Capital punishment often referred to as the death penalty is a government sanctioned punishment by death, crimes that are punishable by death include first degree murder, terrorism, and espionage (“Capital Punishment”). The death penalty can be viewed as inhumane because if someone is sentenced to death and later found to be innocent there's no bringing that person back to life. Today there are thirty-six countries that practice the death penalty and the U.S. is the only western country that still uses the death penalty(“Capital Punishment”). The U.S. being the only western country to still use capital punishment can cause controversy because of all the money that is spent on it. The death penalty is inhumane and puts an economic burden on …show more content…
population that finds the death penalty inhumane. A Quinnipiac poll found that 48% of Americans said that a person convicted of murder should be sentenced to life in prison without parole (Ross). Forty-Eight percent of the U.S. population is about 153 million people. Capital punishment goes against almost every religious group in the United States even though it is not stated in the bible (McEalee). This shows that even people who follow the bible on a day to day life go against it on certain issues. A survey of police chiefs in the U.S. from 2008 found that police chiefs across the U.S ranked capital punishment last among ways to reduce violent crimes (Rust-Tierney). Those are just some of the examples of people that find the death penalty inhumane. The state and federal government spends ridiculous amounts of money on the death penalty. One example of spending a ridiculous amount of money would be, Oregon spent $9 million dollars on the death penalty in one year (McEalee).That $9 million dollars could go towards improving roadways, improving public safety and, improving other public property. The average cost for a case with the death penalty as a result is around $1.26 million per inmate (McElaee). $1.26 million dollars for a single case is ridiculous and could be used more
The death penalty is procedure conducted by the government by which a person is put to death as a punishment for a crime. The crimes that can sometimes carry the death sentence in places like the US are war crimes, treason, murder, crimes against humanity, espionage and genocide. 103 countries as of today have fully removed the death penalty except for special crimes e.g. War crimes. Although this is a step in the right direction (for most people) 56 countries are known to perform the death penalty.
Should the death penalty in the United States cost so much? The death penalty is an expensive process to go through. The united states can be doing much more with this money, like giving it back to our schools, police
The death penalty is also widely opposed by people across America because it is argued to be immoral, a form of torture, economically biased, susceptible to error and does not act as a deterrent. In contrast to the opponent’s view, supporters believe that religiously the death penalty is wrong because the Bible says “Thou shalt not kill”. (sixth commandment) It is also argued that if killing is wrong, then the government should not use it as a form of punishment (Death Row on Trial 2001: video) “how can we kill people who kill people to show its wrong” (Death Row on Trial 2001: video) Also when a person is sentenced to death, they are told how they will be killed and when, until finally they are taken to be executed, which could be years after receiving the original sentence. (Washington Post 2008: e.data) This period in which the convicted person must wait is considered to be a form of torture, (Washington Post 2008: e.data; Death Row on Trial 2001: video) especially when in some cases the person will often see or even hear being tested the chair in which they will be executed. (Death Row on Trial 2001: video) Another major
In 2015, over one thousand six hundred and thirty-four people were executed through the death penalty, and eighty-nine percent of them occurred in just three countries alone. The United States is one of these countries, with thirty-two states who allow capital punishment, primarily by lethal injections. Although many people believe that the death penalty is a deserving punishment for criminals, capital punishment is inhumane because it makes us as a society commit the same violent acts we hold criminals accountable for.
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
Capital punishment comes at a hefty price. A lot of tax dollars go to this supposed “justified deterrence” that is intended to reduce the rate of murder and crime. The money could be put to better use, such as reforming the criminal justice system and put funding into low-income neighborhoods and programs for at-risk youths. These would be better alternatives to the death penalty. Another point is the level effectiveness of the death penalty.
Studies show that prosecute a death penalty case cost the taxpayers $1.5 million dollars more than to prosecute a life in prison without parole. A study done this past August by Dr. Ernest Goss, a Creighton University economics professor who founded the conservative think tank, Goss & Associates, the study is called The Economic Impact of the Death Penalty on the State of Nebraska: A Taxpayer Burden?. This study found that the state of Nebraska spends $14.6 million per year to maintain its capital punishment system. That is $14.6 million that could be spent on public service like more police and perhaps programs to help at risk youth. Nebraska
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
The death penalty is government sanctioned punishment by death. Crimes subject to capital punishment are capital crimes. Thirty-six countries actively practice the death penalty, including the United States. However, 103 countries have abolished capital punishment and instead jail serious criminals for life. Capital punishment is the only fitting punishment for people who have done the ultimate wrong, it saves space at federal prisons, and it gives closure to families of victims, or victims of these crimes.
“Who exactly gives us the right to kill? If killing is wrong, then why are we allowed to kill?”- John Grisham, bestselling author, attorney, and politician. The death penalty dates back to the Eighteenth Century B.C., but has only been in effect in America since the 1600’s. Execution in the U.S. is carried out by lethal injection, lethal gas, or the firing squad. The U.S. is one of the few westernized countries that have adopted capital punishment, and many countries that do practice it are communist. The death penalty is mainly state based, meaning the state is able to choose whether or not to practice capital punishment. However, the federal government has adopted capital punishment for federal offenses, such as treason, murder of a government official running a large-scale drug business, and kidnapping that results in death. While most states still continue with the death penalty, this practice is slowly dying. Nineteen states have already eradicated capital punishment, and more are leaning towards the idea of the abolishment. Capital punishment should be completely abolished from the U.S.
Is the death penalty inhuman? In my opinion, no. You made a decision to take someone else’s life, you should lose yours. The act of taking someone’s life should have the highest consequence. To me, paying the ultimate price is the only way for justice. The death penalty should always be the sentence given to someone who takes the life of someone else.
Gavrila, Adina Nicoleta. "Should the death penalty be abolished? Arguments for and against the centuries old punishment." Journal for Communication and Culture. 01.02 (2011): 82-98. Print.
Punishment is inevitable in a world that judges one’s every move. Common decisions turn into tendencies and tendencies turn into life choices that construed a life forever. For centuries people have faced execution for crimes which were considered to be horrendous. A system that has remained in our judicial system since the first execution in 1606 (deathpenalty.org). As of 2015 execution is only recognized as a form of correction in 31 states throughout the U.S. To ensure justice crimes are punished in a form or fashion equal to the severity of the crime committed. According to the US Federal Government list there are 41 capital offenses punishable by death. Included in this list are crimes such as first-degree murder, treason, and genocide.
One common misconception about the death penalty is that it is less costly than sentencing someone to life in prison. People think that since someone may spend less time in prison on death row that it would cost less all together but that is factually false. One of the main reasons its false is because all of the appeals processes they have to go through is very expensive. There have been many studies that show that it can be around three-times more expensive to sentence someone to death rather than sentence them to life imprisonment. That is taxpayer’s dollars going to something that costs more and works considerably less. If the United States decides to stop the death penalty the U.S. taxpayers could be saved hundreds of millions of dollars within the coming years and even save them billions in the next few decades.
Capital punishment, or otherwise known as the death penalty, is death sentenced upon a person by the state as a punishment for a crime. These crimes are known as capital crimes or capital offenses. Capital punishment has been practiced in many societies; now 58 nations practice the death penalty, while 97 nations have abolished it. In the past, it was common for the ruling party to make the offender known throughout the community for his or her criminal act. Thus, if the community were made aware of the consequences for breaking the laws, the crime rate would reduce. Such criminal penalties included: boiling to death, disembowelment, crucifixion and many more. As time went on the movement towards more humane treatments took hold. In the