Almost 18 years ago an innocent wife and mother to two, named Sarah Bryne, received a call by her husband’s old college roommate. He explained to her that he and his wife were staying at a secluded motel near her work and were only staying for the weekend. She left work early to go and meet him and his wife. When she arrived he was alone. Once she was inside and the door closed he raped her. After raping her he stuffed her inside a small trunk, put the trunk in the back seat of his car and drove away. She made a help me sign in red lipstick and slid it through the trunk. Many motorists saw this plea and called the police. But before they could catch up he stopped on a secluded farm road, ripped her out of the trunk, strangled her with a necktie, broke her neck, and then finally finished the torture by stabbing her 14 times. He then put her mangled body back in the trunk and drove home to his wife and kids (1). There is only one offence in the state of Washington that you can receive the death penalty for and that is aggravated murder in the first degree. To receive this punishment one must plan out his act and in committing the crime commit an aggravating circumstance (3). Stabbing + raping + breaking a neck + strangulation all add up to an aggravated circumstance. It’s for people like this that we have instituted the death penalty. The death penalty is a just punishment, but like any system it does have some flaws.
Although the death penalty does not work too well as a general deterrent it does work as a specific deterrent. Specific deterrent means that the penalty is keeping the offender from re-offending (2). Studies show that those who commit murder, if given the chance, re-offend. But some may wonder, isn’t life in prison keeping them from committing the crime again? The Criminal Justice Legal Foundation states that “the leading cause of death among prison inmates is murder by other inmates. A murderer serving a life sentence has no reason at all to refrain from killing other inmates or guards, or from hiring other criminals outside of prison to kill those who helped convict them.” But on the other hand the death penalty offers the opposite effect when it comes to general deterrence.
From the time the first colonists arrived in the late Sixteen Hundreds Pennsylvania executions were carried out by public hanging (Cor.state.pa.us, 2014). In Eighteen Forty Three, Pennsylvania became the first state to abolish public hangings. From Eighteen Thirty Four until Nineteen Fifty Three each county was responsible for carrying out private hanging of criminal within the wall of the county jail.
Since the fear of death is an intrinsic fear mutually shared by the majority of the human race, it is only logical that humans would attempt to avoid encounters with death. Because of “the fear of death and the horror of the execution”, citizens may think twice before “committing serious crimes” (Source A). Citizens, therefore, would be less likely to partake in a crime that would assign them to death row. With less citizens participating in crimes, the world becomes a safer place. Still, critics continue to argue that “There is no proof that the death penalty has a deterrent effect” (Source A). Even though these critics are correct in that there is no proof, research would nearly be impossible to conduct due to the numerous variables that affect criminal activity. Because of the rationale behind the natural fear of death, it is logical to infer that the death penalty does in fact dissuade criminals from committing truly horrendous
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).
It is unnerving to think that everyday some of the most unspeakable murders and killings take place just under the noses of the authorities and normal people. The killers responsible for these crimes are threats to society and deserve capital punishment. The death penalty is an acceptable and fair method of punishment because it serves justice, provides victim’s families with closure, and increases safety.
Many people have strong pro and con feelings on this subject, discussed and argued about only second to abortion. Putting another human being to death is a hard thing to think about until you realize the horrible things one person can do to another without drastic punishment as a determent.
The death penalty is one of the most controversial topics debated today. Like every controversial topic, there are two sides to it. Each side has valid arguments for what they believe, however, I believe that one side is more right than the other. Some of the arguments that come into play when discussing the death penalty are the following: the cost of having someone on death row, a person has the right to live, whether or not it discourages crime, and possible innocence of the defendant.
The death penalty has been used in the United States since the beginning. America was greatly influenced by Great Britain. They used the death penalty there and when the British colonized America, they continued the practice here.
Julian Ptachin was only 14 years old in October 1997 when a drunk driver smashed into his parents van. His Dad, a physician, had to hold Julian while he died on the side of the road. The drunk driver was a three-timed convicted, repeat offender. He was convicted of second-degree murder and was ordered to serve eight years in jail. Doesn’t something seem wrong with this picture? Repeat crime convicts are running down the streets rapid: endangering our children, our loved ones, and even us.
According to www.deathpenalityinfo.org, the first legal death penalty ever issued was on June 25, 1790 as a result of a murder Thomas Bird committed in Maine. Since then, the United States has executed a total of 340 people, 336 men, and 4 women. As of today, the death penalty is the highest form of capital punishment and is predominantly issued to violators of murder. People that have committed murder are arrested and put on trial. A recent example of a crime that may issue the death penalty is California's case against Scott Peterson. Scott Peterson was arrested for the murder of his wife who was pregnant with his child. He is currently on trial and awaiting a sentence of life in jail without parole, or the death penalty. It is up to a jury of six men and six women to determine his fate.
The most widely used argument in support of capital punishment is that the consequence of execution influences criminal behavior more effectively than imprisonment does (Amnesty International). Although the argument may sound reasonable, in reality the death penalty fails as a deterrent. The punishment can only be a useful deterrent if it is rational and immediately used. Capital punishment cannot meet those conditions. The number of first degree murderers who are sentenced to death is small, and of this group an even smaller number of people are eventually executed. The possibility of increasing the number of convicted murderers sentenced to death and executed is declining because mandatory death sentences were declared unconstitutional in 1976 (NCADP). Murder and o...
“If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call." (McAdams) The death penalty should be legalized in all fifty states, to avert from crime, keep repeat offenders off of the streets, and to reduce taxpayers the cost of keeping those found guilty of heinous crimes in prison low.
Should the death penalty be legal throughout the United States? Is it humane or inhumane? The death penalty is only legal in thirty eight of the fifty states in the United States. Lethal injection is also the main procedure that is used. It is the most common form of capital punishment in America. Death penalty by lethal injection should be legal in the United States; the process of lethal injection is better than the electric chair and is more humane.
Today American correction facilities experience a crisis of epic proportions. United States prisons and jails house inmates in record numbers with no relief. This situation leads many to suggest that overcrowding in prisons constitutes an important issue facing American correction reform today. One way to deal with overcrowded prisons is to enforce the death penalty. According to David Davis, infliction of the death penalty for certain secular crimes, such as murder and robbery, associates historically with the rise of the modern state (23). He also states, in England the death penalty was rationally defended as a means for protecting the king’s peace (23). Capital punishment dates back to 1787, where tactics were used such as decapitation, firing squads, and hangings. Just recently death penalties were carried out by means of electrocution and lethal injection. Enforcing capital punishment ensures a means of reducing recidivism for those who commit heinous crimes. Heinous crimes that consist of proven murders, terrorist situations, and rape deserve the death penalty. Increasing capital punishment promotes the reform of prisons by reducing recidivism, increasing deterrence, and decreasing prison population.
“When Michael Ryan was sentenced to death, We were sentenced to” (Kelle, a.n.d, par.2). Keeping him tied outside to a deck with no coat to freeze in the winter cold, disemboweling him with a shovel to shooting off each one of his fingers, James Thimm was tortured to death (Kelle,2009). We imagine that as each day went past the pain would weaken. But that wasn’t the case for Miriam Thimm Kelle and his family. Michael Ryan the killer of Jim, were sentenced to the death penalty but little did Miriam know he was also sentenced. For some 20 years Michael Ryan's execution was carried out through every appeal on and on. The pain that Kelle’s family inflicted was insufferable. As unfortunate as the occurrence was it is safe to say this continues to be the pain of many murder victims families. The death penalty provides nothing but pain for the victims family, the economy and the society.
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.