Death Penalty
Historically, death penalty was used as the most severe punishment available if a person disobeyed the laws or committed murder. The death penalty also known as capital punishment is the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner for an extremely serious crime. The rate of violent crimes in the United States is one of the highest, despite the fact that the United States has one of the harsher penal systems in the world. The courts have generally seen their task as fitting the punishment to the crime perpetrated. Thus the sentence should adequately reflect the revulsion felt by the citizens and victims. Sentencing should not only be appropriate but should deter the perpetrator from repeating the offense. It should serve as a deterrence, rehabilitation, retribution, incapacitation, and restitution. The subject of contention relates to the form of justice adopted and determining which method is effective between the different punishment models. With this is the debate on the issue of the death penalty as a form of punishment for high-profile crimes. Should the criminal justice system adopt a more lenient approach and abolish the use of the death penalty for capital offenses, or should it embark on a more restorative form of justice? This paper argues for the use of the death penalty in the criminal justice system as a form of administering punishment to those who commit the worst crimes.
The first reason why the death penalty is a justifiable form of punishment is because it guarantees public protection. The death penalty guarantees that capital offenders will never make their way back to the streets. In addition, the death penalty addresses the potential loopholes associated with the legal and penal system in t...
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...f Decency: Popular Culture And Capital Punishment. New York: Lang Peter, 2004.
Bradley, C. “The Juvenile Death Penalty and International Law.” Duke Law Journal 52.3 (2002): 487-535.
Gavrilă, Adina. “Should The Death Penalty Be Abolished? Arguments For And Against The Centuries-Old Punishment.” Journal for Communication and Culture 1.2 (2011): 82-98.
Hodgkinson, Peter and William Schabas. Capital Punishment: Strategies for Abolition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Johnson, Jeffery and Colleen Johnson. “Poverty and the Death Penalty.” Journal of Economic Issues 35.2 (2001): 517-523.
Mandery, Evan. Capital Punishment in America: A Balanced Examination. New York: Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2011.
Neumayer, Eric. “Death Penalty Abolition and the Ratification of the Second Optional Protocol.” The International Journal of Human Rights 12.1 (2008): 3–21.
Randa, Laura E. “Society’s Final Solution: A History and Discussion of the Death Penalty.” (1997). Rpt.in History of the Death Penalty. Ed. Michael H. Reggio. University Press of America, Inc., 1997. 1-6 Print.
This paper will examine the pros and cons of the death penalty. Is it a deterrent or is that a myth. Does it give the family of the victim peace or does it cause them to suffer waiting for appeal after appeal. What are the forms of execution and any evidence of them being cruel and usual punishment. Is the death penalty fair if there are glaring, disparities in sentencing depending on geographic location and the color of the offender and victim’s skin?
There are over sixty offenses in the United States of America that can be punishable by receiving the death penalty (What is..., 1). However, many individuals believe that the death penalty is an inadequate source of punishment for any crime no matter how severe it is. The fact remains, however, that the death penalty is one of the most ideal forms of punishment. There are other individuals who agree with the idea that capital punishment is the best form of punishment. In fact, some of these individuals believe that this should be the only form of punishment.
It's dark and cold, the fortress-like building has cinderblock walls, and death lurks around the perimeter. A man will die tonight. Under the blue sky, small black birds gather outside the fence that surrounds the building to flaunt their freedom. There is a gothic feel to the scene, as though you have stepped into a horror movie.
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In the Time article, “The Death of the Death Penalty”, David Von Drehle addresses the controversial issue of the death penalty. The death penalty in the United States is a declining and flawed method of punishment. The problem of the American death penalty is still an issue in this day and age. Von Drehle compresses the flaws of the death penalty into five simple reasons.
Andre, Claire, and Manuel Velasquez. “Capital Punishment.” Our Duty or Our Doom. 12 May 2010. 30 May 2010 .
Templeton, Jean M. "Death Row Reforms May Lead to a Fairer Criminal Justice System." Capital Punishment. Ed. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Current Controversies. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
Guernsey, J. B. (2010). Death penalty: fair solution or moral failure. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. Retrieved February 8, 2011 from http://books.google.com/books?id=38slHSsFFrgC&pg=PA125&dq=death+penalty+in+other+countries&hl=en&ei=F6dQTZHLBsm_tgfD7rHBCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD4Q6AEwBDgU#v=onepage&q=death%20penalty%20in%20other%20countries&f=false
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“The case Against the Death Penalty.” aclu.org. American Civil Liberties Union, 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2013
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
The Death Penalty and War.Full Text Available By: Duner, Bertil; Geurtsen, Hanna. International Journal of Human Rights, Winter2002, Vol. 6 Issue 4, p1-28, 28p
Capital punishment has been a controversial topic in association to any person condemned to a serious committed crime. Capital punishment has been a historical punishment for any cruel crime. Issues associated to things such as the different methods used for execution in most states, waste of taxpayers’ money by performing execution, and how it does not serve as any form of justice have been a big argument that raise many eyebrows. Capital punishment is still an active form of deterrence in the United States. The history of the death penalty explains the different statistics about capital punishment and provides credible information as to why the form of punishment should be abolished by every state. It is believed
---- World Book Online Americas Edition. Ed. Franklin E. Zimring. Capital Punishment. 17 Apr 2002 14 Apr 2002.