The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty

Murder, homicide, execution and killing: all words that are associated with the disgrace that is the death penalty. Debated for decades, the death penalty continues to be a prominent topic for discussion across the United States. In 1977, the moratorium against the death penalty imposed by the Supreme Court in Furman vs. Georgia was lifted and the use of lethal injection was adopted by many states. Each state has its own laws and regulations with regard to the death penalty including the methodology for the actual execution as well as when it can be imposed. However, all of these laws must fir within the constitutional guidelines as interpreted by the Supreme Court in the Furman case. Have you ever really thought about what capital punishment

I hope that it mortified you as much as it does me. A huge dilemma raised by the death penalty is, the potential for a person who was sentenced to death being wrongfully convicted? The Chicago Tribune published an article in December 2004, titled "Texas Man Executed on Disproved Forensics," which came out the same year Cameron Todd Willingham was sentenced to death in the state of Texas. The Chicago Tribune reported that there was mistake when Willingham was convicted in 1991 for arson, the fire killing his two daughters. The theory that Willingham was convicted on has been refuted by advances in technology according to four fire experts consulted by the tribune. The burning of his house and death of his two daughters more than likely was an accident, consequently murdering a man for a crime he had not committed. The wrongful death of this innocent man could have been avoided if he would have been sentenced to life in prison. Although he would have spent twelve years in jail, he would be a free man

I agree that peace of mind is important for public perception and especially for the victim’s family. Nevertheless, I don’t believe that they will get peace of mind this way. The New York Times reported that, victim’s family members say that rather than providing emotional closure, the long appeals process in death penalty cases actually prolongs the suffering. Court cases for death sentences are notoriously slow moving and expensive. These cases can take decades until the deed is done. With the length of these cases the families do not actually achieve this “peace of mind” for a long time (if it is even possible to achieve), but maybe, if the victims were sentenced to life in prison, these families can sleep knowing that such a nefarious person will never see civilization