Capital Punishment And The Death Penalty

Capital punishment, otherwise known as the death penalty, is a controversial subject which has been argued for decades due to the ethical decisions involved. People believe the death penalty is the right thing to do and that it is the perfect example of ‘justice’ while others believe that it is immoral and overly expensive. The death penalty is not a logical sentence for criminals, it doesn’t give them the right type of justice and it is immoral.

Resolution—Execution should not be allowed in the United States, especially given the risk of executing innocent people.

The justice system is filled with opposition. Those who support the use of Supermax, the death penalty and the execution of those who are mentally retarded and juveniles, and those who oppose the above mentioned. The following essay will discuss all mentioned topics.

Capital punishment, more commonly known as the death penalty has been a divided issue in the United States for a long time. The argument for capital punishment is important because no problem has ever been more consistent in a society as much as crime and the reliable methods of preventing it. Currently there are 31 states in which the death penalty is legal with the primary use being lethal injection. However this leaves 19 states where the most dangerous criminals relax for the rest of their lives costing hard worked tax dollars and providing nothing back to society. I believe the death penalty should be legalized in the entire nation and I will prove why the opposing arguments do not hold up.

Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is a form of punishment that has been used as far back as the Colonial Era in America. Although it has been around for the entirety of American history, most of the scrutiny and controversy involving capital punishment arose in the 1972 Supreme Court Case of Furman v. Georgia, in which it was abolished, but quickly returned in 1977. It is evident that many citizens have ambivalent stances on capital punishment; some believing it is necessary form of punishment while others believe that the death penalty is a violation of the Eighth Amendment. Although capital punishment has been used throughout history and is seen by many as a form of justified punishment, there are many reasons in favor of ending the death penalty completely. Capital punishment is an unnecessary evil that should be found unconstitutional because of it is not practical, it is corrupt, and it is unable to deter further homicides from being committed.

A major discussion and legal issue that has been the topic of major debates across the world is the legality of Capital Punishment. Capital Punishment, also known as the death penalty, is defined as “the legally authorized killing of someone as a punishment for committing a crime” (Oxford, n.d.). The issue has been undecided by the federal government, which gives the states the right to determine their own laws on the issue. Some states have outlawed the death penalty while others still use this practice to this day. In the state of Maryland the death penalty was used for hundreds of years before it was recently outlawed in a bill passed by the state legislature. The passing of the Capital Punishment Repeal in the state of Maryland was a

America’s criminal justice system is based on equality, integrity, and fairness. All criminals are treated the same, given the same rights, and punished fairly based on their crimes. However, despite that, there are many controversial topics regarding the criminal justice system, such as the death penalty. Capital punishment has been used many times in history all around the world, and it was quite popular. Many people argue that capital punishment is useful in deterring crime and that it is only fair that criminals receive death as punishment for a heinous crime. On the contrary, others see the death penalty as a violation of the 8th amendment. It restricts excessive fines, and it also does not allow cruel and unusual punishment to be inflicted upon criminals. Although there have been many court cases discussing capital punishment, there is still much confusion regarding whether it violates the 8th amendment or not. Capital punishment is a very significant, and very controversial topic that has been around for a long time; the death penalty is still being argued today, with persuasive arguments on both sides.

The primary purpose of the criminal justice system is to protect society. All features of the system; detaining delinquents, trials, and punishments all have costs. Reduction in any part of the criminal justice system can potentially result in a harmful society. The question most asked about the death penalty is, “Why should honest, hardworking taxpayers, have to pay for murderers for the rest of their life instead of executing them?” Actually the death penalty is the most expensive part off the system. According to Dr. Ernest Gross, a Creighton University economics professor, who conducted a study in August 2016, the death penalty cost an average 23.2 million more per year than alternative sentences (Gross). The study found that states with the death penalty spend about 3.54% of overall state budgets on court, corrections and other criminal justice functions associated with the death penalty, while states without the death penalty spend about 2.93% on those functions (Gross). The death penalty is more expensive than life without parole because the constitution requires an extensive and complex judicial process for capital crimes. This is to ensure that innocent men and women are not executed for crimes they did not

"Two Fishermen" examines the use of the death penalty within the justice system. Share your

I once was a strong proponent of capital punishment, trusting the criminal justice system would do the right thing. Moreover, I assumed that the justice system involved honest, ethical people all working together for the good of all mankind. I often argued the need for capital punishment and believed that it increases public safety, and acted as a deterrent to other would be heinous crimes and possibly saved countless lives while acting as a deterrent. As faulty as this thinking may have seemed these were my assumptions, and like most I truly believed in the criminal justice professional, after several years in law enforcement I have learned that there are unethical, criminal justice professionals that use the peoples power

Capital punishment is legally authorized killing as punishment for a crime. The death penalty questions the morality of killing a person as justification for their crime. It also brings to question whether the death penalty actually serves as a deterrent for crime, and that some of the people executed are found innocent afterwards. The debates over the constitutionality of the death penalty and whether capital punishment should be used for retribution are also added things to be considered. Debates over the legal, moral, ethical, and economic ramifications of the death penalty are ongoing across the globe. Evidence has been found that there have been executions as early as eighteenth century BCE. However, today, numerous countries have already abolished the death penalty while there are currently 18 states in the United States that have abolished capital punishment, starting with Michigan, in 1846.

Capital punishment has been used for centuries as a way to reduce the cost of inmates, to repay the families of victims and to aid in the safety of our society. In its time, capital punishment has taken on many different forms ranging from hangings and electrical shock to lethal injections. With the risks that are involved in providing a successful death to those on death row, capital punishment needs to be done in a more efficient manner. Complications have occurred during executions, which have fueled a need to repeal the Death Penalty.

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, has laws that date back to the Code of Hammurabi in Babylon. The first recorded death penalty case took place in the 16th century BC where a man was sentenced to death for his alleged use of magic. The death penalty in the United States was influenced by Britain power over the original thirteen colonies. In the 1700’s, Britain had two hundred and twenty-two crimes that could be punished by death. The first legal execution in the United States took place in Virginia in 1622 where the defendant was put to death for theft (PBS). The first state to abolish the death penalty for all crimes except treason was Michigan in 1846. Capital punishment is legal in the federal government and

Capital punishment have been a main debate on whether it is a cruel and unusual punishment and what it actually consist of. Even though the death penalty has been abolished in most of the western nation, the United States remain to practice the activity. The death penalty is perceived by an abolitionist as a form of cruel, unusual punishment. The idea comes from the fact that the death penalty deny the criminal their right to life. The judgment to execute criminals comes from government officials that generally claim to “speak for God.” In addition, this act violates the Eighth Amendment; prohibiting the government from imposing cruel and unusual punishment. To receive this type of punishment, the individual have to commit an extremely murderous crime that strongly affects humanity. Before any action of executions occurs, the criminal is put on death row for random extents of time. This such procedure for most absolutely “evil” criminals is thought to be the humane form of showing other individuals not to commit extreme crimes such as murder.

For as long as our country has been in effect; we have created a culture of killing through the use of the death penalty. Capital punishment used to be very popular back in the 1600s but this is 2015 and things need to change. This USA is in league with Syria, Afghanistan, North Korea, and Iraq in enacting the death penalty. Why are we still accepting it as a form of punishment when so few accept it? Furthermore, several studies and research have shown that taking the life of another human being through capital punishment only perpetuates a cycle of violence. Also other research has shown that flaws in our justice system has led to innocent being prosecuted, guilty being set free, and a plethora of other biases being present during capital punishment cases. The whole process is flawed in many ways, but the scariest part about it is that very little has been done to change it. In this great and wonderful country we say that we value tolerance and diversity but in most cases we seem to forget this and instead look for vengeance and death. The death penalty is a heinous crime which enacts the very principles with which; we are condemning an accused individual. Due to its racial and economic injustices, and the inhumaneness of the torturous death penalty; the penalty of death should be abolished.