The use of the death penalty in the United States has been a great debate for many years. One of the major aspects of this debate is whether or not we should continue to use this form of punishment for criminals. In my opinion, the death penalty should be abolished because it costs taxpayers much more than sending an inmate to prison and there is no factual evidence that it has any greater deterrent effect than life imprisonment.
“Our position… is that there is no place for capital punishment… We believe that justice for all is better served by a sentence of life imprisonment.”(Szumski 170) The administration of Capital punishment in the United States has been a failed experiment. Capital punishment or “The death penalty” is the legally authorized killing of a human being as punishment for a crime. The entire process of Capital punishment is fraught with error, since 1973, over 87 inmates have been released from death row due to their innocence being proven. (Blecker, 12) Capital punishment attacks the poor, as well as the black community. For the worst crimes, life without parole is better. Not only is the death penalty discriminatory and unethical, it violates the
The death penalty dates back to the eighteenth century. Criminals received many punishments throughout the centuries such as hangings, quartering, and burning at the stake. The death penalty consists of lethal injections today. The death penalty is a controversial topic because some people are for the death penalty and some people are against the death penalty. There is no one consensus for or against the death penalty. Although there have been many studies on the immorality of the death penalty and whether or not to limit the death penalty in some ways or just completely abolish it all together. It appears that more people are leading towards getting rid of the death penalty, but the courts want to keep it because the courts argue that that it is a successful fear tactic and may prevent future crimes. The death penalty is inhumane, biased, arbitrary, and an unsuccessful fear tactic so it should be abolished.
The death penalty is racist, it punishes the poor, it causes the innocent to die, it is not a deterrent against violent crime, and it is cruel and unusual punishment. More than half of the countries in the world have already abolished the death penalty and the U.S should abolish it too. It is wrong and cruel. Some states in the U.S still hold the death penalty because they think it will keep U.S citizens safe, but we can just keep the murders in a separate patrolled jail. Abolish it and we may save the lives of the people that may have been executed innocent.
According to oxforddictionaries.com capital punishment is defined as the legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime. As of May 2, 2013 Maryland joined the 17 states that have abolished the death penalty,this means as of now 32 states still allow capital punishment. Death Penalty Facts stats that over two thirds of the world’s countries have rid themselves of this unconstitutional law in all practices. Death Penalty Facts goes on to say that 14 states without the death penalty had homicide rates at or near national rates (http://www.amnestyusa.org/pdfs/DeathPenaltyFactsMay2012.pdf). According to Natalie Leppard, PhD that in 2010, 46 people was sentenced the death penalty.Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976 this
Abstract
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.
The death penalty honors human dignity by treating the defendant as a moral able to control his/her own destiny for good or bad behavior. I believe it is an asset to society. The death penalty should not be abolished because it will reduce crime rate, it will save us and the government money, and It helps our society.
The death penalty is an outdated, costly, discriminating, form of punishment that should be abolished in all states throughout the U.S. Currently, the death penalty is legal in 34 U.S. states. Among those besides the common and heavily expensive lethal injection for killing, states Arizona, Missouri and Wyoming allow gas-chamber executions. Delaware, New Hampshire and Washington state still allow inmates to choose hanging as well as lethal injection. This just shows the barbaric practice of the death penalty and how outdated it is. Besides the discrimination made towards people in cases because of their class or color. Mental health patients are also greatly at risk here in the U.S.
The United States criminal justice system is one of the most controversial of all industrialized countries due to criticism over its overpopulated prisons and the increasing expenses necessary to maintain them. Among these prevalent issues is whether the U.S. should continue to use the death penalty as the ultimate punishment for the most dangerous criminals currently incarcerated. The argument in favor of preserving the death penalty claim its use will aid in permanently eliminating the threat of killers and sociopaths from society while also bringing justice for the victims. The argument against the death penalty however, states that society should have a moral obligation to protect human life rather than take it and be superior to psychotic killers. Although the idea of permanently removing the vilest human beings from society may seem easier and less expensive than having them locked up in prison for life, the reality is inmates on death row require extensive amount of time, money, and resources before they can be put to death. The American justice system is too overpopulated and ineffective in executing murderers and should therefore remove the
“1,436 people were executed in the United States from 1977 through May 2016” (Should the death 1) The death penalty is the punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. “The first execution in what is now the United States took place in Virginia. Captain George Kendall was executed in the Jamestown colony in 1608 for spying for Spain” (Virginia 1). The death penalty can result in cases such as the murder of a government official, kidnapping resulting in death, running a large-scale drug enterprise, and treason. An example, the “DC Snipers” shooting several civilians such as Premkumar Walekar and Sarah Ramos in the year 2002. The “DC Snipers” were John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo (Virginia 1). Many citizens of today’s society oppose the acts of the death penalty because it goes against the eighth amendment.