Persuasive Essay On The Death Penalty

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.

According to CNN writer Mallory Simon, since 1989, there have been more than two thousand false convictions of random crimes in the US. If our judicial system is wrongfully convicting people, we cannot allow government nor the death penalty to take life of a person wrongfully. I believe that when the government kills one person wrongfully, the government has just committed murder. According to Time.com’s David Von Drehle approximately one hundred twenty out of

The death penalty, by definition, is the punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. Each state has their own determinates of why someone would be given the death penalty, for example, in Missouri, it is first degree murder, but for Alabama it is intentional murder with 18 aggravating factors.

Since the beginning of time there has always been the question of what to do with someone that has committed a serious offense that has resulted in serious injury or even death to a person. The death penalty has always been a topic of whether it is humane or inhumane to put someone to death over their crimes against another human being. The death penalty to some is either acceptable to where a person should be put t death for their crimes or is not doing anything to deter people from committing crimes. the death penalty is starting to become less of a punishment and more of a costly expense to taxpayers whom for “Each death penalty case in Texas costs taxpayers about $2.3 million.” The death penalty for some think it should be abolished while others would rather see it extended.

There are diverse capital punishment, the death penalty is one of them. Considered as a deviant and barbaric act, the use of this method reflects the opposite view or the wrong message of what the society teaches us. Encouraging the death penalty is not different from encouraging a murder and by operating in such a way actually violates a fundamental law set forth by the federal government which is “ Murder is an illegal crime”.

Do you ever wonder what should happen to dangerous criminals? Watching the news just thinking “huh?” Well what do you think should happen to the dangerous criminals? There are many opinions. Some people think the only option is the death penalty. I honestly agree and disagree with that because there are some death penalties are justified and some are not .Listen to these two cases.

To summarize although many argue that capital punishment is needed, the truth is innocence people are put on death row from horrible evidence and are sometimes executed from the false evidence. Capital punishment is instituted by a corrupt legal system, is extremely inhumane, and costs too much money. The death penalty needs to be eliminated from the United States’ legal system right

The Death Penalty has been a long standing part of the American justice system. For many years, the death penalty went without opposition, but as of recently it has gained it’s long overdue mass opposition. The Death Penalty is barbaric, and is costing our nation obscene amounts of money. While one would think that modern-day American citizens would have done away with this method, a good portion of Americans reason that it lowers the crime rate and it provides closure (or rather vengeance) to families of victims.

There are people in the world who have done things that are so severe and heartbreaking they cannot be forgiven. People that harass society and put fear in the minds of our citizens such as rapists, mass murderers, and terrorists deserve the punishment that they gave to the innocent victims. The United States is still a part of the minority of countries that still use the death penalty, also known as capital punishment. The death penalty should be used because it gives closure the victim’s family, acts as a deterrent for any other people wanting to attempt a crime of the same extent, and permanently prevents any further horrendous crime from that person.

Desmond Tutu, a social rights activist, once declared on the cruel punishment of the death penalty, “To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice." The death penalty is used as an option of punishment against someone accused of capital crime, such as murder. Thirty-six countries out of the one hundred and ninety-five on Earth have the death penalty as a legal sentence still to this day, yet the sentencing is rarely actually used, which is needless in today’s society. The death penalty is not a valid way to punish felons, because defendants have been proven innocent on death row, sentencing has been determined by race, and it has been studied that the death penalty is not a deterrence against murder, ultimately making

The death penalty is defined by the dictionary as the punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. The death penalty has been seen as a way to punish those who have committed great crimes by death, whether from crucifixion or the electric chair. The death penalty has been around almost as long as humanity and was used even before laws were written down. The first written example came from King Hammurabi's laws such as an eye for an eye. A man who was convicted of murder and sentenced to this punishment decided to take the death penalty to court by describing it unconstitutional.

Throughout the history, the death penalty is considered to be the ultimate punishment for criminals. There are many arguments that the death penalty should be abolished because it is cruel and inhumane. Many nations have abolished it, but our country, is one of those fifty-eight nations that still practice the death penalty. Therefore, it must be maintained throughout society as a final resort against malevolent criminals, who do not fear other punishments.

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind” M.K Gandhi. The death penalty is a topic that inflicts various emotions out of people. Where some people like Gandhi believe it is ethically wrong to kill an individual. Others believe that the death penalty is just and it’s also a cost-effective resolution. The first known date for death penalty laws go back to as far as the Eighteenth-century B.C. Even today there are 37 countries worldwide that still perform executions and a total of 94 countries where the death penalty is in their lawbooks (Wikipedia). With the death penalty still prevalent in the world. It’s important to discuss both sides to this controversial topic.

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.