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.

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 is also observed to be beneficial for the society because it deters the criminal from committing another crime and it prevents the other criminals from committing the same crime, however there is no scientific research that proves a causal connection or a cause and effect relationship between capital punishment and the commission of a crime. Killing a human being as a deterrent to crime is, in principle, using a human being as a means rather than an ends. If we agree with the fact that killing is wrong except in self-defense and therefore the killed would need to be punished. Then the argument follows that the killer’s punishment is to be killed can be seen as highly contradictory. This just turns into circular reasoning because to kill someone because they killed someone then this circle would just go on and on and people would continue to kill and kill and keep the cycle going. To kill the person who has killed someone close to you is simply to continue the cycle of violence which ultimately destroys the punisher as well as the offender. Executing someone for killing your loved one does not always necessarily give the family closure but may actually bring more pain because than that

As Gandhi once said “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." Others claim that the death penalty should be allowed because it’s only justice if the murderer gets punished for his crime. Many don’t consider it fair that a murderer should get off easy even after taking a human’s life. People believe that letting criminals “off the hook easy” sends a bad message that the criminal’s life is worth more than the victim’s life.

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 began in the mid-twentieth century and was intended for all crimes committed. Capital punishment is still practice in the United States in 38 states but used in today’s intent for more horrific crimes. Fourteen of the states have abolished capital punishment for many reasons from being unlawful to being inhumane.

The purpose of punishment is to keep an incident from reoccurring. While punishment doesn’t keep it from happening again, it helps. Execution and the death penalty have been used in most societies since the beginning of history. Penalties back then included boiling to death, flaying, slow slicing, crucification, impalement, crushing, stoning, decapitation, etc. The death penalty was used for reasons today that would go under cruel and unusual punishment. Today in the United States, execution is used mainly for murder, espionage, and treason. In some states in the US, death by firing squad is still used. (“Criminal Justice: Capital Punishment Focus”). 35 states, the U.S military, and the U.S government today use lethal injection as the main method of execution. (“Methods of Execution”) I believe that the death penalty is not the right way to punish people who have been convicted of murder. Topics that show that capital punishment is wrong are: people see the death penalty as eye for an eye. This means that we’re going to do onto you what you did to others and to get revenge. Other topics are how the system fails and its flaws, also the cost of the death penalty.

Capital punishment, or the death penalty is the legally authorized death of an individual as punishment for a heinous crime, typically one that involves murder. The legality of it varies by state and it continues to be a contentious topic of discussion in the United States. Furthermore, in recent decades, public opinion has been shifting from a supportive stance to an unsupportive stance on the use of the death penalty. It is now perceived by most people to be an unethical, immoral, and expensive way to punish criminals. There are also concerns about the possible execution of potentially innocent people. In utilizing a utilitarian philosophy regarding capital punishment, the crux of the issue pertains to whether or not a potential act will lead to a feeling of pleasure or pain. By applying this view, the death penalty is considered to be an immoral and evil due to the fact that it inflicts pain on the criminal before, during and after the action is performed.

In Ancient Greece, about 621 BC, the first Athenian legal system was first written down (Robert). The death penalty was applied for a particularly wide range of crimes. The Romans also used death penalty for a wide range of offenses. Historically, the death sentence was often handled with torture, and executions, except that it was done in public. In this century, the death penalty, execution or capital punishment, whatever you’d like to refer it as, is the result for committing capital crimes or capital offences and it is not in public. The death penalty has been practiced by most societies in the past, as a punishment for criminals, and political or religious dissidents. Despite the fact that many countries have negated the death penalty, over 60% of the world 's population live in nations where executions still take place, such as China, India, the United States and Indonesia. Since 2009, mostly every country has banned the placement of the death penalty for a person under the age of 18. Many countries have abolished capital punishment either in law or in practice. The only countries who still perform these executions are Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Pakistan.

Capital punishment, which can also be referred to as the death penalty, has been around for hundreds of years. Ever since it began, there has been discussions as to whether it is morally correct, and as to whether it actually influences criminals. Some believe that the possibility of being put to death often stops criminals from committing violent crimes. Others believe the reciprocal, stating that those that partake in violent crimes are driven to do so for various reasons, and whether they have the chance of being put to death or not will not stop them from doing what they feel they must do. Some serial killers and other violent individuals think that they will never be caught. Others believe that they are doing God 's work, or they proclaim other 'important ' reasons for the killings and violence that they partake in. Sometimes this is due to mental disorders, but there are other reasons that people partake in acts of this nature. Regardless of these reasons, violent acts can and do happen and whether these people should be put to death for their crimes remains a widely discussed issue.

Imagine your having a normal morning, eating breakfast doing your normal routine. Suddenly your phone rings and when you answer you hear the worst news possible. One of your family members has just been murdered in cold blood. You cry, mourn, then become angry. You attend the court hearing and you sit less than 20 feet away from the murderer. Do you truly believe this person deserves to live? Or should they face a punishment that is equal to their crime? Some may say

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, has long been abolished in Australia since 1967. Although our country does not sentence capital punishment, other countries do, and there is a worldwide argument on the whole topic.