Cost of the Death Penalty Essay

Georgia case was another reason the supreme court went into moratorium because the death penalty was unconstitutional. Furman murder was accidental but the court reviewed the case and said since it took place during a robbery he was found guilty. Furman said it was a violation of his rights (14 amendment), the supreme court heard of the case and said it was cruel and unusual punishment. To prevent this from happening again the (Gregg v. Georgia and Furman v. Georgia) the supreme court went into moratorium because of the violation of rights for the petitioners and don’t want cruel and usually happening in the United States.

The topic of death penalty is highly controversial and debated on in American society. The death penalty has put many convicted murderers and criminals on the government. Using death sentence as a punishment for extreme crimes portrays America in a negative way. Although the death penalty brings justice to violent criminals, I argue that the death penalty is immoral and financially crippling the United States.

More than two centuries ago, the death penalty was commonplace in the United States, but today it is becoming increasingly rare. In the article “Should the Death Penalty Be Abolished?”, Diann Rust-Tierney argues that it should be abolished, and Joshua Marquis argues that it should not be abolished. Although the death penalty is prone to error and discrimination, the death penalty should not be abolished because several studies show that the death penalty has a clear deterrent effect, and we need capital punishment for those certain cases in which a killer is beyond redemption.

Well, the death penalty started in the 16th century and was used to punish people who committed capital crimes. The first ever recorded usage of the death penalty was imposed upon a very noble man. This noble man was convicted of using magic and during this time if someone used magic they were accused of being a witch. During the 16th century there were no lethal injections or chairs that were used during the death penalty and so instead, axes were used. As time passed, there were many reforms that had taken place to try and change the death penalty to make it more reasonable for society. For example, in 1767 Thomas Jefferson and four other people changed the Virginia Laws so that the death penalty could only be used when someone committed murder or treason. In addition, one book in particular called On Crimes and Punishment was published by an Italian named Caesar. He outlined the overall question of whether or not the death penalty was necessary for the country. The answer to this was no, but if the sentencing would prevent the country from losing its liberty then it was necessary. This book was very influential. In time the death penalty reform process slowed and there were a lot of people who argued against it and for it. Therefore, many notable scholars soon began to recognize the death penalty and discrimination as problems and decided to talk about them and how they connect to each

Comparing these two cases, the legal system did not really work fairly to show justice because if in accordance with the absolute interpretation of the 8th Amendment and the 14th Amendment, Gregg will never be sentence to death; this not only unfair to him but also disrespects for the authority of the legal system. Let us finally look at the case of “Callins v. Collins” in 1994, in this case, even though the convict Callins was put to death by lethal injection, there was a justice stood up to struggle on save Callins’ life, and his name was Harry Andrew Blackmun, who had voted in “Gregg v. Georgia” to restore the death penalty. Blackmun claimed that he had no longer supported the death penalty because he did not believe that the capital sentencing procedures were still working, and restoring the death penalty was a big

Fewer and fewer American judges are turning towards the punishment of death in court cases. Many moral and ethical standards require justices to think extensively about their judgments before acting on them. The thought of sending a person to die is a very gruesome one to face, no matter how strong someone may be. As Michael Endres stated, "The execution of an offender is the most certain way to incapacitate him...the death penalty is not, of course, the only way to achieve this end" (Endres 19). Equally effective methods of punishment are more often used now. Some prisoners actually favor dying rather than being forced into confinement for life.

The death penalty is a corrupt form of legal justice. For example, “…Defendants in about one-third of the Texas cases were represented at trial by an attorney who had been or later was suspended or otherwise sanctioned…”(Leibman). This use of fraudulent attorneys in a case can lead to enough inaccuracies in the evidence to wrongfully execute a person. This action is against the constitutional right given to us of equal justice for all. In addition, “…One of you two is gonna hang for this. Since you're the nigger, you're elected…”(Texas Police Officer). A Texas police officer said this to 2 men, one black and one white that were connected to the murder of a 17-year-old girl. Race plays a big part in the sentence of guilty or innocent. However, supporters of the death penalty claim “…that it enforces the laws by issuing strict punishment to the offenders…”(President George Bush). The death

The death penalty has been around since the time of Jesus Christ. Executions have been recorded from the 1600s to present times. From about 1620, the executions by year increased in the US. It has been a steady increase up until the 1930s; later the death penalty dropped to zero in the 1970s and then again rose steadily. US citizens said that the death penalty was unconstitutional because it was believed that it was "cruel and unusual" punishment (Kurtis 67). In the 1970s, the executions by year dropped between zero and one then started to rise again in the 1980s. In the year 2000, there were nearly one hundred executions in the US (Biskupic 34). On June 29, 1972, the death penalty was suspended because the existing laws were no longer convincing. However, four years after this occurred, several cases came about in Georgia, Florida, and Texas where lawyers wanted the death penalty. This set new laws in these states and later the Supreme Court decided that the death penalty was constitutional under the Eighth Amendment (Biskupic 34).

Historically, the death penalty was created to punish a crime, to prevent it from repeating, and to deter further crimes. The United States’ use of the death penalty can be traced back as early as 1608, when early European settlers executed Captain George Kendall for being a spy from Spain (“Part I: History of the Death Penalty”, n.d.). As time progressed the amount of money to sustain such a punishment slowly became a burden to States. As 32 States currently have the death penalty, taxpayers and politicians are becoming aware of the finical burden to continue with the death penalty. The trial and procedures are very lengthy and can require large amounts of money to convict a prisoner beyond a reasonable doubt. The decision to choose this topic came from my opinion of the death penalty and how it benefits the United States which lead me to do further research. While my group focuses on “Should the death penalty be abolished?” this paper will concentrate on the economic aspects of the death penalty by asking, “Is the death penalty cost effective and efficient way of punishment?”

There are many controversial topics in this country’s politics and criminal justice system. These topics range from mass incarceration to racial profiling to three strikes and to the death penalty. The death penalty for many years has been a topic in which many cannot come to a consensus on, both in the state and the federal level. Although both sides to the death penalty argument have legitimate reasons, it is now seen that the death penalty is becoming less and less famous. It seems as if despite its vengeance for blood thirsty people, the death penalty has no positive effect. Death penalty should be abolished because it puts innocent lives in danger, it is expensive, and life without parole is better.

The debate on whether or not the death penalty should be abolished has been ongoing for quite a long period of time. While there are those who believe that the death penalty does not serve its intended purpose, proponents of the same are convinced that the relevance of the same cannot be overstated and hence it should not be abolished. In this text, I examine the arguments for and against the death penalty.

This topic is very emotional and disputed. The death penalty is considered capital punishment and is flawed throughout the judicial system. It is when the government performs an authorized practice where a person is put to death by the state as a criminal punishment. According to Acker, “In the mid- to late 18th century, just prior to the birth of prisons, many Americans began to question whether the death penalty should still be imposed for property crimes such as theft, counterfeiting, and burglary. Such reservations took concrete expression in the form of jury nullification, that is, jurors’ refusal to return guilty verdicts in cases that would expose defendants to capital punishment” (170). Later, affiliated members of the U.S. Marshalls Service administered all federal executions. “During this time, the legality of the death penalty, and the frequency of death penalty sentences and executions have varied considerably across U.S. states and, to a lesser degree, for individual states over time. A small number of states contribute disproportionately to both the total number of executions as well as the number of inmates held under a death sentence” (Chalfin

The majority of states in America resorts to the death penalty; nonetheless there is a trend toward abolishing capital punishment. As of two thousand seventeen there are nineteen states that have abolished the death penalty as a form of punishment for various reasons. Over the years the death penalty has cost the US millions. This punishment violates our Human Rights and evidently does not deter crime as some people may believe. The death penalty is permanent and does not allow a possibility of rehabilitation; taking someone’s life away cannot be justified. The system is flawed for many reasons, some of which are incompetent lawyers, disparities amongst minorities, and wrongful convictions. The death penalty is awfully ineffective on the grounds of being ethical, cost effective, or a deterrent to crime.

The death penalty Is by far the most severe punishment that can be placed on criminal offenders. Over the years, the death penalty has taken some major advancements that reflects the type of crime that it is being used for. Many would think that the fear of being put to death by lethal injection would convince those committing these crimes to be fearful, but that has not been the case. Many believe that the manner in which the death penalty is carried out is a breach of the Constitution of the United States. This paper will examine and explain the history of the death penalty, the data that is both for and against the utilization of the death penalty as it deterrent to crime.

There are many controversial topics in this country’s politics and criminal justice system. These topics range from mass incarceration to racial profiling to three strikes and to the death penalty. The death penalty for many years has been a topic in which many cannot come to a consensus on, both in the state and the federal level. Although both sides to the death penalty argument have legitimate reasons, it is now seen that the death penalty is becoming less and less famous. It seems as if despite its vengeance for blood thirsty people, the death penalty has no positive effect. Death penalty should be abolished because it puts innocent lives in danger, it is expensive, and life without parole is better.