Death Penalty Persuasive Essay

The death penalty disproportionately targets minorities especially African Americans. In the United States of America there is an unequal and unfair burden against African Americans in the criminal justice system. In 2011, African Americans were only 13.6% of the American population (Rastogi, Johnson, Hoeffel, & Drewery, 2011). However, African Americans in 2011 made up 42% of the total death row population (Snell, 2011). Although a minority of the total population in the United States, African Americans make the majority of inmates on death row facing execution. Furthermore, the death penalty in many states is used as tool that following the racial legacy of Jim Crow laws. Sentences resulting in death are higher in states with a history of lynching (Schweizer 92). States with a history of lynching are predominately found in the Southern United states. The Southern United states has the highest population of death row inmates. In 2009 alone there were 1,630 inmates currently on death row in the South compared to 226 in the North and only 988 in the West (Schweizer 92). In addition, the race of the victim often will determine the sentence. Results from the Baldus Study suggested evidence of racial disparity in the state of Georgia based on the victims race (Schweizer 92). The Baldus study argued African American defendants who committed murdered white individuals had much higher probability of receiving the death penalty. Prosecutors in Georgia pursued a verdict of death in 80% of their cases if the defendant was African American and the victim was white (Schweizer 92). This is purely racial discrimination and prejudice. Finally, “Since 1977, the overwhelming majority (77%) off death row defendants have been executed for killing white victims, even though African Americans make up about half of all homicide victims (Amnesty International).”The race of the both the victim and perpetrator in criminal is irrelevant.

Lethal injections have been around for many years with the same basic idea and procedure. Lethal injection uses three drugs, a fast acting barbiturate that sedates the inmate and the drug Tubocurarine that paralyzes the inmate, and finally potassium chloride is used to stop his heart. These methods have been a controversial issue for many reasons. People that supports lethal injection believes that it is more humane method of execution than any other because it cause little or no pain. It also argued that it is less expensive than detaining or placing someone in jail for life. As far as lethal injection been unconstitutional because the procedure causes unusual pain and suffering, some people believe that someone who has kill countless people deserve to physical

“And despite scientific efforts to implement capital punishment in a "humane" fashion, time and again executions have resulted in degrading spectacles, including the botched lethal injection in April 2014 that took more than 40 minutes to kill Oklahoma inmate Clayton Derrell Lockett and prompted Glossip v. Gross” (Heyns and Mendez). Capital punishment is an inhumane and outdated way for punishing criminals. The use of capital punishment is hundreds of years old in America. It is used as a punishment for criminals who have committed a violent crime in which they physically harm others. The point of the death penalty is to show that these kinds of crimes are not tolerated, and to deter criminals from committing these kinds of crimes. Unfortunately

Capital punishment has been a thing for many decades of course it comes with its controversies as with most things. A lot of these controversies surround the continued use of it including lethal injection and the possible suffering the inmate might deal with. One case in particular is the Supreme Court ruling against several Oklahoma death row inmates who were looking to bar the drug due to the immense pain.

In society today, capital punishment is not usually seen as favorable. The supposedly painless lethal injection, given to death row inmates in states that still allow capital punishment, can be seen as a more

This is one big controversial issue that we all hear about. It is all over the news, in newspapers and it is a really big concern. That issue wonders whether lethal injection is too kind or too brutal. Well that was a good question, so while conducting a lot of research. I discovered that that topic can be taken both ways.

There are many methods for executing an inmate on death row and lethal injection is one of them. This method is stated to be a painless injection of different chemicals that eventually stop the heart. unfortunately that has not been the case. Over the years there has been numerous cases were cruel and unusual punishment has been witnessed. Countless of times there have been inmates that have gasped for air, been several punctured wounds with needles trying to find a vein, also clenched their fist in pain. Many people may not see this as a problem but no human being, even criminals, should be like this. Lethal injections shouldn't be conducted if they are not going to be done the proper way. Because of some cases, they changed the way they proceed with lethal injection but to this day inmates are still having complications. With all the complications that have occurred with Lethal Injection, they should banned them from be practiced.

“Between 1930 and 2010, 5,093 people were executed in the United States. As of 2010, 35 states and the federal government authorize capital punishment” (Source #2). The death penalty has been brought to court many times. Today most states believe that lethal injection is the most humane method of execution, but some states still have the firing squad, hanging, gas chambers, and electrocution. “All jurisdictions provide for execution by lethal injections. 16 jurisdictions provide for alternative methods of execution, contingent upon the choice of the inmate, the date of the execution or sentence, or the possibility of the method being held unconstitutional”(Source

In 1790, Thomas Bird became the first person to be executed under the United States Constitution. Convicted of murder and piracy, Bird was publically hanged, all for the slim cost of five dollars and fifty cents—for the construction of a gallows and a coffin. Since then, the U.S. state and federal governments have executed thousands of people by various methods. First introduced in 1608, numerous of methods have been practiced in the history of the American colonies and the United States, but only five methods are currently offered. These methods include hanging, firing squad, electric chair, lethal gas, and lethal injection. However, preceding the introduction of lethal injection as the most effective and humane method of capital punishment, many states have abandoned the previous procedures in the hope of making capital punishment more palatable to the public and to a judicial system worried about inflicting cruel and unusual punishments that violate the constitution. For several years lethal injection grew in popularity and by 2009, all death-penalty states had made lethal injection the sole or primary method of execution for death row inmates, despite all of the evident problems that have occurred since the 1950’s. In addition to the problems in the past, 2011 introduced the United States with even more severe difficulties, causing the death penalty to transform once again due to a nationwide drug shortage of the paralyzing agent used in lethal injection, sodium

Lethal injection is the practice of killing a person using drugs that are transferred intravenously. Lethal injection is a form of the death penalty that has been used in the United States since 1982. There are two processes of lethal injection that are typically used; one being a three drug concoction the other it being one just mix of drugs in one. Currently scientists are researching new ways to execute an individual that won’t take as long and that will ensure that the execution will go as planned they are currently taking precautionary measures to guarantee that there are fewer unsuccessful executions.

Time has changed and so has the way of executing prisoners. Lethal injection is one of the new ways a prisoner gets killed. The document PLoS Medicine Editors informs about how the lethal injection works and how it affects the prisoner. The lethal injection became the main method of execution, replacing the executions by hanging firing squad, gas chambers and electrocution ( ). The execution methods that were replaced seemed like they were worse than the lethal injection. I think the old methods were less painful and the prisoners died faster. The anesthesia failed, the chemical burns are being felt, and the prisoner suffers for about 30 minutes or longer until they are dead ( ). In other words the prisoner is being tortured by the lethal

First proposed by a Scottish pharmacologist by the name of Sir Robert Christison in 1846, lethal injection was later implemented for the first time in 1977 by American medical examiner Jay Chapman as a way to supplement previous forms of capital punishment seen as painful. This relatively new form of execution has been the primary form of capital punishment in five countries, including the United States, for about the past thirty years, but has come under much criticism in recent years for its presumed inhumane proceedings. Near fifteen hundred lethal injections have been performed in the United States alone since the procedure’s introduction and some question the court system’s authority to subject individuals to what they claim is cruel and unusual punishment (Clark, 1995). Furthermore, despite the current legality of lethal injection instated by the Supreme Court, serious debates and protests over the controversial issue still take place. Is lethal injection more humane than hanging or firing squad, or is it pain so unimaginable no one alive has truly felt it?

The way we carry out these executions is by lethal injection, which is much more humane than any ways we have carried it out in historical times (McCuen 27). A prison official had claimed, “The guy will just go to sleep forever. It will be easy-real easy” (49). He says said this when referring to a man who was on death row. By using lethal injection, the United States is ridding itself of criminals, and is carrying it out in the most humane way possible (Kurtz). Professor John McAdams of Marquette University said, “If we execute murderers and there is in fact no deterrent effect, we have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murderers, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call” (Marzilli 21).

According to Deathpenaltyinfo.org, as of July 1st, 2017 there were approximately 2,817 prisoners on death row. CNN.com says that, as of now, the death penalty is only legal in 31 out of the 50 states. Did you know that the average death row inmate will spend roughly 15 years in prison before they meet their final day; nearly a quarter of death row inmates die of natural causes while waiting for execution, and exhausting all of their appeals? How about that in Virginia death row inmates are now able to play games, watch TV, send emails, and have physical contact with visitors along with much more? Death row is for criminals that have committed heinous crimes and have been convicted by 12 unanimous jurors to death. So, why give them that many privileges?

The death penalty is a prosecute that is used to kill criminals that have committed crimes that are so bad they should not be left alive. The idea of putting another human to death is hard to completely fathom. The physical mechanics involved in the act of execution are easy to grasp, but the emotions involved in carrying out a death sentence on another person, regardless of how much they deserve it, is beyond my understanding. Knowing that it must be painful, dehumanizing, and sickening. The Eight Amendment says” Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted” (Constitutions). And for the article Changing Views on\\e rate has gone down at a steady from the 1990 to now and that they death penalty is sometimes necessary, and it is our responsibility as a society to see that it is done.