The Death Penalty
argumentative Essay
853 words
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). During the 1970s, the top argument in favor of the death penalty was general deterrence. This argument suggests that we must punish offenders to discourage others from committing similar offenses; we punish past offenders to send a message to potential offenders. In a broad sense, the deterrent effect of punishment is thought to b... ... middle of paper ... ...erences Death Penalty Information Center (n.d.). Deterrence: states without the death penalty have had consistently low murder rates. Retrieved February 8, 2011 from http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/deterrence-states-without-death-penalty-have-had-consistently-lower-murder-rates Guernsey, J. B. (2010). Death penalty: fair solution or moral failure. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. Retrieved February 8, 2011 from http://books.google.com/books?id=38slHSsFFrgC&pg=PA125&dq=death+penalty+in+other+countries&hl=en&ei=F6dQTZHLBsm_tgfD7rHBCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD4Q6AEwBDgU#v=onepage&q=death%20penalty%20in%20other%20countries&f=false Radelet, M. L. & Borg, M. J. (2000). The changing nature of death penalty debates. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 43-61. Retrieved February 7, 2011 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/223436.pdf
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the death penalty is an issue that will be debated in the united states for many years to come.
- Explains that the deterrent effect of punishment is thought to be a function of certainty, celerity, and severity.
- Argues that deterrence studies have failed to support the hypothesis that the death penalty is more effective than long imprisonment.
- Explains that more than sixty countries, between 1976 and 2008, abolished the death penalty for all crimes. europe is the center of the international anti-death penalty movement.
- Concludes that the death penalty is a controversial debate. some are for it and some oppose it. most people don't know which side to be on.
- Explains that states without the death penalty have had consistently low murder rates.
- Explains radelet, l., and borg, j. the changing nature of death penalty debates. annual review of sociology, 26, 43-61.
Related
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- Persuasive Essay On The Death Penaltyanalytical essaySince the 13 colonies were first established in America, the death penalty has been the main form of capital punishment as a firmly deep-rooted institution in the United States. Today, one of the most debated issues in the criminal justice system is the issue of capital punishment. While receiving disapproving viewpoints as those who oppose the death penalty find moral fault in capital punishment, the death penalty has taken a very different course in America while continuing to further advancements in the justice system since the start of the new millennium. While eliminating overcrowding in state jails, the death penalty has managed to save tax payers dollars as well as deteriorate crime and apprehend criminals.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the death penalty has been the main form of capital punishment in the united states since the 13 colonies were established.
- Explains that by placing convicts on death row, america has found a just way of preventing repeat offenders and deterring crime as justice deteriorates crime rates.
- Explains that many people opposing the death penalty misguidedly use christianity and the bible's beliefs of morality to dispute the ethics of the penalty.
- Argues that the death penalty should remain legal in america because it is successfully putting criminals away by the threat of them receiving lethal injection.
- Explains that the death penalty would save government funds while putting away dangerous criminals. prop 34 costs taxpayers $100 million over four years and many millions more, long term.
- Opines that the death penalty is a safe way to put away guilty persons while technological advances ensure innocent will not be executed.
- Explains that the death penalty can help ease the problem of overcrowding in prisons in america.
- Explains that the death penalty solves many problems, such as overcrowding, deterring crime, and saving tax dollars.
1644 wordsRead More - The Issue of Capital Punishment in the United Statesanalytical essayThe debate over the death penalty dates as far back as the late 1700s when incarceration became an alternative to killing criminals and gave rise to the abolitionist movement. The abolitionists supported the idea that the state did not have the right to take anyone’s life. Although the death penalty became an important issue in the mid nineteenth century, the civil war shifted more focus towards the anti–slavery movement. It wasn’t until the Progressive Period of the early twentieth century that the capital punishment debate was in full swing. Again between the 1920s and 1940s capital punishment was being used as an intended deterrent to crime. Finally from the 1950s on, capital punishment again became unpopular and since then many nations have banned capital punishment altogether. International comparisons show us that the United States is one of the few i...
In this essay, the author
- Opines that capital punishment should be practiced in the united states because of the numerous, often conflicting perspectives from which various parties have attempted to answer it.
- Analyzes how the debate over the death penalty dates back to the late 1700s when incarceration became an alternative to killing criminals.
- Analyzes how the divisiveness stems from the fact that capital punishment is a controversial practice. the plurality of viewpoints reflects the diverse moral upbringings experienced by those with an interest in the issue.
- Explains that politicians support the death penalty because it is a sensitive issue, but the two front-runners for the democratic nomination, john kerry and john edwards, support it.
- Argues that the death penalty is just an appeal to the law of hammarabi. the law is problematically ironic in that it is intended to compensate for the loss of an innocent life.
- Explains that the moral arguments for and against capital punishment have appealing moral cases, and empirical issues come to the fore when one decides which political stance to take.
- Argues that a platform that seeks not simply to maintain but also to improve the system of capital punishment implementation might well result in voters shifting from the camp that prefers life imprisonment without parole.
- Argues that the best way to cut the cost of capital punishment is to reform the legal system in which it operates.
- Argues that strong adherents to the "death is different" claim might respond to proposed reforms by maintaining that the penalty phase and appeals process are necessary to ensure that only those who deserve to die are executed.
- Argues that there is no shortage of evidence against the claim that capital punishment is a better deterrent than life without parole.
- Argues that alternative to the death penalty is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. public opinion is split between capital punishment and life without parole, and arguments on both sides have already been rehearsed.
- Argues that cutting government funds and investing extra money in crime prevention programs is an alternative to capital punishment, but the extent to which these anti-crime policies are true alternatives is dubious.
- Argues that the debate over whether or not the united states should implement capital punishment is terribly difficult to decide conclusively. those who oppose it on strictly moral grounds are unlikely to be persuaded.
- Describes grant, stefanie, "a dialogue of the deaf?" new international attitudes and the death penalty.
- Cites the sourcebook for criminal justice statistics 2002. "public attitudes toward the death penalty."
- Explains that most politicians support the death penalty to some degree, as public opinion polls show that the majority of americans favor capital punishment.
3442 wordsRead More - The Most Effective Pros And Cons Of The Death Penaltyanalytical essayThe death penalty has been a part of society as a method of punishment for crimes committed since the beginning of time. Once and inmates is sentenced to death row they will usually spend over a decade awaiting their execution, some prisoners have been on death row for over 20 years. “Studies: Death Penalty Affects Families of Victims and Defendants” (Talking About Trauma). Does the death penalty help the families of the victims heal and fill the void of their missing loved ones? Some may argue that the death penalty “deters” criminals from committing heinous future crimes, but there is little evidence from studies conducted that show whether or not the death penalty acts as a better deterrent than life in prison without parole. The death penalty should be abolished because of all the costs and risks it has by imposing an irrevocable sentence on innocent lives.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the death penalty should be abolished because of the costs and risks it has by imposing an irrevocable sentence on innocent lives.
- Opines that the death penalty deters criminals from committing future crimes is not completely inaccurate; swift and sure punishments are the most effective methods of deterrence because people fear death.
- Argues that the death penalty should not be used until race can be eliminated as a determinant of who lives and dies.
- Explains that the death penalty imposes an irrevocable sentence that cannot be undone if any errors were made in the case.
- Argues that the death penalty saves money by executing the defendant rather than having to be cared for by the state when life in prison is sentenced. capital trials are longer and more expensive than other murder trials because of pre-trial motions and costs of experts.
- Opines that the substitution of life without parole does serve society with the need of punishment and protection while avoiding making an irrevocable sentence.
857 wordsRead More - The death penaltyanalytical essayThe Death Penalty There are many crimes that are being committed through out America, burglary, car theft, rape, pick pocketing, and murder. There are many different forms of “murder”, manslaughter (killing someone without it being previously thought out); vehicular manslaughter (hitting someone with your car and killing them) and other forms of accidental deaths may be thought of in the same sense of “murder”. The death penalty applies to the murders that are committed violently (murders that are done on purpose). The way to prevent some of these violent murders is to use the death penalty more. Some people say that the death penalty is cruel, unjust and it is in moral.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the death penalty is a limited one and should not be overstated.
- Explains schonebaum, stephen e. does capital punishment deter crime? 1998 greenhaven press inc.
- Explains rein, mei ling capital punishment cruel and unusual?
- Argues that the death penalty is cruel, unjust, and moral.
978 wordsRead More - The Death Penaltyanalytical essayThe Death Penalty The Death Penalty seems to haunt the US mindset. While more countries are dropping the procedure as cruel the US still holds on. Eighty percent of Americans are still for the Death Penalty, citing revenge as the main reason, which is why families are allowed to watch the execution . Organizations like Amnesty International condemn the US regularly, as well as most Democratic nations.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the death penalty haunts the us mindset, citing revenge as the main reason, which is why families can watch the execution.
- Analyzes how pro-death penalty advocates are playing with people's fear of murderers killing even after they are sentenced to life.
- Explains that prison escapes are rare in all fifty states, and that the death penalty is a non-issue. escape for murderers is almost impossible.
- Analyzes how death penalty proponents prey upon people's fears by citing how many murders occur every year. extreme cases of brutality to children and a prolonged litigation incite anger.
- Explains arendt, hannah, the life of the mind: thinking, harcourt brace, ny, 1978.
- Analyzes how the death penalty proponents' argument against the protests that innocent people are being executed is laudable reversal.
1756 wordsRead More - Sherman Alexie and Native American Writinganalytical essayRanda, Laura E. “Society’s Final Solution: A History and Discussion of the Death Penalty.” (1997). Rpt.in History of the Death Penalty. Ed. Michael H. Reggio. University Press of America, Inc., 1997. 1-6 Print.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how sherman alexie's poem capital punishment tells the story of an indian man on death row waiting for his execution.
- Explains that if a person continues bad behavior over and over, he, or she, will eventually suffer the consequences of prisoners past.
- Argues that death is a justifiable end giving closure to the victim's family. the history of the death penalty in the united states goes back to our very foundation.
- Explains that alexie, sherman, and dieter, richard c., "healing the wounds of murder."
- Explains that radelet, michael l., and borg, marian j. "the changing nature of death penalty debates." annual sociology review. 2000: 43-57.
1428 wordsRead More - Persuasive Essay On The Death Penaltyanalytical essayThe death penalty has been a strong controversial argument since it first got ratified into the law. It gives the power of taking an individual’s life into the hands of those around them. The peers around him may only need to state one effortless word that can sentence the person to incarceration leading to their inevitable execution that. The death penalty has inflicted a new type of concern in the minds of many Americans, in which many are not entirely sure such punishments are necessary anymore, not only through opinions but also through substantial facts that support the abolishing of such an inhumane punishment which has proven to have become less beneficial than anything else.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the death penalty has been a strong controversial argument since it first got ratified into the law.
- Opines that drug abusers and drug sellers are the main target of the death penalty. the united states is a non-progressive country.
- Explains that the death penalty is a costly punishment that costs much more than regular sentences. the number of those in death row never goes down and tends to only be growing over time.
- Argues that compassion is a trait that forges our decisions and influences what we believe is wrong and right when we discuss the topic of the death penalty.
- Argues that the abolishment of the heinous death penalty is appropriate because of all the damage it has caused.
- Explains that morality is a personal standpoint on which someone lives by and knows what choices he or she may take concerning particular situations.
1690 wordsRead More - Persuasive Essay Against Death Penaltyanalytical essayDespite the fact that over 135 countries across the globe have outlawed the death penalty and that there is little evidence to support its use, the United States remains as one of the few major industrialized nations that still execute prisoners. In every society, many cases occur where a criminal must be punished, so that they can be taught a lesson and be stopped from committing future crimes. There are many different ways of punishing criminals: one is the death penalty. The issue of the death penalty has been debated throughout history and even more so recently. Some people support the death penalty, since they say it is only fair for one to forfeit their life if they take the life of another. Many feel the death penalty is unfair, and
In this essay, the author
- Argues that it is a grave mistake to consider the death penalty as the main method to solve cases, or the best way to discourage crime.
- Analyzes how the death penalty creates discrimination and prejudice against the defendant. the naacp, for example, argues that the system values white lives more than black lives.
- Explains that the united states is one of the few major industrialized nations that still execute prisoners. the death penalty has been debated throughout history and even more recently.
- Explains that many people consider capital punishment an evil act, because it is a cruel punishment exacted without just cause.
- Explains that many supporters of the death penalty argue that it will deter violent crime.
1712 wordsRead More - Persuasive Essay On Death Penaltyanalytical essayOne 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
In this essay, the author
- Opines that capital punishment should be prohibited in the united states.
- Argues that capital punishment costs more than life in prison without the possibility of parole, because it is an irreversible sentence.
- Argues that people think capital punishment deters crime, but studies show no correlation between it and deterrence.
- Analyzes how racial biases influenced capital cases. mccleskey appealed his sentence to the supreme court on the grounds that the death penalty is inconsistent.
- Explains that the most fearful aspect of capital punishment is the possibility of the state or government executing the wrong person.
2435 wordsRead More - Persuasive Essay On The Death Penaltyanalytical essayFor centuries, the death penalty has been used by nations throughout the world. Practices such as stoning, the guillotine, firing squads, electrocution, and lethal injections have all been common practices to condemn criminals who had enacted heinous crimes. In concurrent society, however, capital punishment has begun to be viewed as a barbaric and inhumane. From these judgments, arguments and controversies have erupted over whether or not the United States should continue to practice the death penalty. With advocates and critics arguing over the morality of the death penalty, the reason to why the death penalty exists has been blurred. Because of the death penalty’s ability to thwart future criminals through fear and its practical purposes, the practice of capital punishment should continue in the United States.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that capital punishment should continue in the united states because of its ability to thwart future criminals through fear and practical purposes.
- Explains that capital punishment has been used to punish criminals and exemplify the consequences of abhorrent crimes.
- Explains that modern america has moved towards a more humane and systematic form of execution, lethal injection.
- Analyzes how capital punishment critics have used the moral transgressions of botched executions to try to outlaw the death penalty.
- Argues that the death penalty prevents the corruption of rehabilitated criminals.
- Argues that the idea of participating in the death penalty has become taboo due to the arguments presented by capital punishment critics.
- Argues that the death penalty's ability to thwart future criminals is beneficial, since the fear of death is mutually shared by the majority of the human race.
- Opines that the death penalty provides closure for the victims of the boston marathon bombing.
- Explains that capital punishment relieves both the police force and the law abiding civilian population.
- Opines that the united states should continue to endorse capital punishment because of the benefits contributed to it.
1657 wordsRead More