Capital Punishment, also known as the death penalty has been an issue of debate for hundreds of years. The first recorded execution in the new colonies dates back to the year 1608 with the execution of Captain George Kendall, in the colony of Jamestown (Death Penalty Information Center, 2012). Since then, the death penalty has been implemented in countless cases throughout The United States of America. Since 1976, 1,452 individuals have been executed, with many more waiting (Death Penalty Information Center, 2017). Currently capital punishment is authorized in 32 of the 50 states which understand its’ numerous benefits. Capital Punishment should be supported and authorized across The United States of America because; it gives closure to the victim’s families, it contributes to reducing mass incarceration, and it ensures that no one else’s life will be ended or ruined by the actions of the criminal. Losing a child, spouse, sibling, or friend to murder is one of the most difficult situations to endure, especially knowing that the murderer is alive and well. The victim’s families attend countless trials and are involved in numerous court proceedings for multiple years, only to learn that the murderer will be fully clothed, fed, have …show more content…
The alternative to capital punishment is life in prison without parole. But as many know in the American criminal justice system, there are numerous ways to alter a conviction including; plea deals and petitions to appeal which lead to retrials. This uncertainty that a proven murderer may not remain behind bars and be given the opportunity to kill again is unsettling. The only way to ensure that no more damage will be done by the individual is to end their life the same way they ended the victim's. Execution and enforcing the death penalty is the only way to guarantee that society will be safe from the
Click here to unlock this and over one million essaysShow More
Hundreds of people each year are punished for crimes they didn’t even commit. Some have spent at least 14 years in prison, while others have spent time on death row. In 2015, up to 149 people were cleared for crimes they didn’t commit. (Ferner) This was because of DNA exonerations, eye witness identification reforms, criminal justice reform commissions, petitions, protests, news stories, preservation of evidence, and access to post-conviction DNA testing. Some causes that triggered wrongful convictions are: a younger defendant, a criminal history, a weak prosecution case, prosecution withheld evidence, and a weak defense (Predicting and Preventing Wrongful Convictions). Kirstin Lobato fits the shoe! She has been in jail for the past 15 years
There are over sixty offenses in the United States of America that can be punishable by receiving the death penalty (What is..., 1). However, many individuals believe that the death penalty is an inadequate source of punishment for any crime no matter how severe it is. The fact remains, however, that the death penalty is one of the most ideal forms of punishment. There are other individuals who agree with the idea that capital punishment is the best form of punishment. In fact, some of these individuals believe that this should be the only form of punishment.
The use of capital punishment is a contentious social issue in the United States. Currently, it is a legal sentence in thirty-two states and illegal in eighteen (States With and Without the Death Penalty). Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty is “the punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime” (Oxford Dictionaries). A sentencing for the death penalty can be mete out due to a capital offense of treason, murder, arson, or rape. The most commonly used methods for capital punishment include lethal injection, handing, and electrocution. The act of capital punishment is unethical and immoral. Capital punishment is an ineffective method for penalizing criminals, and needs to be abolished from the United States’ criminal justice system.
The death penalty, capital punishment, in the words of the Oxford English Dictionary is the legally authorized execution of an individual as discipline for a crime (“Death Penalty”). Exactly one hundred and sixty-nine years before the establishment of the United States of America, in year 1607, George Kendall was the first to meet his fate to a firing squad in Jamestown, Virginia as retribution for discord, mutiny, and espionage (Green 1). Some four hundred and seven years later, the fate of the death penalty itself has become one rather controversial—in the landmark Supreme Court case Furman v. Georgia (1972), the implementation of absolute justice was ruled unconstitutional; yet a mere four years later, this decision was overruled. One thousand
Since 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.
Gandhi said, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” Losing one life is enough, the government should not take another. The death penalty is the sentence of execution for murder or other capital crimes. In the United States, thirty-one states currently have the death penalty. The only crime that is punishable by death at the state level is murder. In October of 2015, Gallup reported that 61% of people were in favor of the death penalty, 37% of people opposed the death penalty, and 2% had no opinion (Gallup). The death penalty in America should be abolished in all 50 states because it is immoral and economically ineffective.
"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted." This is what is stated in the 14th amendment of the Bill of Rights. So why is there still a death penalty in the United States? The first laws created towards the death penalty go as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon, which allowed the death penalty to be carried out for 25 different crimes. In these early times death sentences were done in ways such as crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, and impalement. Newer ways to go about the death penalty, more nineteenth century, include hanging, electric chair, gas chamber, and lethal injection. What do all these methods
We’re only human, we all make mistakes. It is certainly that if a person who commits a crime deserves punishment, but there is a difference between making someone serve a punishment and killing them. The death penalty does not provide injustice, there are still criminals who continue to break the laws. There are still murder cases going on while a criminal is being punished for committing a crime. It does not deter the crime. It still continues. Who is stopping it? The government is committing a crime itself. They claim that killing someone means you shall be killed too. Well, that all is part of a murderer as well. Burning, hanging, drowning, crucifixion, breaking on the will, boiling to death, and, electrocution are such barbaric acts. Capital
One 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
The death penalty has been around since the beginning of time and historians trace it back to the 1600’s (“Death Penalty Information”). It is considered the ultimate form of justice, an eye for an eye. While it might seem only logical that a murderer does not deserve to live any longer, the severe cost makes it a total waste. However, changing the public’s mind on an issue like this has proven to be difficult. To a family member who has lost someone to a murder, the only true form of justice they can look forward to is the execution. Telling the family the murderer will spend the rest of his life in jail with free health care and meals simply does not have the same ring to it. Nonetheless many other countries across the world have chosen to stop capital punishment, and are now enjoying the extra cash flow. In the year 2015 there are still 32 states that administer the death penalty, and only 18 states that have abolished it (“Death Penalty Information”). Capital punishment is controversial for many reasons, but the cost it puts on the tax payers is something everyone should be concerned with.
The death penalty is a highly controversial and hotly debated topic. The death penalty is completely obsolete in western English speaking countries; the only exception the United States of America. Capital Punishment is only used in cases of treason and in murder 1. Supporters of the death penalty believe that putting a killer to death gives the family of the murdered knowledge that justice was served. The opposition to the death penalty believes that the punishment is too “final”: it offers no possibility of rehabilitation. Both sides, however, recognize the need for a change in the justice system regarding capital punishment. The common issue is finding a punishment which is harsh enough to deter crime but still offers the chance of rehabilitation. The standard form of execution is use of lethal injection, in which the convicted is bound to a chair and injected with sodium thiopental to cause unconsciousness, pancuronium bromide to induce paralysis, and potassium chloride to stop the heart. Texas is the state most liberal in their use of the death penalty, with 34% of the national total since 1976. The death penalty has been a part of civilization for all of man’s existence, starting in Ancient Greece and Egypt and continuing on through today.
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. Other scholar’s state that the death penalty should stay legalized because there is an overcrowding in prisons and it saves innocent’s lives. Whether or not the death penalty should be
Americans have argued over the death penalty since the early days of our country. In the United States only 38 states have capital punishment statutes. As of year ended in 1999, in Texas, the state had executed 496 prisoners since 1930. The laws in the United States have change drastically in regards to capital punishment. An example of this would be the years from 1968 to 1977 due to the nearly 10 year moratorium. During those years, the Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment violated the Eight Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. However, this ended in 1976, when the Supreme Court reversed the ruling. They stated that the punishment of sentencing one to death does not perpetually infringe the Constitution. Richard Nixon said, “Contrary to the views of some social theorists, I am convinced that the death penalty can be an effective deterrent against specific crimes.”1 Whether the case be morally, monetarily, or just pure disagreement, citizens have argued the benefits of capital punishment. While we may all want murders off the street, the problem we come to face is that is capital punishment being used for vengeance or as a deterrent.
The death penalty has been an ongoing debate for many years. Each side of the issue presents valid arguments to explain why someone should be either for or against the subject. One side of the argument says deterrence, the other side says there’s a likelihood of putting to death an innocent man; one says justice, retribution, and punishment; the other side says execution is murder itself. Crime is an unmistakable part of our society, and it is safe to say that everyone would concur that something must be done about it. The majority of people know the risk of crime to their lives, but the subject lies in the techniques and actions in which it should be dealt with. As the past tells us, capital punishment, whose meaning is “the use of death as a legally sanctioned punishment,” is a suitable and proficient means of deterring crime. Today, the death penalty resides as an effective method of punishment for murder and other atrocious crimes.
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is how the saying goes. Coined by the infamous Hammurabi’s Code around 1700 BC, this ancient expression has become the basis of a great political debate over the past several decades – the death penalty. While the conflict can be whittled down to a matter of morals, a more pragmatic approach shows defendable points that are far more evidence backed. Supporters of the death penalty advocate that it deters crime, provides closure, and is a just punishment for those who choose to take a human life. Those against the death penalty argue that execution is a betrayal of basic human rights, an ineffective crime deterrent, an economically wasteful option, and an outdated method. The debate has experienced varying levels of attention over the years, but has always kept in the eye of the public. While many still advocate for the continued use of capital punishment, the process is not the most cost effective, efficient, consistent, or up-to-date means of punishment that America could be using today.