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.

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.

The death penalty was introduced to The United States by Britain. There have been over 14,000 executions in The United States since 1608. In 2011, 36 states held 3,158 inmates under the death sentence. Hanging, firing squad, the gas chamber, the electric chair, and lethal injections are all methods that are and were used in the history of The United States. Many individuals do not realize what the prisoners go through before getting executed. They also do not know what happens during the execution. The means of execution can be carried out through what types of executions are there, the development of lethal injection, botched execution through the eighth amendment, and the conflict of a trained medical

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.

Many call the death penalty inhumane, and a large number of countries no longer execute criminals. However, the U.S. has kept capital punishment because it deters criminals from committing murders that place them in the position of the death penalty. However, the death penalty is wrong. No one deserves to have their life taken away by another human, even if they are guilty of murder.

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.

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.

Capital punishment, which is also called the death penalty, is the execution of an offender who is sentenced to death after being convicted of a criminal offense. We mostly hear about capital punishment for someone who is convicted of a murder or of multiple murders.

Also, being wrongly convicted is rather uncommon but usually not detected for many years after the execution if carried out. Even if this is the case, nothing can be done as death is an irreversible penalty (Motherjones).

     Some of the present procedures of execution are the lethal injection, hanging, firing squad, electrocution, and gas chambers. Thirty eight states are still participating in the usage of the death sentence. The most common death sentence technique is the lethal

Death penalty is not what people think. It rarely happens in fact only 1359 executions have been carried out since 1977. There are five main types of executions that have been used since then. These are: lethal injection, electrocutions, lethal gases, hangings, and firing squads. Most support lethal injection as their main execution method. With 1184 it is the main death sentence method. The next largest is electrocutions with 158 deaths.

Capital punishment, where it’s practiced in fifty-eight countries, is currently being utilized to get rid of convicted felons. Certain issues brought into politics have been judged based on religion which bumps heads with the non-religious. In the United States church and state are separate based on the First Amendment. Religion, in some issues that politicians have to face to make a decision, is often put into perspective; in order to prevent future complications. Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is a political issue where religion plays a significant role when it comes to those who oppose capital punishment. According to Peggy Parks, capital punishment, which has been around for thousands of years, is in favor of “64 percent of citizens since 2011 (1)”. According to The Principles of Government, many executions in the 1700s were performed because of forgery, robbery, or illegally cutting down trees (92). Fortunately, these United States only execute those who commit murder. Nevertheless, people argue that it is immoral for the United States to perform such heinous acts.

This paper uses the many accounts found from various sources to enlighten the reader on the destructive and unhelpful nature of the death penalty also referred to as capital punishment. The death penalty is both useless and harmful to not only criminals but also their potential victims. This paper uses these horrific facts to try and convince the reader that the death penalty should be done away with before it is too late, although that time may have already come. With supporting evidence to support my cause, I hope that the following information sways at least one reader to see the harm of keeping the death penalty an active punishment. The time has come to come out of the dark ages and develop a new and more effective punishment for those criminals who would commit such heinous crimes as mass murder and other outlandish things.

Capital punishment is an occurrence that often provokes public outcry and public opinions in regards to moral and ethical issues. Each country has their own set of regulations in the way they carry out the death penalty to offenders who receive the death sentence for offences eligible for capital punishment (Eversley & Copeland, 2011). Throughout the history of execution, however, there have been changes in the way death sentences are distributed and carried out. Human rights activists have come forward to argue that despite the crimes committed, all people need to enjoy their fundamental right of life and no one has the power to take it away from them (Banner & Banner, 2009).

The issue of the death penalty has been of great concern and debate for a number of years now. Prior to 1976, the death penalty was banned in the United States. In 1976, though, the ban was lifted, and many states adopted the death penalty in their constitutions. Currently, there are 38 states that use the death penalty, and only 12 states that do not. The states that have the death penalty use a number of ways to go about executing the defendant. Thirty-two states use lethal injection, 10 use electrocution, 6 use the gas chamber, 2 use hanging, and 2 states use a firing squad (Death Penalty Information Center, 1997). The 12 states that do not have the death penalty are Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,