Pros And Cons Of Capital Punishment

The death penalty is quickly becoming one of the more controversial topics in the United States. Currently, there are 31 states where capital punishment is legal. As of April 2016, there have been 1,431 executions in the United States, but the number of executions in recent years has been steadily decreasing (Timmons 2017). The death penalty can be put up for moral debate, and one can ask oneself whether the death penalty is ever morally permissible. There are some pros and cons to having capital punishment. For example, deterrence and prevention are good reasons to have the death penalty, but, in reality, the cons far outweigh the possible benefits that may come from capital punishment. The cost of imposing capital punishment is

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 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.

Capital punishment has been a sentence for many years, but it dates back to Eighteenth Century B.C. During this time there was 25 crimes that could be committed that would result in the death penalty. The most common forms of the Capital Punishment were hanging, beheading, stoning, and other vicious forms of death(https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/part-i-history-death-penalty). Eventually Capital Punishment was reinstated, which only sentenced criminals to death in the case of “ aircraft hijacking… a drug-related drive-by shooting, murder during a kidnapping, murder for hire, and genocide”(https://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004927). There is of course plenty of other capital offenses that will result in the death penalty, but these are the most common. With this sentence comes quite a few drawbacks when it comes to the political side of it. To understand what the most significant issues political leaders face when it comes to Capital punishment, first it’s crucial to know what Capital punishment is. Capital punishment, also known as the Death Penalty, is a terminal punishment given by the state, and is sentenced to someone who has been convicted of an intensely cruel criminal offense. Capital Punishment is an intricate issue, but the main questions imposed are what is the problem, how does it directly affect the political process, and why its more significant than other worldly issues?

When a capital punishment case is reversed, it can create potential complications to present, future and past court cases. One of the main arguments debated is when a case is reversed because of intellectual disability. People question past cases where offenders might have had intellectual disability and did not receive the same treatment as a case that has been reversed. For example, Cecil Clayton (who killed a police officer), he was executed on March 17, 2015. Clayton was missing twenty percent of his brain due to an accident in 1972. After psychiatrists examined Clayton, they concluded:

Capital punishment has been used in order to execute criminals who have committed some of the most heinous crimes throughout United States history.  Although the crime rate is considerably lower than in years past, the death penalty is still in effect in many states. More than two-thirds of the states in the U.S. still use capital punishment as the ultimate penalty for criminals. Supporters of the death penalty claim that there is a line that cannot be crossed without receiving the ultimate punishment. However, there are many opponents of the continued use of capital punishment because of moral and economic reasons. Due to the fact that the death penalty is immoral, affects the families of the victims, is racially discriminatory, and economically unsound, opposers believe capital punishment should be outlawed in all states.

Capital punishment is defined in the dictionary as, “the practice of killing people as punishment for serious crimes” (“capital punishment”). Murder is defined in the dictionary as, “the crime of unlawfully killing a person, especially with a malice aforethought” (“murder”). If murder is wrong, what does that make of capital punishment? The only difference between these two is that one is a legal form of murder and the other is not. There are currently 31 states that use the death penalty that should abolish it on the grounds of: accidentally executing an innocent, the high-cost of carrying out an execution, trauma to families and executioners, and for the simplest reason of all, “to end the perpetual cycle of violence…it is wrong to teach killing is wrong by killing” (Fisanick 29)

The death penalty is the ultimate punishment. There is no harsher punishment than death itself. Currently 58 nations practice the death penalty. Our nation, the United States of America, is one of the 58 nations that practice the death penalty. Currently the United States will only use the death penalty, if one commits first-degree murder. Individuals that believe in the death penalty believe that capital punishment will deter murderers. In this paper, I will be arguing that the death penalty does not deter criminals and that the United States should outlaw the practice.

In 1989, Cameron Todd Willingham was convicted and executed for the deaths of his three daughters in a 1991 house fire near Corsicana, Texas. In 2009, the Texas Forensic Science Commission received an arson expert’s report that the investigation leading to his conviction was so flawed, that it’s finding could not be supported. Scientific experts — who debunked the arson evidence used against Willingham at his 1992 trial — convinced District Court Judge Charlie Baird in 2010 that the state of Texas wrongfully convicted him. However, Baird’s intended order never came to light because the court of appeals criticized his handling of the case and prevented him from working on it before he left the bench at the end of 2010 after choosing not to seek re-election. This case is a perfect example of why capital punishment should be abolished. Capital punishment, which is commonly known as the “death penalty,” is the lawful infliction of death as a punishment in response to a crime. Its motive is not found as morally correct but rather found as getting revenge against those who have committed an atrocious crime. Like the Willingham case, the justice system contains mistakes or flaws, which evolves into the killing of the innocent who are imprisoned. Consequently, it is imperative the focus is centered on the awareness that killing a human is absolutely wrong under all circumstances. Capital punishment is cruel, inhumane, and degrading; therefore, regardless of who is accused, the crime

Capital punishment, or the death penalty, has been a part of the American Justice System since the begging, but for years it raised much controversy over its social issues, questioning its validity and fairness. The death penalty is the sentence of execution given to someone convicted of a capital crime such as murder or treason. Many civilizations and early societies used the death penalty before in history. Common explanations to be sentenced include war crimes, treason, murder, and espionage. Formerly, capital punishment was accompanied by torture and performed publically. It was often believed to be unprejudiced because it is retribution towards criminals who committed heinous acts. In contrast, it is currently a controversial debate whether or not the death penalty is socially acceptable as many see it is inhumane. The United States currently has five forms of execution include: hanging, beheading, chair electrocution, lethal injection, lethal gas, and firing squad (Gray). Each of them is cruel in their own way. Punishing a person with death is outdated, barbarous, and many nations evolved so they reprimanded this penalty years ago. Government sanctioned capital punishment is wrong and it should be abolished because it could potentially kill the innocent, denies people of rehabilitation, denies a citizen’s right to live, and overall does not benefit society.

Capital punishment or death penalty consists in the execution of a condemned person by the State as punishment for a high offense established in the legislation. The crimes to which this criminal sanction applies are often referred to as capital crimes. This sanction has been applied by almost all societies presenting since ancient times in the East, Greece, and Rome. Starting from the concept of punishment must be considered that it aims to repair the disorder introduced by guilt, defend public order, the safety of people and contribute to the correction of the guilty party. However, there are cases in which the correction of the guilty seems to be impossible because regardless of the time that passes there are people capable of committing terrible acts and be indifferent, or at least pretend, which prepares them to continue committing atrocities. The existence of this type of people become the cause of suffering of many other innocents. For that reason, the position that I adopt on this subject is in favor, however, considering the superior value of life and human dignity I do not propose the death penalty as a sentence for any criminal. Nevertheless, there are several reasons why the death penalty can be applied.

Many people follow the saying “an eye for an eye” when someone does wrong to them, but when it comes to a person’s life all the decisions made are crucial. Capital punishment is the death penalty given to someone as a punishment for a serious crime. As of 2016, 31 states allow the death penalty, 19 states don't, and 4 states have a governor imposed moratorium. Though some people see this as a fair punishment, it also comes with a lot of problems. Due to this reason, capital punishment should come to an end because of all the complications that come with it.

The death penalty is a practice that has long since been dismissed and abandoned by the majority of countries, not only due to the ethics surrounding the issue, but also due to it not being an effective punishment that is able to deter and reduce crime. Only 3 countries that are considered to be developed countries, currently practice capital punishment; these being, the U.S., Japan and Taiwan. Every other developed country, as well as many developing countries, have long since abandoned capital punishment.