Capital punishment

1137 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Impact of capital punishment

Capital Punishment is the legal procedure to kill someone for one’s crime, which has become one of the most controversial subjects to be discussed today. There is nothing more final than death. As such, before we decide such a major issue as the Death Penalty we must better be sure of what we are doing! Superficially it may seem very simple - you kill therefore you should die - but is it really that simple? Let's take a closer look...... Inadequate legal representations, racial prejudice, witness false testimony against the suspect and the cost of death penalty is too great and should be abolish.
Capital punishment was first originated in the 17th century in the code Hammurabi, which contained the legal death penalty laws. For the very first time in 1608 Captain George Kendall from Virginia was hanged brutally for betraying his own country. Since 1976 many countries (Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Nicaragua, France, Netherland, Nepal, Poland, South Africa, Canada and United Kingdom) have abolished capital punishment, but there are still many countries which use it, including many of the states of America. In addition, this form of punishment should be abolished. Most important point is that sometimes an innocent person is put to death, due to the opponent’s pseudo evidence and once that person is executed will never come back it is an irreversible process. Since 1973, over 140 people have been released from death rows in 26 states because of innocence. Nationally, at least one person is exonerated for every 10 that are executed. Mostly the execution in the United States is related to drug trafficking or murder. Furthermore, in many cases, capital punishment have been abolished, there are people who have committed crimes such as ...

... middle of paper ...

...n by the Chicago Tribune, from 1976-1999, 12% of the criminals were represented by "an attorney who had been, or was later, disbarred or suspended--disciplinary sanctions reserved for conduct so incompetent, unethical or even criminal that the state believes an attorney's license should be taken away."
In conclusion, there is nothing more final than death and as such we should insure that in our desire for righteousness does not lead us to commit the very crime we wish to punish - murder. Capital punishment is not the only way through which we can stop crime, instead there can be life imprisonment without parole to stop crime. It is no use of killing criminals, because if we do that then there will be no difference left between the innocents and the criminals. Life imprisonment can also save millions of money which can be used to serve the nation against the crimes.

Show More
Related

  • Capital Punishment: A Failed Experiment By David Von Drehle

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    In recent years, the practice of capital punishment has come under scrutiny. Some say that no longer holds the same impact as it once had. An article discussing the concept of the death penalty “Bungled executions, Backlogged courts, And three more reasons the modern death penalty is A Failed Experiment” by David Von Drehle is summarized and the thoughts, ideas, and principles therein are subject to response.

    Read More

  • Jeffrey Toobin's Perspectives On Capital Punishment

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Toobin’s said, capital punishment was an everlasting train of procedures that tried to find the best way to execute someone as humanly as possible. The use of capital punishment should only have been used for the crimes of homicide, murder. If they intend to kill and carried out their plan, then no matter who they are they receive punishment for the murder. Sadly, that leaves some people in a situation where they will also need to end a life as an executor. A religious man may have hoped for them to receive retribution in the afterlife but in a society as ours the people should cast judgment on our fellow criminals. However, use of capital punishment as a way to punish them is problematic unless capital punishment receives some extreme changes. What should these changes be? Until we can satisfy the need of a cost, functional, effective, and moral way of ending another’s life there is no satisfying change to allow use of capital punishment.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Essay - True Justice Through Application of the Death Penalty

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    The death penalty, as administered by states based on their individual laws, is considered capital punishment, the purpose of which is to penalize criminals convicted of murder or other heinous crimes (Fabian).  The death penalty issue has been the focus of much controversy in recent years, even though capital punishment has been a part of our country's history since the beginning.  Crimes in colonial times, such as murder and theft of livestock were dealt with swiftly and decisively ("The Death Penalty...").  Criminals were hanged shortly after their trial, in public executions. This practice was then considered just punishment for those crimes.  Recently though, the focus of the death penalty debate has been on moral and legal issues.  The murderers of today's society can be assured of a much longer life even after conviction, with the constraints of the appeals process slowing the implementation of their death sentence.  In most cases, the appeal process lasts several years, during which time criminals enjoy comfortable lives.  They have television, gym facilities, and the leisure time to attend free college-level classes that most American citizens must struggle to afford.  Foremost, these murderers have the luxury of time, something their victims ran out of the moment their paths crossed.  It is time this country realized the only true justice for these criminals is in the form of the death penalty.  The death penalty should be administered for particularly heinous crimes.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues In The Death Penalty

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Death Penalty practice has always been a topic of major debate and ethical concern among citizens in society. The death penalty can be defined as the authorization to legally kill a person as punishment for committing a crime, this practice is also known as Capital Punishment. The purpose of creating a harsher punishment for criminals was to deter other people from committing atrocious crimes and it was also intended to serve as a way of incapacitation and retribution. In fact, deterrence, incapacitation, and retribution are some of the basic concepts in the justice system, which explain the intentions of creating punishments as a consequence for illegal conduct. In the United States, the Congress approved the federal death penalty on June 25, 1790 and according to the Death Penalty Focus (DPF, 2011) organization website “there have been 343 executions, two of which were women”.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    Murder, a common occurrence in American society, is thought of as a horrible, reprehensible atrocity. Why then, is it thought of differently when the state government arranges and executes a human being, the very definition of premeditated murder? Capital punishment has been reviewed and studied for many years, exposing several inequities and weaknesses, showing the need for the death penalty to be abolished.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    People often get caught up in the idea of capital punishment and what it means to others. For some individuals, it is a good feeling to see others suffer for their crimes. Meanwhile, others view the consequences as quite horrendous. I believe if an individual commits a serious crime, he or she should prepare to suffer the consequences. So strong is the desire to make others suffer for their crimes, we loose sight of what is right and wrong.

    Read More

  • Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty

    1667 Words  | 4 Pages

    Each year there are about 250 people added to death row and 35 executed. From 1976 to 1995 there were a total of 314 people put to death in the US 179 of them were put to death using lethal injection, 123 were put to death using electrocution, 9 were put to death in a gas chamber, 2 were hanged, and 1 was put to death using the firing squad. The death penalty is the harshest form of punishment enforced in the United Sates today. Once a jury has convicted a criminal, they go to the second part of the trial, the punishment phase. If the jury recommends the death penalty and the judge agrees then the criminal will face some form of execution, lethal injection is the most common form used today. There was a period from 1972 to 1976 that capital punishment was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Their reason for this decision was that the death penalty was "cruel and unusual punishment" under the Eighth Amendment. The decision was reversed when new methods of execution were introduced. Capital punishment is a difficult issue and there are as many different opinions as there are people. In our project, both sides have been presented and argued fully.

    Read More

  • The Ethics of Capital Punishment

    1503 Words  | 4 Pages

    While we may all want murders off the street, the problem we come to face is that capital punishment is being used for vengeance or as a deterrent. Capital punishment has been used worldwide, not only by the governments to instill fear, but to show that there are repercussions to ones actions. From the time we are born, we are taught to learn the difference between right and wrong. It is ingrained in our brains, what happens to people that do bad things? Capital punishment is renowned for being the worst thing that could be brought amongst ones life.

    Read More

  • 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.

    Read More

  • The Effectiveness of the Death Penlty

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    Death penalty is not quite a familiar term among people. Yet, has become one of the most controversial topics over the last years. “Capital punishment or the death penalty is a legal process whereby a person is put to death as a punishment for a crime” (Wikipedia, 2014 ).According to Wikipedia, it is currently used in thirty four countries, with the modern methods like electrocution , gas chamber, and hanging. There are a lot of people who support death penalty; there is also a large population who want to abolish it. Capital punishment should be allowed because it’s an effective way to ban criminals in society, people should be treated with justice, and.

    Read More

  • The Death Denalty, An Annotated Bibliography To The Death Penalty

    1346 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Persuasive Essay

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Essay on Discourse in A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man

    1483 Words  | 3 Pages

    Levin, Harry.  "The Artist." James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man:   Text, Criticism, and Notes.  Ed.  Chester G. Anderson.  New York:  Penguin,  1968.  399-415.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Should be Abolished

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Death Penalty Position Paper

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is how the saying goes. Coined by the infamous Hammurabi’s Code around 1700 BC, this ancient expression has become the basis of a great political debate over the past several decades – the death penalty. While the conflict can be whittled down to a matter of morals, a more pragmatic approach shows defendable points that are far more evidence backed. Supporters of the death penalty advocate that it deters crime, provides closure, and is a just punishment for those who choose to take a human life. Those against the death penalty argue that execution is a betrayal of basic human rights, an ineffective crime deterrent, an economically wasteful option, and an outdated method. The debate has experienced varying levels of attention over the years, but has always kept in the eye of the public. While many still advocate for the continued use of capital punishment, the process is not the most cost effective, efficient, consistent, or up-to-date means of punishment that America could be using today.

    Read More

More about Capital punishment

Open Document