Thesis
It is more reasonable to utilize the death penalty than to abolish it. The death penalty should not be abolished because (1) it deters people from committing murder and (2) because the death penalty gives peace of mind to the victims and their families and puts an end to the crime.
Arguments for the thesis
(1) The death penalty should not be abolished because the fear of the highest form of punishment will keep potential victims alive.
(2) The death penalty should not be abolished because the families of the victims can only begin the healing process once the murderer is put to death.
Response to objections to the thesis
(1) Objection: The death penalty should be abolished because even the
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(1) Most murders happen in the passion of the moment, however, serial killers, burglars, gang members, and others who plan their crime in advance can and do think of the possibilities. Many criminals don’t carry weapons while committing crimes, for example, to keep from killing, as Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania recalls:
My twelve years’ experience in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office convinced me that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime. I saw many cases where professional burglars and robbers refused to carry weapons, for fear that a killing would occur and they would be charged with murder in the first degree, carrying the death penalty.(2)
Because the death penalty is final and more feared than imprisonment, it deters some prospective murderers not deterred by the thought of imprisonment.
Abolitionist’s main argument is that capitol punishment can’t remove the evil from society. No matter what the juridical laws that a country holds, heinous crimes will haunt and spread fear throughout as long as mankind is on this earth. There have been numerous studies that have concluded that the death penalty is not a deterrent. One of which is from the National Academy of Sciences. They concluded: “it seems unthinkable to us to base decisions on
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.
Against the Death Penalty: An Annotated Bibliography While the Death Penalty has been historically used as a deterrent of crime, it is barbarity, is economically costly, and racially bias in the United States of America. With this research paper, I will explain how the death penalty should be abolish from our judicial system. Death Penalty Information Center. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org./ This is a website that gives lots of information about the death penalty from the history, current inmates and trials that could lead to death row.
There are many problems facing our criminal justice system today. Some of the more important ones are overcrowded jails, the increasing murder rate, and keeping tax payers content. In light of these problems, I think the death penalty is our best and most reasonable solution because it is a highly effective deterrent to murder. And, tax payers would be pleased to know that their hard-earned tax dollars are not being wasted on supporting incorrigible criminals who are menaces to society. In addition, they would not be forced to fund the development of new penitentiaries in order to make room for the growing number of inmates in our already overcrowded jails. Moreover, the death penalty would
The death penalty doesn’t discourage persons from committing murders. Some may respond that the deterrent value of capital punishment is unproved. But if we
Convicted criminals should be limited in their appeals and there should be no stays of execution to draw out their incarceration. Executions should be carried out forthrightly, without delay and with sufficient publicity to get the message across to other criminals. To see a reduction in crime based on the death penalty, society must realize that criminals will, no matter what, be put to death if particular crimes are committed. They need to realize and that there is no hope of absolution. The same that is true for capital punishment, is true in general. Though retributive and utilitarian principles of justice are independent from one other; and though they can sometimes lead us to same conclusion on what is right and wrong. Both principles are needed because there is no assurance that the decision is the right one, without a system of checks and
Many people have a fear of death, many a fear of confinement. It is impossible to predict which sentence would deter the most potential murderers. With this in mind, it makes more sense to have a variety of sentences that would deter the greatest amount of people. Abolishing the death penalty may result in those who are not deterred by the life sentence continuing to commit heinous crimes. As van den Haag states, “Sparing the lives of even a few prospective victims by deterring their murderers is more important than preserving the lives of convicted murderers because of the possibility, or even the probability, that executing them would not deter others” (194).
If criminals had the horrifying threat of the death penalty, they would think before commiting crimes. “The death penalty is a necessary tool to fight and deter crime. Capital punishment deters crime by causing
The death penalty does not deter criminals from committing crime. Most criminals who commit crimes do not have intentions of being caught and believe that they are invincible from the repercussions of their actions. Because of this, the death penalty really does not deter criminals from committing a crime. In fact, the death penalty could be considered an “easy way out” because the criminal does not have to spend several months, years, or even the rest of his or her life behind bars with little contact with the outside world. The criminal can just die and no longer have to suffer with knowing what he or she did, how it has affected others, and how it will continue to affect his or her life. Also, many criminals end up committing suicide in prison because they do not want to have to spend every day locked in a jail cell for extended periods of time.
One argument from death penalty supporters is that the death penalty acts as a deterrent to prevent other people from committing murders. It is the belief that people will think out the consequences of their actions before murdering, and consider the
Ever since it was abolished in Britain in 1965, there have been calls to reinstate capital punishment. Controversial at the time and even more controversial now, the death penalty has always divided the people and parliament. The view points In the UK differ from person to person. Some call for the death penalty to be re-established due to the so-called law of retaliation: ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’. However on the contrary others believe that all life is precious and that the death penalty should be eradicated. I believe that it should stay abolished as whatever the crime a human person has the human right to live and that life is sacred.
Thesis: The death penalty uses cruel and unusual brutal methods which violate the Constitution of the United States of America and; therefore, it should be abolished as society continues to embrace the relative value of life.
The idea of capital punishment deterring crime is difficult to determine; some could rationalize that the death penalty should in theory stop potential murders from committing crimes. However, this rationalization has never been concretely proven. The research into capital punishment’s effect on deterrence is immense; however, the majority of research on this issue has differential findings. Although some research suggests conclusively that capital punishment deters crime, others found that it fails to do this. Understanding deterrence, the death penalty, and the results of
The primary function of the death penalty is to act as deterrence, yet evidence has indicted that this cruel punishment has failed to deter crime.
Society takes many risks in which innocent lives can be lost. The death penalty forces an irrevocable sentence. Once a prisoner is executed,
Even though supporters argue that death penalty is a relief to the family of a person who was murdered by the convicted criminal; it is not true, their pain cannot be healed through the retribution or vengeance by death penalty. Therefore, killing a criminal cannot overcome a crime nor bring back the life of the person who was killed by the person convicted of murder.