The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty

708 Words2 Pages

The death penalty is needed to deter crime in the United States. The death penalty has been around since ancient times, and it has served as a punishment for serious crimes. Capital punishment has shown the world that committing serious crimes such as murder and treason are looked down upon, and that it will not be tolerated. In order to discourage wrongdoing in our country, the death penalty is needed. The principle reasons for the death penalty are convicted criminals are used to deter crime and all people killed by the death penalty are convicted criminals. These two facts confirm that all people killed by the death penalty are people used by the government to prevent crime. Although there are several objections to this statement, these …show more content…

One major objection is the morality of capital punishment. Multiple people believe that this sentence is cruel and unusual. In the article “Should we put the Death Penalty on the Chopping Block,” it is stated that “it is not a justification to kill offenders to show to the public that killing people is wrong.” Other objections are religious, and are established by people’s spiritual beliefs. Another objection that has made a tremendous impact on people’s opinions is the cost of the death penalty. When dealing with capital punishment, there are more trials and more attorneys that are needed. Various people argue that the cost of capital punishment is a con that outweighs any of the pros. These people suggest that life without parole sentences do not cost as much. The biggest objection of all would be that the death penalty does not cause deterrence of crime. In an article written by Daniel Nagin it is stated that, “the scholarly evidence on the deterrent effect of capital punishment is too weak to guide decisions.” Some research that has been conducted is flawed and does not have the ability to conclude anything major about the deterrence of crime made by the death penalty, which is also discussed in Nagin’s …show more content…

The fact is that the criminal had the choice between right and wrong, and by choosing to do the wrong thing, he or she gave up the right to dictate his or her future. Death penalty cases do cost extra than a life without parole sentence; however, because there are a greater number of life without parole sentences, the costs even out. The deterrence of crime that the death penalty creates is not seen very well in statistics because of some flaws in the research. Although the statistics are not in favor nor against capital punishment, common sense is in favor of the death penalty. Ernest Van Den Haag, a supporter of the death penalty once said, “People fear nothing more than death.” This fear of death has the ability to dissuade criminals. If criminals weren’t afraid of death, they wouldn’t put so much effort into receiving life in prison instead of the death penalty. Serious crimes are discouraged and deterred by the death

Death Penalty Debate: Gary Graham's Execution
1173 Words | 3 Pages
An inmate by the name of Gary Graham drew several protestors to a Huntsville unit in the year 2000; they were there in opposition to Graham’s execution. This day finally came after nineteen years on death row and four appeals. With him being a repeat offender he was not new to this side of the justice system, but after being put in prison he became a political activist who worked to abolish the death penalty. People who stood against his execution argued that his case still had reasonable doubt, he was rehabilitating himself, and his punishment would cause major harm to his family. Aside from that you have the advocates arguing that you have to set example for others, so you must carry out the punishment that was given, and while the execution may harm the offender’s family it will give the victims’ families closure for his crimes.
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The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty
1095 Words | 3 Pages
Introduction: Job David Guerrero lived in downtown San Diego when he was suspected of attacking five homeless men with serious upper-body injuries. Two of which were found dead with their bodies set on fire. Guerrero was linked to the murders form eyewitness testimony and video camera footage. Guerrero should deserve the death penalty under the act of which he commits a murder. This policy of action is morally justified through Lex Talionis, Kantian ethics, Gelernter and the social contract. Although arguments such as Jeffrey Reiman’s might oppose the death penalty and support lesser punishment, my position is a stronger alternative.
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Rainey Bethea: The Last Public Execution in America
1314 Words | 3 Pages
Rainey Bethea was a hardly a man, but a monster. He was a rapist, thief, and murderer. Bethea broke into the home of an innocent old woman. He proceeded to brutally strangle her, rape her fragile body until she took her last breaths. After the gruesome act he advanced into the home and seized the possessions that were most dear to her. He left the home without batting an eye. Shortly, after being arrested with the crime Bethea admitted to the allegations. He was summoned to the gallows in Owensboro, Kentucky. The hanging of Bethea was a well-known case of 1936. He was the last person to be publicly executed in the United States. Although not conducted publicly, today thirty-one states have the death penalty. The methods range from firing
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Diverse Perspectives on the Death Penalty
798 Words | 2 Pages
In this paper I will ask three people four different questions about their views on the death penalty. The first question I asked was “Why do you feel the death penalty is wrong?” Question number two, “Does the death penalty help protect the public and discourage crime?” Question number three, “Do you consider the death penalty cruel and unusual?” The final question, “Is the death penalty economically justifiable and cost effective?”
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The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty
1474 Words | 3 Pages
Life in prison without the possibility of parole offers satisfaction to victims and their loved ones. The death penalty is a very lengthy process and can take years to reach a verdict, which causes more distress to effected families. Michael J. Wilkins, a state supreme court justice, has had history with the death penalty and says, “Based on our experience, a sentence of life without parole may be less expensive to the state, more miserable for the guilty, and more certain for the victims and society.” Life in prison without parole is considered a sentence to death in incarceration. Life in prison without parole is actually a cheaper route for the tax payer, where judicial cases without the death penalty costs tax payers $740,000, meanwhile judicial cases there the death penalty is used costs tax payers $1,260,000. If we stopped practicing the death penalty, we could fund extra hundreds of millions of dollars into services that need it more. The death penalty essentially costs too much and delivers nothing, while life in prison without parole is a severe and solid
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The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty
1310 Words | 3 Pages
Albert Camus once said, “Capital murder is the most premeditated of murders.” Is an executor any less of a criminal than the people who are on death row? Our justice system seems to agree on the old notion of an eye for an eye, but this notion fails. How can one teach another that taking someone’s life is wrong by punishing the criminal with the very same crime in which he has committed? That would be like teaching someone that stealing is wrong by stealing from them. When using different scenarios, does the idea of capital punishment still make sense? The death penalty is a form of capital punishment that is given after a person has inexcusably committed a serious crime. Its policies and procedures have been altered over the course of history. The death penalty was established as a means of teaching a lesson to the world, is still in effect today, and has no future outlook of being removed.
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The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty
1590 Words | 4 Pages
The death penalty was around for many years, though we do not really hear much about it today. The death penalty was used as a way of punishment for committing the most serious crimes. This punishment was executed in various ways, all of them leading to the death of the person being executed. However, there are reasons why this punishment is no longer being used today.
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The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty
1578 Words | 4 Pages
Since colonial times, approximately 13,000 people have been put to death using the death penalty? How do we know if any of those people were actually guilty? The Bills Of Rights outlines our rights as Americans in the United States. According to the 8th Amendment, there should be no excessive bail or fines nor there any kind of cruel and unusual punishment inflicted. Well that being said does that not go against what the death penalty is and what our 8th amendment stands for? How do you stand? In this paper I will list the reasons on why we should get rid of the death penalty which could really change how you feel on the how you stand.
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The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty
648 Words | 2 Pages
The Death Penalty is cruel and unusual, however we still give constitutional acceptance to the federal system. It presents “a relic of the earliest days of penology, when slavery, branding, and other corporal punishments were commonplace. Like those other barbaric practices, executions have no place in civilized society.”(1) It is wrong to advocate the the use of the capital punishment when numerous options are available to those in need of rehabilitation. Three of the most prominent problems with continuing this archaic method of retribution are innocents conflicted with inaccurate verdicts, the death penalty being a state-sanctioned killing that only continues the evolution of violence, and the nation's taxes going towards the purchase of fatal narcotics used in the killings of fellow human beings.
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We Do NOT Need the Death Penalty
810 Words | 2 Pages
Proponents of the death penalty present a number of reasons for deserved capital punishment. Agencies whose purpose is to deter crime believe that punishing wrongdoers may reduce crimes and save lives. Society has the right to keep murderers from ever killing again and criminals should be held fully responsible for the crimes they commit. Supporters of the death penalty believe that science can be used effectively to free the innocent as well as to identify the guilty. They believe that the justice system receives scrutiny to protect a person charged from injustice. Those that oppose the death penalty also have compelling arguments.
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Persuasive Essay On Death Penalty
2435 Words | 5 Pages
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
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The Death Penalty;Does It Deter Crime
397 Words | 1 Pages
The death penalty has never deterred crime. When the death penalty was reinstated in the 1970’s crime rates were sky high. In research conducted for the United Nations in 1996, crime rates were the same as those in the 70’s. Depending on the exact year since the death penalty was reinstated in the U.S. crime rates have dipped or risen 10-15%. Normally the ladder. In the United Sates we call the death penalty, capital punishment. The word capital speaks of the head. This is because throughout history the most common way of executing criminals was by severing the head. Now when I hear capital punishment I will be reminded of something even more grotesque and morbid than previously. In a survey taken by prisoners serving life terms, 55-60% said that they would have rather received the death penalty than life terms.
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The Ethics of Capital Punishment
1503 Words | 4 Pages
Americans have argued over the death penalty since the early days of our country. In the United States only 38 states have capital punishment statutes. As of year ended in 1999, in Texas, the state had executed 496 prisoners since 1930. The laws in the United States have change drastically in regards to capital punishment. An example of this would be the years from 1968 to 1977 due to the nearly 10 year moratorium. During those years, the Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment violated the Eight Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. However, this ended in 1976, when the Supreme Court reversed the ruling. They stated that the punishment of sentencing one to death does not perpetually infringe the Constitution. Richard Nixon said, “Contrary to the views of some social theorists, I am convinced that the death penalty can be an effective deterrent against specific crimes.”1 Whether the case be morally, monetarily, or just pure disagreement, citizens have argued the benefits of capital punishment. While we may all want murders off the street, the problem we come to face is that is capital punishment being used for vengeance or as a deterrent.
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Why Is Death Penalty Wrong
940 Words | 2 Pages
Annually the U.S government wastes an additional 261 million dollars having criminals on death row. It is said that the death penalty deters crime and helps to prevent further heinous crimes such as murder. I can see this because you would assume people would think about the repercussions before they commit a crime. However this is completely wrong and has no statical evidence to back it up rather statistics to oppose it. The death penalty needs to be abolished because of the cost, wrongful deaths and ineffectiveness.
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The Death Penalty - Just Punishment for Murder
1144 Words | 3 Pages
The death penalty has always been and continues to be a very controversial issue. People on both sides of the issue argue endlessly to gain further support for their movements. While opponents of capital punishment are quick to point out that the United States remains one of the few Western countries that continue to support the death penalty, Americans are also more likely to encounter violent crime than citizens of other countries (Brownlee 31). Justice mandates that criminals receive what they deserve. The punishment must fit the crime. If a burglar deserves imprisonment, then a murderer deserves death (Winters 168). The death penalty is necessary and the only punishment suitable for those convicted of capital offenses. Seventy-five percent of Americans support the death penalty, according to Turner, because it provides a deterrent to some would-be murderers and it also provides for moral and legal justice (83). "Deterrence is a theory: It asks what the effects are of a punishment (does it reduce the crime rate?) and makes testable predictions (punishment reduces the crime rate compared to what it would be without the credible threat of punishment)", (Van Den Haag 29). The deterrent effect of any punishment depends on how quickly the punishment is applied (Workshop 16). Executions are so rare and delayed for so long in comparison th the number of capitol offenses committed that statistical correlations cannot be expected (Winters 104). The number of potential murders that are deterred by the threat of a death penalty may never be known, just as it may never be known how many lives are saved with it. However, it is known that the death penalty does definitely deter those who are executed. Life in prison without the possibility of parole is the alternative to execution presented by those that consider words to be equal to reality. Nothing prevents the people sentenced in this way from being paroled under later laws or later court rulings. Furthermore, nothing prevents them from escaping or killing again while in prison. After all, if they have already received the maximum sentence available, they have nothing to lose. For example, in 1972 the U.S. Supreme Court banished the death penalty. Like other states, Texas commuted all death sentences to life imprisonment. After being r...
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The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty

Death Penalty Debate: Gary Graham's Execution