Essay Against Capital Punishment

One of many issues that have been core of moral and legal discussions over history has been the death penalty (capital punishment).

These actions by the government have instigated much fear in the daily lives of innocent citizens and cause enormous psychological damage and mistrust to the justice system that might take generations to be healed. The government is killing people and the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution gave all citizens the same rights and equal protection by all laws of the land. If this be true as the Constitution states, then any legal justification of capital punishment is against the Constitution and so must be stopped immediately. Another reason to support the abolition of capital punishment is the cost to tax payers. According to Amnesty International, an estimated amount of one million five hundred thousand dollars is wasted by any state in the U.S. each time a person is executed. This amount equals the cost of the education of 177 high school students in the state of Texas. An example is, if spend in that direction given the cost of $8,500 per student per year (Reggio). With the cost going higher every day, why kill people and instead of concentering on those alive educated and healthy? .The answer to this question is that the death penalty or the so called capital punishment should not exist in the twenty first

One particular event that caused this change was the execution of John Evans on April twenty second, eighteen eighty six (Radelet). John Evans was to be executed by means of electrocution. It took 14 minutes for the current of electricity to kill Evans.

Capital punishment has been a hot topic for quite some time now. In earlier times it was merely a way to punish as well as an attempt to deter members of society from committing heinous crimes. In the last century we have actively monitored the effects of capital punishment, and this has revealed the truth. It is for these reasons capital punishment is not morally acceptable.

There is a better way to execute someone without the risk of killing hundreds of innocents, an example is life without parole, an example is Oregon there is the option of sentencing murderers to life in prison without parole. Every day people are executed by the state for a variety of crimes, sometimes for acts that should not be criminalized. Before people die they are imprisoned for years on death row, not knowing when their time is up, or if they will see their families one last time. Not only is capital punishment morally incorrect but it does not help the economy of the states. Enforcing the death penalty costs Florida $51 million a year above what it would cost to punish all first degree murderers with life in prison without parole. Another example is Texas, the average cost of death penalty is $2.3 million, three times the price payed to imprison someone for fourty years. (Death Penalty Information Centre). Currently the state of California is fighting to eliminate capital punishment with Proposition 62, the passing of this proposition could save the state $150 million per year. A death row sentence costs eighteen more than life in prison, all mosey that could be spent on education, public safety, and crime prevention. (Official Voter Information

Although it is argued that capital punishment is a strong deterrent to crimes and serves as a just punishment, nevertheless, capital punishment should be abolished because it is a violation of human rights, carries a risk of executing innocent people, is a burden on taxpayer’s money and is discriminant in application.

As a democracy, the United States should nationally enforce capital punishment. The number of citizens supporting it almost doubles the ones opposing it. Also, imprisonment for life is not an adequate punishment. Many serving life sentences are treated well, and have various activities to make their time at prison more bearable.It’s not like they enforce capital punishment for any petty crime. The death penalty is the only justifiable punishment for some of the barbaric crimes committed. For all of these reasons, capital punishment is a necessary evil and should be

While criminals must be punished for their criminal actions, “legalized murder”, as author Coretta Scott King put it, is immoral. The death penalty is legalizing the very thing that many on death row are charged for, murder. There is a multitude of lawful alternatives, to the death penalty, of reestablishing a better reputation for the criminals. The Constitution has no true right to allow such a felonious form of rehabilitation.

     “This is not a nice man … innocent is not a word that suits him in any way,” says Brian Webster when speaking of Matthew Poncelet, the man on death row in the movie Dead Man Walking. Many people feel that the death penalty is immoral and it should not be used; however I feel completely opposite. I believe that capital punishment is a fair sentence for a murderer to receive.

Should we kill killers is the question to answer regarding the controversial subject of capital punishment. There is strong support for both sides and many people have offered their opinions in writing for all of us to examine. John M. Olin, the Professor of Jurisprudence and Public Policy at Fordham University, gave us his Pro-Capital Punishment opinion in the Harvard Law Review in 1986. Although his article was written more than a decade ago the argued topics have not changed.

Despite all the pros and cons of capital punishment, society must think about what is truly correct and most practical for our world. Capital punishment is not functional in today’s legal system. There are countless amounts of evidence that proves these legal killings to be ineffective. We, as Americans, must correct this irrational practice before it does anymore permanent damage.

In my opinion capital punishment is wrong. The death penalty is the center of much debate in society. This is due, in part, to the fact that people see only the act of killing a criminal, and not the social effects the death penalty has on society as a whole. Upon reading about the death penalty, it was found to be an unethical practice. It promotes a violent and inhumane society in which killing is considered okay. Since there are alternatives, the death penalty should be abolished. Some people believe capital punishment to be cruel and unusual. Others believe that a person who kills, should themselves be killed. This statement alone raises the question, "How should they be killed?" The question that should really

Throughout the history of man, the penalty of death was given to criminals who broke the law. Capital Punishment is the extreme penalty for crime (Compton's) and is still in use today in many countries. A criminal can be sentenced to death for various crimes. Even more were the methods used to execute, many being cruel and unusual. There have been many debates on whether or not to abolish the death penalty. There are many pros and cons to this complicated issue. Capital Punishment is in use for many reasons and has been enforced in numerous ways throughout the years. The condemned prisoner on death row may have broken the law, but does that give us the right to take the life of another human being?

Capital Punishment serves no moral purpose; in fact, it undermines respect for human life. It contributes to the cycle of violence. It is a barbaric remnant of an uncivilized society. It is immoral in principle, and unfair and discriminatory in practice. As a remedy for crime, it has no purpose and no effect.

Knowing you may die for your crime is not a deterrent - the threat of