Capital Punishment : 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.

Capital punishment, also frequently referred to as the death penalty, is a government certified practice where a person is put to death by the state as a form of punishment for a crime they have committed (Henderson, 25). Crimes that are found punishable by death are referred to as capital crimes or capital offences, and commonly include offences such as murder, treason, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide (Henderson, 48-9). The term capital is derived from the Latin term capitalis meaning "of the head" which alludes to executions that were carried out by beheading (Kronenwetter, 202). This paper will discuss the complexities of capital punishment’s history and methods as well as its economic, political, and

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.

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.

As we near the culmination of the twentieth century, capital punishment is in decline. Once a near universal practice, the death penalty has been abolished in 101 countries, as of July 2015(Amnesty International, 2015) and executions have become less common amongst industrialised democracies. Some nations keep capital statutes for instances of exceptional crimes such as treason, but parts of the former Soviet Union, Japan and the United States of America (USA) still administer death sentences for ‘ordinary’ crimes of violence.

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.

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the execution of a capital offender carried out by the state. As of 2018, 31 out of the 50 United States practice capital punishment. Although some may say capital punishment brings justice to the maleficent people of this world, it should be abolished throughout the United States because of its racial bias, its high costs to society, and its infringement upon basic human rights.

According to a study, “Opponents of the death penalty believe that no one deserves to be executed. Again, it's an honorable position, but a difficult one to defend politically in a country where the death penalty is popular”. Though used in history before, it was not until now that the death penalty was seen as controversial and in today’s society; has created so many different disputes. So much controversy over this topic has been created even though only one third of the many countries in the world has legally allowed the death penalty. Some example of countries and states that legally have the death penalty would include, the United States, Iran, Kentucky, California, Missouri, and Japan. However, many countries stand by the idea that the death penalty is a type of cruel and unusual punishment. Some of these countries argue that the death penalty is an act against God, in a religious view on the subject. Other simply do not have the funds and cannot keep up with the amount of money that capital punishment requires. Over the years so many countries have abolished the death penalty and through that other countries are either in motion of removing the death penalty from their laws or have not sentenced an inmate to their death in many years. The movement to get rid of the death penalty is slowly making its way around the

The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, is an authorized government practice in which a convicted criminal is put to death intentionally for a crime that a court of law found the perpetrator was guilty of committing. There are numerous debates regarding if the death penalty is a just practice. In the United States, the individual states have the power to decide on the use of the death penalty within their own state judicial court systems. In order to provide justice to the victim’s families and serve as a deterrence to violent crime, even though many believe it is neither civilized or ethical, the death penalty should be mandatory for people who commit first degree murder.

Governor Jay Inslee once said, “One person gets life, the other person gets death -- it depends on which side of the county line you are.”(Anderson A.6) It is often assumed that the death penalty is a federal law, but each state actually has control over it’s death sentence. The death penalty dates back into even the old testament times, when prisoners would get hanging as their punishment. During the old testament times the death penalty was issued for insulting your parents, being a stubborn child, and even eating leavened bread during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Bushman). Now, the death penalty is issued for much more serious acts, such as murder. Murders result from a fit of rage, an intense argument, or people who are just careless

Capital punishment or the death penalty is punishment by death of a person who has been legally tried in a court of law for a capital crime. The morality and constitutionality of the death penalty has recently come up for debate again after the European pharmaceutical companies, who produce Pentobarbital, one of the drugs most commonly used to execute the death penalty sentence via lethal injection, stopped exporting and allowing the sale of the drugs to the United States. (Steiden, 2014) (Levitt & Feyerick, 2013) Since then multiple lawsuits have been filed by incarcerated individuals and opponents of the death penalty after several states began looking into new drug combinations or having variations of the banned drugs created by compounding pharmacies locally. (Levitt & Feyerick, 2013) Two such lawsuits were filed by Clayton Lockett and Charles Warner, who were both found guilty of capital crimes and sentenced to death in Oklahoma. Both Lockett and Warner argued for a stay on their execution dates until the controversies over the new drug protocols adopted by the state of Oklahoma were cleared up. (Eckholm, 2014) Other lawsuits filed have argued that using untested drug protocols in lethal injections should be considered “cruel and unusual punishment.” (Levitt & Feyerick, 2013) The debate really heated up after Clayton Lockett’s appeal for a stay was denied and he appeared to have suffered for an extended amount of time during his execution. (Steiden, 2014)

Capital punishment has been an issue that has been debated for quite some time. The expression of, “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” has become the basis for political debate over the past several decades. In the United States alone, capital punishment is currently administered within thirty two of the fifty states within the country. The Federal criminal justice system practices and carries out executions of inmates as well. Traditionally, this category of punishment is carried out to act as a deterrent, and give families and/or citizens a feeling of retribution and incapacitation. The ideology behind the practice of capital punishment is to establish that if a life is taken in malice, then so shall the malicious perish for their deed. Additionally, it is only the federal and state governments whom this authority is permitted to. According to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), the first constitute law for the death penalty was established in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon dating back to 18 B.C. The first recorded execution in America took place in Jamestown, Virginia in 1612. Since 1976, there have been 1,411 individuals who have been put to death under the various federal and state legislations within the United States of America (DPIC, 2015). The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution shapes procedural aspects that govern how a jury may implement the death penalty. This Amendment lays out the guidelines for how the death

Capital Punishment also known as Death Penalty, is used as a means of executing someone that has committed a certain crime. These crimes include murder, rape, treason and terrorist attacks. This is the last resort prosecutors look at depending on the crime. There are currently 31 US states where capital punishment is currently allowed by the federal government and the U.S. military. The United States only had 28 executions in 2015. That is the lowest number since 1991. (CNN library). Lethal injection is the primary method in executions. Texas became the first state in 1982 to achieve this method. Right now, it is difficult for states to acquire this lethal drug due to manufactures refusing to sell for the only

Capital punishment (death penalty) is one of the most critical issue that has strong defenders and opponents and it have caused more heated arguments and discussions as consistent and strong as that of the argument . This kind of punishment is the most severe form in the U.S. todays and it has different type which lethal injection is the most common (“Ethics and Law”). Also, many religious arguments have conflict in both side of death penalty in justice and the sanctity of human life (Fagon) . All of these different views and debates on the death penalty caused this issue has become a complex and critical issue in the United States in recent years. also, this issue has been involved with concerns, such as the position of physicians in assisting in executions, and the likelihood of reform, equality of the criminal justice system, and improvement and rehabilitation amid individuals currently serving on death row. Make a decision on capital punishment is so complex and difficult for the federal government. Each side of defenders and opponents have their strong reasons. On the on e hand, offenders believe fear of death prevent people from committing crim. Also, they mention on the Violence Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 which stablished constitutional procedure for the imposition

Capital punishment has been a piece of human culture for an extended period of time. It is viewed as an important deterrent to perilous crimes and the simplest way to liberate the public from lawbreakers who are dangerous. Many people are confused whether or not capital punishment – the death penalty – should still be appropriate to be used today. Should Christians support capital punishment – the death penalty?