Capital Punishment

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Capital Punishment

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?

I give this true story as an example. In February of 1963, Gary McCorkell, a 19 year old sex offender was scheduled to be hang. But days before his execution, a Liberal cabinet reduced his sentence to life in prison. Less than 20 years later he was released. Weeks later, McCorkell was arrested, tried and convicted of the kidnaping and rape of an 11-year old boy, and the attempted murder of a 10 year old boy. He was then sentenced to 63 years in prison. What has been gained by this? Had McCorkell been executed in 1963 for his crimes, 2 boys would never have had to go through this horror. What right does this man have to live? He has ruined the lives of 3 children, what will he do in life to compensate for that?

A study was done in 1995 by a man named Stephen Layson. His statistics show that every execution of a murderer deters on average 18 murders per year. In other pole the Justice for All estimates that life without parole cases cost $1.2-3.6 million more than equivalent death penalty trials. Another shocking statistic is the money spent on life without parole inmates. Most life without parole inmates face only 30-40 years in prison any ways. The annual cost of incarceration is $40,000 to $50,000 per inmate per year.

In America there are 5 methods of execution. First is lethal injection, where the inmate is injected with 3 different types of drugs that ultimately lead the victim into a cardiac arrest. Second is electrocution, where the inmate is literally shocked to death by electricity. Third is the gas chamber, where the inmate in killed by deadly toxins. Fourth is hanging, where a rope is tied around the inmates neck and they are strangled to death.

Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty In Canada
1926 Words | 4 Pages
Unlike popular belief, the cost of sentencing someone to death is actually more expensive than a life sentence in prison. In Washington, since the death penalty was reinstated 5 people have been put to death costing taxpayers roughly $120 million, that's roughly $24 million per case (Seattle University, 2015). A reason that people advocate strongly for the death penalty is because they believe that they should not have to pay for the costs to keep criminals fed, sheltered and imprisoned. In fact, 56% of Canadians surveyed believed that the one time cost of a lethal injection is cheaper and will allow their money to go towards something more advantageous like healthcare or education (Angus Reid). This is actually quite different from the truth, in fact is estimated that it costs $740 000 on average to put someone in prison for life. It is also estimated that it costs roughly $1.26 million to sentence someone to death (Seattle University, 2015). (There seems to be a discrepancy between how much a single case costs and how much Washington spent since the death penalty has been reinstated, but I could not find evidence to why that is). Among the reasons why the death penalty is so expensive is the fact that the time in courts is quite lengthy. Jury trials averaged 40.13 days in cases where the death penalty was being sought, but only 16.79 days
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Capital Punishment
1442 Words | 3 Pages
“This is not a nice man … innocent is not a word that suits him in any way,” says Brian Webster when speaking of Matthew Poncelet, the man on death row in the movie Dead Man Walking. Many people feel that the death penalty is immoral and it should not be used; however I feel completely opposite. I believe that capital punishment is a fair sentence for a murderer to receive. In the movie Dead Man Walking, the main character Matthew Poncelet, is on death row waiting for the lethal injection that will soon put him to death for good.
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Capital Punishment
1112 Words | 3 Pages
Upon examination, one finds capital punishment to be economically weak and deficient. A common misconception of the death penalty is that the cost to execute a convicted criminal is cheaper than to place a convict in prison for life without parole. Due to the United States judicial system, the process of appeals, which is inevitable with cases involving death as the sentence, incurs an extreme cost and is very time consuming. The cost of a capital trial and execution can be two to six times greater than the amount of money needed to house and feed a prisoner for life. "Studies show incarceration costs roughly $20,000 per inmate per year ($800,000 if a person lives 40 years in prison). Research also shows a death-penalty ease costs roughly $2 million per execution," (Kaplan 2). Capital punishment is extremely expensive and depletes state governments of money that could be used for a wide range of programs that are beneficial. As Belolyn Wiliams-Harold, an author for the journal Black Enterprise, writes that county governments are typically responsible for the costs of prosecution and the costs of the criminal trial, including attorney's fees, and salaries for the members of the courtroom. All this money is spent at the expense of the corrections department and crime prevention programs, which are already is strapped for cash (Williams-Harlod 1). These "financial constraints," such as capital punishment, do not promote a healthy, commercial society, but actually cost and harm the public.
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The Pros And Cons Of The Three Strikes Law
1172 Words | 3 Pages
A report from the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice stated that, “The additional cost of confining an inmate to death row, as compared to the maximum security prisons where those sentenced to life without 69 possibility of parole ordinarily serve their sentences, is $90,000 per year per inmate.94 With California’s current death row population of 670, that accounts for $63.3 million annually. Reducing the
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The Case Against The Death Penalty
869 Words | 2 Pages
Unfortunately, this is not a scene in a horror flick; these are the surroundings of an actual prison execution. As early as the founding of the United States, capital punishment has been a controversial and hotly debated public issue. The three most common forms of death penalties currently used in the United States are the gas chamber, electrocution, and lethal injection. The firing squad is an option in Idaho, Oklahoma, and Utah; and death by hanging still remains an option in New Hampshire and Washington state.
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Three Types Of Mass Murderers
1368 Words | 3 Pages
to put them on the death penalty. The downfall of capital punishment is that sometimes innocent individuals get put to death, and the cost. Cases without the death penalty cost $740,000, while cases where the death penalty is required cost $1.26 million (Bruck). Maintaining each death row prisoner costs taxpayers $90,000 more per year than a prisoner in general population. Even though there are two downfalls, it is the better option for mass killers.
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Capital Punishment
1537 Words | 4 Pages
man from killing again then so be it. I don't know if it is immoral
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capital punishment
950 Words | 2 Pages
murder rates in given areas both before and after an execution. Clear and cole(2000) have
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The Death Penalty
1561 Words | 4 Pages
The cost of the Death Penalty is highly expensive. A case to put someone in jail costs on average two million three hundred thousand dollars on average while to put an inmate in jail for forty years cost on average seven hundred and sixty thousand dollars (Friedman 11). In Texas the death penalty cost three times more money than putting an inmate in the highest security level in a jail for forty years (4). It also takes time for a death penalty case to be processed and a convict to be sentenced to the death penalty. Then it takes more time for the state to act and to administer the death penalty to people on death row. On average it takes ten to twenty years to execute a convicted criminal on death row (Friedman 11). Costs could be lowered by shortening the appeal process but this would only increase the risk of executing an innocent person.
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Death Penalty
783 Words | 2 Pages
In the United States, lethal injection began in 1982 and is legal in thirty seven of the thirty eight states that have the death penalty (Litton 2004). The first state to legalize and use the death penalty was in Texas (Romanelli 2011). Some people believe the death penalty is a violation of the eighth amendment which states “excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel or unusual punishments inflicted.” (U.S. Constitution. Amend VIII). From the time period of 2001-2006, 189 of the 191 executions that happened were by lethal injection (Litton 2004). The reason lethal injection was chosen by some states is because it is cheaper and more humane. The person who is being executed is allowed to have family or friends watch their death. Visitors are never turned away without the warden’s say (California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation 2013). The process of lethal injection is fairly short (Litton 2004). When a person is killed by the electric chair they can feel the pain until they die, but when the lethal injection process is used they cannot feel it, therefore, it is more humane. Although there are downfalls, lethal injection is the most ethical and humane for of capital punishment.
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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.
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Capital Punishment Is Morally Acceptable
1336 Words | 3 Pages
If a criminal is sentenced to twenty-five years in prison, then he/she knows that all the necessities needed to survive for those twenty-five years, including food, water, shelter, and even a possible chance of release, will be provided. Those who are homeless and living on the streets do not even have some of the same advantages that those in our prison systems do, so in other words, prison, to some people, may not be much of a deterrent after all.... ... middle of paper ... ... In conclusion, although there are objections to this way of thinking, I believe that capital punishment can be morally justified.
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The Death Penalty Deters Crime and Saves Lives
1155 Words | 3 Pages
Many who disagree with the death penalty believe it is immoral, discriminates, is very expensive, increases crime, and is only a way to carry out revenge. This, however, is not true. Capital punishment should be legal because it is moral, by not allowing criminals to roam the streets once again. It does not discriminate against those of color or the poor, and is actually less expensive than life imprisonment. The most important reason why the death penalty should be legal is because it deters crime.
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Capital Punishment Persuasive Essay
1461 Words | 3 Pages
capital punishment? With receiving life without parole the person has no chance of release by a parole board, even with good behavior. However, life sentences gives an inmate family and lawyer time to prove their innocence if they did not commit a crime. The wrongful execution of an innocent person is an injustice that can never be rectified. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty, 154 cases where men and women have been released from Death Row nationally, some only minutes away from execution. Inmates sentenced to capital punishment in recent years have had the privilege to get freedom due to the improvement of technology and how DNA evidence can prove they did not commit the crime. For example, my uncle who was sentenced to capital murder had evidence that could be tested for his DNA. During his trial evidence proved that his DNA was on none of the evidence presented but he had potential eye witness to identify him. The eye witnessed were paid friends of the other suspect involved in the crime. The witnesses later came back after his conviction and revealed they were paid and they lied about the stories. He was later executed but was never given a free chance to prove his innocence. It can be conceded that, if the maximum sentence an inmate could be given it could help free more innocent people. Supporters of the capital punishment feel it is beneficial because if a person kills someone they should be
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Capital Punishment vs. Life Imprisonment
2191 Words | 5 Pages
Capital punishment is the death penalty, or execution which is the sentence of death upon a person by judicial process as a punishment for a crime like murdering another human and being found guilty by a group of jurors who have listen to a court hearing were the District Attorney and the defendant argue their sides of the case. Historical penalties include boiling to death, flaying, disembowelment, crucifixion, crushing (including crushing by elephant), stoning, execution by burning, dismemberment.(2008) The U.S., begin using the electric chair and the gas chamber as more humane execution then hanging, then moved to lethal injection, which in has been criticized for being too painful. Some countries still choose to use hanging, and beheading by sword or even stoning.
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Capital Punishment

Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty In Canada