Pros And Cons Of Capital Punishment

Capital punishment is one of the most controversial ethical issues that our country faces these days. Capital punishment is the legal penalty of death for a person that has performed heinous acts in the eyes of the judicial system. Discussion on whether capital punishment is humane or considered cruel and unusual punishment has been the main issue this of debate for years. Recent discussion goes far beyond the act itself but now brings into question whether medical personal should aid in this practice.

PRO: "The crimes of rape, torture, treason, kidnapping, murder, larceny, and perjury pivot on a moral code that escapes apodictic [indisputably true] proof by expert testimony or otherwise. But communities would plunge into anarchy if they could not act on moral assumptions less certain than that the sun will rise in the east and set in the west. Abolitionists may contend that the death penalty is inherently immoral because governments should never take human life, no matter what the provocation. But that is an article of faith, not of fact. The death penalty honors human dignity by treating the defendant as a free moral actor able to control his own destiny for good or for ill; it does not treat him as an animal with no moral

The death penalty should be illegal in the United States due to its complete lack of moral decency, financial benefit, and an increased number of systematic flaws. Using the death penalty shows human’s darkest side morally because they are consciously choosing to kill. Even while ignoring the moral implications of the death penalty, it is often not economically advantageous either. In addition, the system of capital punishment possesses mistakes caused by human error and lack of consideration for the class system. Ultimately, the death penalty causes more harm than benefits and is a flaw in our society.

The capital punishment is defined as execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction, by a court of law of a criminal offense-according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. There are five methods to execute an offender, a lethal injection, the gas chamber, electrocution, hanging, and the firing squad. The lethal injection is the most commonly used, because there is no pain associated with this form of execution. Since 1976, there has been about 1400 executions in the United States of America. In those 1400 offenders about 150 offenders were proven innocent. The death penalty does not deter criminals, proving that it is unnecessary and preventable.

Each year there are around 250 people added to death row and 35 executed. The death penalty is the most severe method of penalty enforced in the United Sates today. Once a jury has condemned a criminal of a crime they go to the following part of the trial, the punishment phase. If the jury recommends the death penalty and the judge coincides, then the criminal will face some form of execution. Lethal injection is the most common process of execution used today. There was a period from 1971 to 1975 that capital punishment was governed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The reason for this conclusion was that the death penalty was considered cruel and unusual punishment under the eighth amendment. The decision was overturned when new methods of execution were introduced. Capital punishment is a difficult topic and there are many different views such as its deterrent value, the religious aspect, the cost of death vs. the cost of life in prison, the morality, the social issues, and the legal considerations.

the years 1973 until 2009, over 135 inmates were released from death row as new evidence surfaced and proved their innocence (Schmalleger 360). This is just one of the many alarming facts that assist in the argument that the death penalty should be completely abolished. As the public opinion of capital punishment changes, there has been a drastic shift in the way states are carrying out death penalty sentences. Since 2007, seven states have abolished the death penalty as a possible punishment for crime (Schmalleger 369). Even though many states still have the ability to sentence an offender to death, only ten states have practiced an execution since 2007 (Dieter 815). While many argue the death penalty is necessary to protect society and can serve as retribution to the victim 's family, capital punishment should be abolished because it violates religious beliefs, and is a cruel and costly alternative to life without the possibility of parole, and it gives the criminal a way out by not allowing the criminal to take responsibility for crimes they committed.

In response to the protests against capital punishment, supporters of the law have been outspoken about the positive economic and social effects it has on the nation. Victims’ rights activists, traditionalists, and 80% of the Republican Party is in favor of capital punishment. Victim’s rights activists believe that families of victims that were murdered should be able to decide whether or not the killer deserves to live or die because they took that right away from their family member. Traditionalists have the mindset that execution has been around as long as we can remember, so why change something that has worked? And the states in the southern region are more conservative, and majority of the states in that region are the ones that still have capital punishment in place.

As of August 2017, capital punishment is legal in 31 US states. As of April 28, 2017, since 1973, 1,458 people have been executed in total. The problem lies in the fact that, despite counter arguments, there are many flaws that lie in the concept of capital punishment. The practice of the death penalty inadvertently manages to disprove any argument in support of it and in the end, is only used to set a warped sense of false justice.

What in the world would be the punishment for the most brutal killers beside the death penalty? Historically, people have been murdering people mostly because of either how popular they are or how wealthy they are. Such as In In Cold Blood, the author stated that the two killers killed the entire family in one night intentionally just because of hatred or thievery. The judges of the court must give Dick and Perry Smith the death penalty because the most brutal killers should be eliminated in order to assure that one day these killers cannot come out of prison and commit another crime.

Imagine, one day you start your day off like normal when suddenly a tragedy strikes, your parents or loved ones were brutally murdered during a home invasion, luckily the suspects were caught. The amount of rage and emotion that would fill you would be immense but you would be left thinking, whats next? What is going to happen to those that chose to inflict such harm on you and your family. The answer, capital punishment, a form of punishment that is often times under heavy fire for being a form of cruel and unusual punishment. In my eyes, capital punishment is not at all wrong and in most cases where it is enforced it’s justified.

Cruel and unusual or appropriate and justifiable? Capital punishment is a hotly debated topic that often divides opinion. There are three sides to every story: the criminals, the victims, and the laws a society elects to have. I happen to believe that capital punishment is a justifiable consequence of horrendous crimes where loss of life occurred. Furthermore, this extreme punishment must be reserved for very specific crimes and there should be no question of guilt.

The death penalty is a very controversial topic. Although there is a lot of evidence supporting both sides, over half of Americans are for capital punishment in some shape or form, but what causes someone to be sentenced to death? According to the article, “Against the American System of Capital Punishment” by Jack Greenberg, the worst crime is “a putative killer of one’s parent or child” (Greenberg). What makes this so much worse than any other crime? And, of the few executions, how many of these people are getting executed for the worst crime? Some people say the death penalty should continue and there should be more executions, but personally, I think it should be banned in all states. Through the history of my brother in law to what the law actually states the death penalty should no longer be in place.

Capital punishment, seen by some as a justifiable way to punish offenders of a crime. Seen by others as an uncivilized and inhumane action carried out by the corrections system. Easily seen as one of the most controversial issues in society. There are many different factors that go into death penalty cases. One factor involves the burden that the death penalty puts on those involved in the case. The question lies in what is considered burdensome. A burden is subjecting a person to experiences that are unpleasant or hard to deal with. When a person is dealing with a burden, one may show symptoms of depression, being burnout, and anxiety. By asking target driven questions, a conclusion could be drawn as to whether one group has more of a burden than another group. The answers given by attorneys involved in death penalty cases compared to attorneys that never deal with capital punishment will be evaluated. The differences in these answers could drive the conclusion that the death penalty is too burdensome on society.

A man on death row is being put to rest even after evidence has proving that he did not commit the crime he was sentenced for. The death penalty is unconstitutional; the due process clause of the Fifth and Four Tenth Amendments says that no person shall be deprived of life without due process law. “One argument states that the death penalty does not deter murder. Dismissing capital punishment on that basis requires us to eliminate all prisons as well because they do not seem to be any more effective in the deterrence of crime (Lowe). Capital Punishment has its positive view points and its negative view points.

The law on this planet, and for this society, will not include the death penalty. I will explain my decision, while showing alternative punishments to the death penalty. The punishments have to be harsh so people are discouraged to violate the law. Punishments for other crimes will also be discussed, but in lesser detail. The crimes include, theft, trespassing, and littering. To improve this society, a crime will be punished whether it be a misdemeanor or a crime against humanity. The degree of the punishment will differ, but the society needs to understand violating the law is wrong.