Death Penalty: Rehabilitation And Punishment

Capital punishment is one of the most controversial topics in today’s world. Many people believe that it is morally wrong to have capital punishment as a sentence to a crime. People also do believe that it is morally permissible for a severe crime. Capital punishment is also known as the death penalty. It can be given as a sentence when somebody is convicted of an extremely violent crime. The biggest issue that can be seen with this is that somebody could be innocent and sentenced with the death penalty because of the nature of the crime that they have been accused of even if they didn’t commit it. I believe that there is a moral line between using the death penalty and using other forms of punishment.

Resolution—Execution should not be allowed in the United States, especially given the risk of executing innocent people.

Death penalty means sentencing the convicted to execution as carried out by the state and the judicial system. Set it in stone that the definition of death penalty is much more deeper than this. The argument of the death penalty is something that might not see an end anytime soon. It is deemed controversial because at stake is the life of an individual,his values, his morals, and dignity. Whether he still obtains morals and dignity is in the eye of the beholder but nonetheless should be taken into account. Ideals of utilitarian as well as retributivism are taken into account when discussing the death penalty and whether it is morally just, or immoral as well as ethical. Retribution along with the key words previously stated are just as

Death penalty is a just punishment for crimes committed against the rights of life, freedom and safety of victims. Some people are of the opinion that death should be only being justified with death; this gives the idea that the perpetrator of a crime should be

Mahatma Gandhi echoed the phrase, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” Capital punishment has been a process of punishment since time before Christ. Capital punishment or the death penalty, is the process of punishing, an individual, by execution for committing a crime. One moral theory to justify this process of punishment is cited in Mark Timmons’s book Disputed Moral Issues: A Reader. The consequentialist theory states, “A specific punishment for a certain crime is morally justified if and only if it would likely produce at least as much overall intrinsic value as would any other alternative punishment.” (Timmons, 535) However, this theory has multiple issues in justifying the death penalty, which would be consider a negative consequence. These issues are execution of innocent people, financial cost of executions, and the belief that executions are a deterrence.

The death penalty is one of the most controversial forms of punishment in the United States criminal justice system. For many, the death penalty seems like a way to gain retribution, and to help make this country a better place, however there are many reasons why the death penalty is also not a good thing. My main points that I’m going to talk about for my paper is why I don’t believe in the death penalty. Throughout the paper the reader will be able to understand exactly what the death penalty is, the pros and cons of the death penalty, and eventually be able to depict for themselves whether the death penalty is “good” or not.

An examination of death penalty sentencing procedures within the American criminal justice system suggests that the legal and moral authority to execute condemned criminals granted to a government has been tested time and time again, only to be reaffirmed by the Supreme Court. While the 1960's saw a series of failed attempts to ban the practice, launched by death penalty abolitionist groups firm in their belief that murder can never be justified, it was not until 1972 that a majority of Supreme Court justices ruled to prohibit state-mandated executions. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing a forum for informed discussion regarding capital punishment, "the issue of arbitrariness of the death penalty was brought before the Supreme Court in 1972 in Furman v. Georgia, Jackson v. Georgia, and Branch v. Texas (known collectively as the landmark case Furman v. Georgia (408 U.S. 238))" (DPIC, 2013). While the court previously ruled in Crampton v. Ohio and McGautha v. California that the application of capital punishment did not result in arbitrary and capricious sentencing, the 1972 Furman case challenged the Eight Amendment, whereas the McGautha case cited the Fourteenth Amendment's due process provision.

“Lets do it!” these were the famous last words of convicted murderer Gary Gilmore. It was the winter of 1976 and the whole country was abuzz about Gilmore. He had shot and killed two people in just a span of two days in Utah. Not only did the jury convict him of two counts of murder but they unanimously proposed the death penalty for Gilmore who was even requesting his own death. At the time the U.S has just reinstated the death penalty and Gilmore was to be the first executed after the law was reinstated. Gilmore had two options for his execution because Utah had the firing squad or hanging as the two ways of execution. Gilmore chose to be shot and once strapped to the chair behind the Utah prison he said those famous last words before being shot to death for his crimes. The famous last words were said to have been the influence on the Nike footwear tagline “Just do it” by the popular advertising executive Dan Wieden.

The basic tenets of the Criminal Justice system, namely the Correctional System, is to take people convicted of a crime and turn them into productive citizens. Their time in prison is intended to be a personal time of reflection, a period where a person can think about their crimes, recognize they have committed a wrong, and develop a plan to either right that wrong or identify how they can refrain from recidivating. This concept is dubbed rehabilitative justice. The death penalty is not rehabilitative justice.

Imagine a world of prisons so overcrowded that police have no choice to let the criminals run rampant. This may very well be our future if we continue the jail system we have today. Controversy over the right to use the death penalty has caused many prisons to fill up and spend money unnecessarily. We need the death penalty to keep current prison populations in check.

Imagine being sentenced to death by your government; the institution that is supposed to protect your rights, and then waiting years for the killing blow to land. Imagine the constant fear and anxiety you would endure; nobody deserves that torment. The death penalty is still legal in many parts of America and dozens of people are killed every year. In Canada, the death penalty has been abolished since 1976 and there is little support for reinstatement. This is not the case in America, while many states have stopped using capital punishment there are still thirty-one that continue to follow the practice. These states claim that it is cheaper than imprisoning someone for life, that it acts as a deterrent, and is a just punishment for atrocious

Almost a month ago, I accidently came across the Stanford Prison Experiment documentary, which is available to view on Youtube. The document based on real event in Stanford University. It is an experiment to study psychology of imprisonment on prisoners and guards by dividing selected Stanford students into two groups. As the time passed, the researchers have discovered some drastically changes in both groups within days. At the end, Dr. Philip Zimbardo, one of the researchers concluded that, “these students were physically and psychologically suffered, and nobody have right or privilege to do that to other people.” The document have raised many questions in my head. Does the death penalty

The death penalty seems to be a very debatable subject. There are arguments and support for both sides of the debate, but which side is right? That is a tough question to ask. After reading the article in the textbook, two other articles, and looking at statistics, I seem to feel that the death penalty may not be the right answer.

Bright, Stephen B.: "The death penalty as the answer to crime: costly, counterproductive and corrupting"; 35 Santa Clara Law Review 1211 (1995)

The death penalty, also known as capital punishment is a legal procedure in which a state executes a person for crimes he/she has committed. This punishment has been implemented by many states, and is normally used for atrocious crimes, especially murder. It is also used on crimes against the state such as treason, crimes against humanity, espionage, and violent crimes while other states use it as part of military justice. There are mixed reactions on capital punishment depending on one’s faith, and the state they come from. In my view, I am not in favor of death penalty, as I strongly believe that, death penalty is unacceptable and an inhumane practice for it denies one the right to live. Death penalty does not deter crime, it is an act