Should the death penalty be abolished? The death penalty does one thing it “kills.” It temporarily takes away the pain for someone’s loss, but in the end it does not bring back the person you loved. The death penalty has been considered to be one of the most cruel and unusual punishments for sentencing criminals. I do not believe the death penalty should exist, even when the most heinous crimes have been committed. The death penalty will always be a debatable topic because no one should have the right to decide who should live or who should die. I find it strange we live in a society where we value life, but at the same time we have no problem taking a life. Part I: Thesis From a Christian standpoint it is our moral duty to follow the commandment "thou shall not kill," set by God, thus known as the divine command theory (Moore and Parker, 2006). It has been proven the death penalty discriminates against the poor, on the basis of race and social class, and it is being used as a form of sentencing to prevent fewer crimes. The end result is the death penalty does not always work. There are chances that lack of proper investigations can cause innocent people to be unfairly prosecuted and executed through the death penalty process. The death penalty has become more focused on revenge, and cost effective measures, even though it can take years before an execution is carried out. In the public opinion most people favor life without parole as the alternate to the death penalty. In my opinion, every individual deserves a second chance in life, and should be allowed the opportunity to reform and become a productive member in society, so the death penalty should be abolished based on the evidence that the criminal justic... ... middle of paper ... ...une 12, 2010, from http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/costs-death-penalty The Death Penalty In 2009: Year End report (2009, December). Retrieved June 12, 2010, from http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/2009YearEndReport.pdf Mauer, M., & King, R. S. (2004, January). Schools and Prinsons: Fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education. Retrieved June 12, 2010, from http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/rd_brownvboard.pdf Kansal, T. (2005). Racial Disparity in Sentencing: A review of the literature. In M. Mauer (Ed.). Washington: The Sentencing Project. Retrieved June 12, 2010, from http://www.sentencingproject.org/template/index.cfm?ID=0&MODE=view&start=0 Bell, D. (2004, October 31). Black on black violence. Retrieved on June 12, 2010, from http://www.safetyandjustice.org/node/260 Pojman, L. (1999) Merit, Journal of Social Philosophy, 30(1), 83-102.
There have been different outcomes for different racial and gender groups in sentencing and convicting criminals in the United States criminal justice system. Experts have debated the relative importance of different factors that have led to many of these inequalities. Minority defendants are charged with ...
Before the decision of Brown v. Board of Education, many people accepted school segregation and, in most of the southern states, required segregation. Schools during this time were supposed to uphold the “separate but equal” standard set during the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson; however, most, if not all, of the “black” schools were not comparable to the “white” schools. The resources the “white” schools had available definitely exceed the resources given to “black” schools not only in quantity, but also in quality. Brown v. Board of Education was not the first case that assaulted the public school segregation in the south. The title of the case was shortened from Oliver Brown ET. Al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka Kansas. The official titled included reference to the other twelve cases that were started in the early 1950’s that came from South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia. The case carried Oliver Brown’s name because he was the only male parent fighting for integration. The case of Brown v. Board o...
Kansal, T. (2005). In M. Mauer (Ed.), Racial disparity in sentencing: A review of the literature. Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project. Retrieved April 12, 2005, from The Sentenceing Project Web site: http://www.sentencingproject.org/pdfs/disparity.pdf
Race and Ethnicity on Sentence Outcomes Under Different Sentencing Systems. Crime & Delinquency, 59(1), 87-114.
“The Death Penalty – Amnesty International.” 30 Mar. 2007. Amnesty International. 4 Apr. 2007 < http://web.amnesty.org/pages/deathpenalty-index-eng>.
The Sentencing Project. (2008). Reducing Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System: A Manual for Practitioners and Policymakers. Retrieved from http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/rd_reducingracialdisparity.pdf
Gandalf, the powerful wizard of The Lord of the Rings, sagely reminds us “Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life.” (Tolkien 92). There are arguments both for and against administration of capital punishment in our society. This paper will list a few arguments that oppose the death penalty. In this time when advanced technology assists in collecting and interpreting evidence, it is incredible that we still make mistakes in our legal administration and our decision-making. Also, there is an argument that the death penalty discriminates on the basis of race and economic status. Lastly, the administration of the death penalty violates the Biblical right to life. Perhaps the death penalty could be viewed as cruel and unusual punishment, which would make it a violation of our Constitution. For these reasons, the death penalty should be abolished.
Brown v. Board of the Education in 1954 was a landmark decision in the education arena. The decision maintained that schools that separated students by the color of their skin could no longer be maintained. The court saw this as necessary, since in their mind schools for black students would always be inferior. This inferiority would not be caused by lack of resources, although that usually was a contributing factor to the poor quality of the school, physically and performance-wise. As the Supreme Court saw it, s...
This research essay discusses racial disparities in the sentencing policies and process, which is one of the major factors contributing to the current overrepresentation of minorities in the judicial system, further threatening the African American and Latino communities. This is also evident from the fact that Blacks are almost 7 times more likely to be incarcerated than are Whites (Kartz, 2000). The argument presented in the essay is that how the laws that have been established for sentencing tend to target the people of color more and therefore their chances of ending up on prison are higher than the whites. The essay further goes on to talk about the judges and the prosecutors who due to different factors, tend to make their decisions
The death penalty continues to be an issue of controversy and is an issue that will be debated in the United States for many years to come. According to Hugo A. Bedau, the writer of “The Death Penalty in America”, capital punishment is the lawful infliction of the death penalty. The death penalty has been used since ancient times for a variety of offenses. The Bible says that death should be done to anyone who commits murder, larceny, rapes, and burglary. It appears that public debate on the death penalty has changed over the years and is still changing, but there are still some out there who are for the death penalty and will continue to believe that it’s a good punishment. I always hear a lot of people say “an eye for an eye.” Most people feel strongly that if a criminal took the life of another, their’s should be taken away as well, and I don’t see how the death penalty could deter anyone from committing crimes if your going to do the crime then at that moment your not thinking about being on death role. I don’t think they should be put to death they should just sit in a cell for the rest of their life and think about how they destroy other families. A change in views and attitudes about the death penalty are likely attributed to results from social science research. The changes suggest a gradual movement toward the eventual abolition of capital punishment in America (Radelet and Borg, 2000).
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
Why the Death Penalty Should Be Abolished Why should the death penalty be abolished? The death penalty should be abolished for many reasons. Many people believe the saying, 'an eye for an eye'. But when will people realize that just because someone may have killed a loved one that the best thing for that person is to die also? People don't realize that they are putting the blood of another person's life on their hands.
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
Capital punishment is the punishment of death for a crime given by the state. It is used for a variety of crimes such as murder, drug trafficking and treason. Many countries also have the death penalty for sexual crimes such as rape, incest and adultery. The lethal injection, the electric chair, hanging and stoning are all methods of execution used throughout the world. Capital punishment has been around since ancient times; it was used in ancient Rome, and one of the most famous people to be crucified was Jesus Christ. Capital punishment is now illegal in many countries, like the United Kingdom, France and Germany, but it is also legal in many other countries such as China and the USA. There is a large debate on whether or not capital punishment should be illegal all over the world as everyone has a different opinion on it. In this essay, I will state arguments for and against the death penalty, as well as my own opinion: capital punishment should be illegal everywhere.
Though the death penalty is considered barbaric, it is not. With those who have ones that have died viciously to the ones who died young there is such a thing as karma. The death penalty allows those people who committed the crime to be punished equally. Therefore, I agree with the reason for having the death penalty. It is only fair that the criminal be punished for his wrong doings. The bible does say, “An eye for an eye.” When there is equal punishment and safety it makes people worry less. It allows them to live out their lives in peace, and to not look back on something bad that has happened to them.