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 moral and ethical debate on the sentencing and enforcement of capital punishment has long baffled the citizens and governing powers of the United States. Throughout time, the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, and the vast majority beliefs of Americans, have been in a constant state of perplexity. Before the 1960s, the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution were interpreted as permitting the death penalty. However, in the early 1960s, it was suggested that the death penalty was a "cruel and unusual" punishment and therefore unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment. Many argue that capital punishment is an absolute necessity, in order to deter crime, and to ‘make things right’ following a heinous crime of murder. Despite the belief that capital punishment may seem to be the only tangible, permanent solution to ending future capital offenses, the United States should remove this cruel and unnecessary form of punishment from our current judicial systems.

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 has been a controversial topic among society for ages. An issue often brought up when discussing the legality of capital punishment is wrongful convictions. Advocates of the death penalty say that, while wrongful convictions are an issue, those few cases do not outweigh the need for lawful execution of felons who are, without a doubt, guilty. On the other hand, the opponents argue that the death penalty is wrong from both a legal and moral standpoint, an ineffective form of punishment, and should, ultimately, be outlawed. With both advocates and challengers constantly debating on this topic, the death penalty and wrongful convictions continue to be hot buttons issues for Americans and people throughout the world.

Of the nearly nine million people incarcerated worldwide, the United States houses over two million inmates in its federal, state, and local facilities. While the goal of the judicial system is to enforce the law and protect the people, it comes at a price to taxpaying citizens at approximately thirty-nine billion dollars annually. The purpose of this research is to clearly define the required expenditures of the prison system, identify anomalies in court sentencing at the federal, state and local levels, and pinpoint cost-savings to reduce the financial burden to tax-paying citizens.

The death penalty is a controversial topic in the United States today and has been for a number of years. The death penalty is currently legal in 38 states and two federal jurisdictions (Winters 97). The death penalty statutes were overturned and then reinstated in the United States during the 1970's due to questions concerning its fairness (Flanders 50). The death penalty began to be reinstated slowly, but the rate of executions has increased during the 1990's (Winters103-107). There are a number of arguments in favor of the death penalty. Many death penalty proponents feel that the death penalty reduces crime because it deters people from committing murder if they know that they will receive the death penalty if they are caught. Others

Examining the population after breaking the data in to categories, it reveals that millions of people are in jails or prisons that do not need to be incarcerated whatsoever. Right now, over 11 million people sit in jail because they do not have access to bail or good legal counsel (Wagner W. P. 4). In reality, county jails across the nation are filled with people who have not received a conviction by trial, but remain in custody for long periods of time, up to years at a time. Meanwhile, over 1.6 million people are arrested each year for non-violence related crimes, lessening the punishment for these types of crimes would reduce the population dramatically. Another 200,000 for misdemeanor crimes where instead of fines or treatment, people are held for up to one year in most states.

According to thirty law enforcement officials, “By pursuing life without parole instead of death sentences, resources now spent on the death penalty prosecutions and appeals could be used to investigate unsolved homicides, modernize crime labs, and expand effective violence prevention programs.” If states replaced the death sentence with life without parole, taxpayers can save money, while also ensuring the public’s

Multiple prisoners in the United States still receive death as a punishment for heinous crimes. More than 1,420 inmates have been sentenced to death since 1976 ("Capital Punishment: Should" 1). Because so many lives have been lost, some question weather death is a suitable punishment. In addition, there are a number of states of which have enacted the death penalty. According to the DPIC as of 2015, 31 states have enacted the penalty but several are debating abolishing it. The many issues of the punishment have provoked controversy within states. Lastly, the method of execution for the prisoners is also frequently debated. Although it has been rendered unaccountable, more than 85% of executions since 1976 have been by the method of lethal injection ("Capital Punishment: Should" 1). The inaccuracy of the method raises many suspicions of unreliability and violation of the 8th amendment. Overall, the debate over capital punishment is likely to continue in the near

crimes are so heinous and inherently wrong that they demand strict penalties, up to and including

“The message has to be sent that if you commit a crime there has to be punishment” said Beningno Aquino III. A lot of people in the United States including other countries commit crimes, but never see what is ahead. When they see suffering confronting them, their hearts are filled of sorrow but the damages are already done. Compare to the U.S and other countries the punishments are not the same. Some governments treat their criminals harsher than other. When a crime is committed the criminal should be punish at the same rate.

Many are not planned thought out crimes, therefore detterence through the death penalty has minimal

The death penalty is unfair for several reasons, one of them being that legal assistance for inmates on death row has become increasingly difficult to find. Prisoners on death row filing for appeal have little or no chance for receiving a fair second chance. "Most of the legal work is done for free, and even lawyers dedicated to making sure these prisoners receive all their legal rights cannot be expected to spend all of their time

The economic status of a criminal can influence their prison sentence to a large extent. Wealthy criminals can afford private lawyers to defend them and limit their sentence. On the other hand, those whose pockets aren’t as heavy will have to settle for a public defender appointed by the court to look into their case. Rest assured, with lawyers of high caliber fighting their case, wealthy prisoners stand a chance to win their case.

As of 2017, there are 31 states in the United States that allow the death penalty to be issued as a suitable form of punishment. Capital punishment has often been seen as a form of vengeance and restitution against society’s worst criminals. The death penalty is discussed over its appropriateness for any crime and the long-term benefits of allowing states to use it as a form of punishment. I believe the death penalty is the wrong way to give justice. However, my roommate, Rachel Krause, has a firm view of the death penalty and its usefulness for the state. She believes the death penalty is an effective way to ensure justice is truly obtained and can substitute as a more economical option.