Capital Punishment Should Not Be Abolished

This paper will briefly cover the world history of the use of the death penalty as well as its current use in the United States of America. The paper will discuss the statistics of how often the death penalty is utilized as a sentence for capital crimes as well as the time a convicted person spends awaiting the death penalty to be imposed. This paper will utilize research from published sources. This paper will also review current death penalty issues are the occurring in our court systems today.

Death penalty is a punishment of execution administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. Some say revenge is sweet but giving somebody the death penalty for killing someone else is bitter. It makes no sense to execute an individual that murdered another person. Capital punishment does not solve anything, nor does it fix the problem. We as humans should not dictate who leaves this world being that the gift of life is more sacred than a one-week trial. Instead of somebody coming back to life, now you have two dead people. There are many reasons as to why I believe the death penalty should be abolish. Some of these reasons are it is expensive, a person can be wrongful executed, and it does not deter crime.

In this essay I will argue that capital punishment should be abolished in the United States. Capital punishment is a legal process where the state sends individuals, convicted of treason, murder, and terrorism just to name a few, to death row to be punished to their deaths by execution. Also known as the death penalty, these convicted prisoners are then put to death by such methods as a firing squad, gas chamber, electrocution, hanging, or lethal injection. All of which are lethal social injustices.

Albert Einstein, a theoretical physicist and philosopher of science, once said, no problem can be solved with the same level of thinking that created it (Einstein). The intelligent man expressed his ideas clearly that if a killer kills someone and we also kill the killer then what would be the difference between us and the killer because we both are killers. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 31 States in the United States allow the death penalty and 19 states do not allow the death penalty (“Deterrence”). The death penalty should be abolished in our society because it is not an effective crime deterrent, it puts a strain on our economy, it may result in the loss of innocent lives, and it is racial discrimination.

Should capital punishment be abolished in America or is it a reasonable form of punishment for certain criminals? That’s the question that has been asked for the past 40 years and it is a sensitive topic on the count of people’s lives being at stake. It is a reasonable debate though, because there are many people that think it is morally wrong and should not be practiced, but then there are others that believe in capital punishment and think it should stay in place. Is America going to totally abolish the death penalty?

The death penalty has been around for thousands of years, from the codification of twenty-five laws by King Hammurabi of Babylon to today with many of our political nominees for president in support of continued use of the death penalty. Those in favor of the death penalty cite deterrence and punishment as their main reasons. However, in reality the death penalty is a drain on state and local finances, there is no evidence that is serves as a deterrent to crime, and has been shown to put the lives of innocent people in jeopardy. The death should be abolished, it has caused loss of finances, loss of life, and has un-proportionately affected the poor and the impoverished people of the United States.

The execution of criminals has been performed by nearly every society to date. The death penalty came to the Americas when European settlers brought the idea of capitol punishment from Britain. The ideology behind taking someone’s life for crimes they have committed is a simple one. If a person commits a hennas crime such as murder or rape, they shall receive the death penalty. In more recent times we now see many countries abolishing the death penalty. The trend suggests that the capitol punishment policies still implemented in the United States may be outdated, but yet there is a large majority in the United States who feel capital punishment is necessary. In contrast there are many that feel that it’s immoral, unconstitutional and should be abolished. The political issue is whether or not capital punishment should be outlawed in the United States. An explanation of capitol punishment and some positions from those who are for and against capital punishment will be given. Next, review the positions of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and interest groups on the issue and how these positions interplay with values of freedom, order, and equality. Then argue as to why capitol punishment should be outlawed.

During my assessment I will be exploring some reasons why I do or do not think Capital Punishment should be re-instated. The definition of Capital Punishment is the death penalty, one can receive this by committing a Capital Offence. A Capital Offence is a horrific crime as implied by ‘Capital’ because a capital could link to the Leader of that country because Capital is usually used to refer to a place of importance. Some examples of Capital Offences are: Killing, Espionage, Treason, Homicide and Gang Members.

B. Supporters of the death penalty argue that the death penalty provides retribution to grieving families and avenges the murder of the victim.

Every year as a result of the United States judicial system, a multitude of American citizens are put to death for murder, rape, and other such heinous crimes. This modus of punishment, otherwise referred to as capital punishment, is one used by the United States, her military, and most of her states. Most of the developed countries in this world have voided this coarse method of punishment, but the United States situation poses many complex issues, which cause this seemingly easily solvable problem to be one of the very issues, which divides this nation. The issue of capital punishment in the U.S. may be discussed through the process by which it is administered, its legality, and the stance taken by the Catholic Church.

In the year 1623, Daniel Frank had the unfortunate opportunity of being the first person in America to be executed. The charge was for theft of a calf, which took place in the developing state of Virginia. Before stealing the baby cow, Frank had two choices: steal or starve. As he walked to the gallows, people cheered for the conquering of a criminal. In the 17th century, ending someone’s life was a fit punishment for crime. Many things in the justice system have changed since the 17th century, so why not the age old penalty of death? Capital punishment in the United States is a highly debated topic. Arguments that want to get rid of this method of punishment usually mention the many problems that capital punishment is plagued with. The death penalty has many issues that cannot be resolved, and since these issues can’t be solved, the death penalty should be abolished. “The irrevocable nature of the death penalty renders it an unsustainable and indefensible remedy in an imperfect justice system” (Evans 3). Even though the death penalty has been around since the 17th century, capital punishment has many issues such as wrongful convictions and high costs, proving it should be eliminated.

To those who oppose the death penalty capital punishment is not only immoral, but also allows for a lot of different issues to arise as well. To many Christians the use of the death penalty should not be practiced in the U.S. because it is ineffective in reducing crime, costs a lot, is risky, and is immoral.

In 2016, there were only 20 people executed in the United States (Death Penalty Info). Every year, many people are sentenced with the death penalty. As a result, the debate between whether or not the death penalty should be abolished has been argued throughout the year. Many advocates argue to keep the death penalty because of new science advances, retribution, cost, and the amount of cruelty. However, getting rid of the death penalty is necessary because there are innocent lives lost, a lack of diversity, and better alternatives.

Capital crime is something that is meant for people that are found guilty of committing a serious crime, such as murder, rape, or theft. These are offences that should not be taken lightly but by killing the offender, the government is carrying about the action that they are trying to prevent. Also, the wrong person may be sentenced to death. After this person is executed, there is obviously nothing that can be done for the terrible mistake to be reversed. The death penalty should be abolished because it is more expensive than life imprisonment, numerous innocent people are condemned to death row, and it is cruel and inhumane.

Capital punishment can simply be defined as a punishment by death. It is when an individual is convicted of a crime and is sanctioned to death.