and race. For example, in the trials of many court cases, a person who kills a white person is treated much more severely then one who kills a black person. Of the 313 criminals that have been executed between 1997 and 1995, 36 of those killed has been convicted of killing a black person while 249 of those killed has been convicted of killing a white person. From the 178 white people who have been executed, only 3 where convicted of murdering a person of color. This proves that our judicial system executes people regardless of their race who kill white people. These are not the only ones who are discriminated against, gender also determines who receives the death penalty. Between the 80's and early 90's, 1% of all those on death row were women even though women commit 15% of all criminal homicides. The death penalty is also discriminates against the poor. Even though all cases require the defendants to have a lawyer, 90 % of all those executed could not afford to hire a lawyer when they were tried. These stats show how unfair the death penalty really is towards the minorities, genders and of those of poor social class.
A big down side to the death penalty would be the irreversibility of situation. Once the life ...
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...why not just keep them in prison right? Well, if the congress could only se that and the judicial system would see that it is less economical maybe they too may agree that the death penalty is not the best choice for punishment. Many people are for the death penalty because they feel that they should suffer what they did to the victim. When in fact that the US system was not meant as a way of revenge towards the criminal. A better alternative would be to let the criminal be locked in jail with no parole, which would be less controversial than going forward with the execution.
With all of these issues stated, it can be clearly seen that the death penalty is judgmental, unfair and expensive. There have been cases when innocent people have been executed or in other words murdered because some one made a mistake or there was not enough info to prove him innocent.
The death penalty has always been a subject of controversy. Some say that it is a barbaric practice that should be done away with while others claim it to be necessary to ensure the safety of modern society. Either way, capital punishment has always remained a grey area in the
Capital punishment is one of the most controversial subjects in the world today. Many are advocates for it, many are advocates against it. It is either viewed as justice for a victim, or as playing God and taking a life when you do not have that authority. Over 14O countries have abolished the death penalty which leaves one-third of the world still practicing it today. A few
Death penalty has always been a topic of controversy. Interchangeably known as capital punishment, death penalty legalizes the authorization to sentence the execution of a criminal. Controversy that rise from death penalty involve the notion of ethics and epistemology. Many people questions whether it is morally right to take another person’s life, tieing into the 8th amendment that prohibits people from suffering from a certain type of punishment. Another factor is that what exactly determines whether a person deserves execution or not. The justice system has the legal dilemma of properly determining to what extent of a crime committed is reprehensible enough to face death or if it is not as grave and more suitable with merely a life sentence.
... without parole and let them sit in jail for the rest of their lives regretting their decision rather than providing them with a way out. In response, I believe that the Bill of Rights, specifically the Eighth Amendment, prohibits cruel and unusual punishment (Sangiorgio, 2011). If there is any punishment much crueler than death, please let me know. In addition, it is time to face the fact that our judicial system is prejudiced. For instance; in southern states, 8 percent of the black criminals who murder get the death penalty. Only 1 percent of white murderers get capital punishment. Also, murderers are seven times more likely to get the death penalty for murdering a white person, as they are if they murdered a black person. This strikes me as blatant prejudice (Siennick, 2012). The death penalty needs to removed and abolished through a constitutional amendment.
... execute should not be made lightly, and tests should be done to ensure the right person is being punished for the crime that was committed. Taking away the person’s life who is responsible for the death of another person cannot bring the victim back and does not solve anything. Various people all over the world believe that the death penalty should not be supported and that it should be abolished. Many reasons exist for the abolition of the death penalty to take place including cost issues, religious issues, whether or not it acts as a deterrent, executing innocents and the harshness of the execution. Some may say the people who committed the most heinous crimes deserve to have justice served to them. However, even murderers are humans and should be treated fairly and justly. All people, even the guilty have a right to live; regardless of the crimes they committed.
In conclusion, the death penalty is inhumane because it goes against the constitution and violates the eight amendment by showing cruel and unusual punishment towards people who have been put on death row. People on death row experience abuse both physically and emotionally. The death penalty is also an unsuccessful fear tactic and arbitrary because some criminals will commit crime no matter what the consequences are , and it is arbitrary cause it is a random selection process for who will be sentenced to death and who will not be sentenced to death. The death penalty is also biased because men and African Americans are more likely to be sentenced to death . The reasons stated above are just some of the reasons the death penalty should be abolished.
The death penalty has been a controversial type of sentencing that has been established since the historical documents have been recorded. The death penalty has been given to criminals who have been convicted of one of the most severe crimes, murder. The United States has established differing opinions amongst the death penalty that has created viewpoints for and against the death penalty. Statistics have also been provided to help show that the use of the death penalty has deterred capital crimes related to murder. The death penalty has also impacted law enforcement by focusing the investigation on compiling the necessary evidence and witness accounts in order to correctly gather all the necessary information. The death penalty has always been controversial in history, but the arguments for and against the abolishment of the death penalty is critical in establishing a correct punishment for the crime committed.
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
The death penalty is an unnecessary punishment. There are no benefits to killing a criminal who committed an awful crime. The state/country loses money, the criminals get an easy way out of their situation, people can be wrongly executed (which is irreversible), and it goes against God’s will of a natural death. These are all negative things that the death penalty brings about. For these reasons, the death penalty should be abolished for all states and all countries around the world.
If the defender in a case is black, the chance of being sentenced to death is 3.9 times greater than if the defender is white. If the victim is white, the chance of being sentenced to death is 4.8 times greater than if the victim is black. Since 1975 over one thousand African Americans have been murdered, yet as of 1999 all thirty nine of the state’s death row inmates were for murdering white victims. None were for killing a black victim. (Mary E. Williams, 67) This is discrimination! It’s exactly what we have been trying to get rid of since the civil war, yet here are the ones who say it is wrong doing in front of everybody’s eyes! Once again, the courts are being hypocrites. The percentages of executions also vary depending on where you live. In the South the percentage of executions is 80% while in the Northeast there is only a 0.5% percentage of executions. (Mary E. Williams, 67) If criminal knew this, there would be more murders in the Northeast because they know they have a better chance of just going to jail, rather than being killed themselves. We must abolish the death penalty to stop people from committing felonies all throughout the country, not just in specific
The death penalty is a controversial topic across the United States with endless arguments of why it is right or wrong. In class we were able to personally see how the death penalty effects families and alters lives. After watching Dead Man Walking I was able to see the many things that make it such a controversial topic.
The death penalty is an issue that has the United States quite divided. When it comes to the topic of capital punishment of the death penalty, most of us will without hesitation agree that the death penalty is used to execute people who had commit a murderous crime. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of whether the death penalty is effective or ineffective. Whereas some are convinced that the death penalty is very effective and is a good way to make the criminal fear the consequences of his or her actions, others may agree that the death penalty has its’ flaws and is very ineffective to performing these task as well as it violates our 8th amendment of the US constitution. I consider the death penalty to be ineffective, expensive, and outdated. Coretta Scott King once said, “Justice is never advanced in the taking of a human life.”
The death penalty has been an issue of debate for several years. Whether or not we should murder murderer’s and basically commit the same crime that they are being killed for committing. People against the death penalty say that we should not use it because of that very reason. They also make claims that innocent people who were wrongly convicted could be killed. Other claims include it not working as a deterrent, it being morally wrong, and that it discriminates. Some even claim that it is cruel and unusual punishment. I would like to shed light on the issue and inform everyone as to why we should keep the death penalty and possibly even use it more than we do now.
The death penalty is discriminatory usually against the poor, minorities and members of racial, ethnic and religious groups. Since humans are fallible, the risk of executing innocent people can never be fully eliminated. Putting a person on death row comes with astronomical costs. Having to pay for investigations, lengthy trials and appeals, leady a majority of states to re-think having this flawed and unjust system.
Today's system of capital punishment tolerates many inequalities and injustices. The common arguments for the death penalty are filled with holes. Imposing the death penalty is expensive and time consuming. Each year billions of dollars are spent to sentence criminals to death. Perhaps the most frequently raised argument against capital punishment is that of its cost. Other thoughts on the death penalty are to turn criminals away from committing violent acts. A just argument against the death penalty would be that sentencing an individual to death prevents future crimes by other individuals. However, criminals are not afraid of the death penalty. The chance of a criminal being sentenced to death is very slim. The number of inmates actually put to death is far less than it was decades ago. This decrease in number shows that the death penalty is faulty. With that being true, many criminals feel that they can get away with a crime and go unpunished. Also, the less that the death sentence is invoked, the more conflicting it becomes when it is actually used. Alternative can be found to substitute for the death penalty. A huge misconception of the death penalty is that it saves society the costs of keeping inmates imprisoned for long periods of time. Ironically, the cost of the death penalty is far greater than the cost of housing a criminal for life. Appeals on the death penalty become a long, drawn-out and very expensive process. There are those who cry that we, the taxpayers, shouldn't have to "support" condemned people for an entire lifetime in prison-that we should simply "eliminate" them and save ourselves time and money. The truth is that the cost of state killing is up to three times the cost of lifetime imprisonment (Long 80). ...