"Maldistribution inheres no more in capital punishment than in any other punishment." (Haag 274) Fear of the death penalty can be a good deterrent. Many people also try to abolish the death penalty by talking about the suffering a convicted murderer has to go through, but what about what the victim had to go through. Further, if we get rid of the death penalty it will show that we are not willing to impose our punishments on people who brake our laws. Some maldistribution of the death penalty is unavoidable, but that does not mean we should throw out the death penalty.
Pre-writing- Outline Introduction: Attention Getter: Does somebody really deserve to be sentence with the Death Penalty? Elaboration- information about the issue: This process was been practiced as a sentence to the criminals, back in the years. However, now in the day government still use it as a punishment to some delinquents. People are wondering if US should allow the Death Penalty. Thesis Statement: Supporters to the Death Penalty are falling because of the lack of evidence to prove they are doing the right, in contrast the opponents are finding more and more material to abolish the Death Penalty.
Jacob Roussel Mrs. Gallos English 3H 19 April 2016 Is the Death Penalty Inhumane? For centuries the death penalty has been used to end a criminal’s life, or to strike fear into criminals hearts. Today, North America is one of the few remaining countries who still enforce the death penalty, and it has people talking. Is it still necessary to enforce the death penalty or are we falling behind in a more peaceful time in the world? Some states in America are starting to ban the death penalty because they believe it is inhumane.
Ernest Van Den Haag, a supporter of the death penalty once said, “People fear nothing more than death.” This fear of death has the ability to dissuade criminals. If criminals weren’t afraid of death, they wouldn’t put so much effort into receiving life in prison instead of the death penalty. Serious crimes are discouraged and deterred by the death
The Death Penalty: An Annotated Bibliography 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.
It is more likely that the convict would be paroled instead of being executed because of the present practice of allowing unlimited appeals. Convicted criminals are not exposed to cruel punishment, but rather given a long waiting period. If the criminal is put to death, it is usually done as mercifully as possible. One problem with the death penalty, presently, is that crime is not decreasing, but rather increasing. If capital punishment is supposed to deter crimes such as murder, it is not serving its purpose.
Therefore the streets would be a place people wouldn’t be afraid of anymore. One major discussion about the pros and cons of capital punishment is if it would deter other criminals from committing extreme crimes. I believe that allowing the practice of capital punishment would deter other people from committing such crimes, which would result in more innocent lives saved. Ernest Van Den Haag says in a New York Times Article from 1983, "Common sense, lately bolstered by statistics, tells us that the death penalty will deter murder... People fear nothing more than death. Therefore, nothing will deter a criminal more than the fear of death... life in prison is less feared.
Ernest van den Hagg, in his article “On Deterrence and the Death Penalty” mentions, “One abstains from dangerous acts because of vague, inchoate, habitual and, above all preconscious fears” (193). Without this type of deterrence what would stop criminals that already in prisons for life keep from killing another inmate or a staff that works there? There are those that are against the death penalty called anti-death penalty advocates, they say that imprisonment by it self is enough to deter criminals, killing criminals is not needed! Hugo Bedau argues in his article, “Capital Punishment and Social defense” says, “Crimes can be deterred only by making would-be criminals frightened of being arrested, convicted, and punished for crimes” (301). According to Richard Seiter in his book “An Introduction Corrections” states that “From 1986 to 1997 the number of males that went to prison increased 70% while the number of females increased 118%” (210).
An easy way to answer these questions is to totally nullify capital punishment completely. One reason why the death penalty is so controversial is because many feel its cruel ways of punishment are unnecessary, even if the crime is murder, whether it be premeditated or unintentional. They believe there are other ways of condemnation besides execution. In the case of an unintentional death feelings are that the perpetrators should have the right to live, but have to face each day with the fact that they killed someone weighing on their conscience. On the other hand, such as with a voluntary murder, the ideas are somewhat similar.
Retributivism says that punishment is necessary to achieve justice (Steffen 9).Capital punishment permanently removes the worst criminals from society and should prove much safer for the rest of us than long term or permanent incarceration. It is self evident that dead criminals cannot commit any further crimes, either within prison or after escaping or being released from it (“Arguments”). The death penalty also serves as a better financial solution versus someone serving a life long sentence. Money is not an inexhaustible commodity and the government may very well, better spend our money on the old, the young and the sick, etc. rather than on the long term imprisonments of murders and rapist(“Arguments”).