Pros And Cons Of Capital Punishment

Capital punishment or death penalty is usually imposed on persons who committed heinous crimes and are those that endanger the safety of the society. Some countries and societies implement capital punishment while others do not. There are various reasons for this policy of countries, including the social view on the

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.

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 death penalty acts as a retribution for the crimes that one may commit. Dr Louis Pojman states that “Retribution is the rationally supported theory that the criminal deserves a punishment fitting the gravity of his crime.” The basis of the death penalty is simple, an eye for an eye. If you murder an innocent citizen, you do not deserve to walk this earth free of harsh punishment. If retribution was not carried out by the state, through the death penalty, the private citizens would most likely take it into their own hands to deal with the crime as they see fit. These actions could result in an anarchistic, insecure state of injustice. We also must note that retribution, unlike vengeance, is not an act of hate; it is an act of equality through the eyes of the law. Capital punishment not only offers retribution, it acts as a large deterrence to harsh crimes.

The death penalty is an issue that has the world quite divided. While there are many supporters of the death penalty there are many who are totally against it. This essay will analyse and evaluate the issue of morality and conclude, ‘to what extent is capital punishment morally right?’

Punishment and sentencing are an integral part of our criminal justice system. There are four basic philosophical reasons for sentencing retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. There are some factors that that can affect how a wrongdoer is punished. There is a debate surrounding capital punishment with very distinct viewpoints. These topics will be covered in this paper.

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.

The majority of states in America resorts to the death penalty; nonetheless there is a trend toward abolishing capital punishment. As of two thousand seventeen there are nineteen states that have abolished the death penalty as a form of punishment for various reasons. Over the years the death penalty has cost the US millions. This punishment violates our Human Rights and evidently does not deter crime as some people may believe. The death penalty is permanent and does not allow a possibility of rehabilitation; taking someone’s life away cannot be justified. The system is flawed for many reasons, some of which are incompetent lawyers, disparities amongst minorities, and wrongful convictions. The death penalty is awfully ineffective on the grounds of being ethical, cost effective, or a deterrent to crime.

Proponents of capital punishment argue that implementing the death penalty deters crime because in theory, a person who knows they could face the death penalty will not take the risk of commiting a capital crime. However, historically, these claims have continuously been proved inaccurate by data displaying no correlation between the death penalty and crime rates. In fact, many states have seen a decrease in crime after abolishing the death penalty, completely disproving the deterrence theory. According to data from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting system, “Illinois has seen a decrease in murders and nonnegligent manslaughter since abolishing the death penalty.” However, the decrease started well before that. The FBI data shows 986 murders and nonnegligent manslaughters in Illinois during 2001, a number that gradually dropped to 721 in 2011. One study by Thorsten Sellin, criminology expert and professor at UPenn, found that between 1989 and 2002, California (one execution), Texas (239 executions) and New York (no executions) all had almost identical patterns of murder rates from year to year. For decades, murder has been more common in states with capital punishment than in those where it is not used. Data from 1973 to 1984 showed that murder rates in the states without the death penalty were consistently lower and averaged only 63% of the corresponding rates in the states retaining it. The gap has persisted since that time, and in 2008 the average murder rate in states with

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)

Capital punishment is the death penalty to punish offenders for heinous crimes. Capital Punishment has been used for thousands of years and it has not helped reduce crime and those future criminals who will commit heinous crimes. This topic always sparks a passionate conversation with the effectiveness of the Judicial system. Another punishment instead of the death penalty is life without parole. The American Judicial system has been unfair and corrupt; for example, attorney’s that work for the state are overworked with their caseloads. Trial attorneys are extremely expensive. Those living under poverty line is impossible for them to receive help from the expensive attorneys. Those sitting in death row doesn’t get the chance to change, find themselves spiritually and or seek forgiveness. God forgives anyone from the crimes that have been committed. They should be given the opportunity to seek guidance, help and spiritual guidance from their wrongdoings. There are massive problems associated with the death penalty; one of the problems are innocent people dying from a crime they never committed and racism/bias. The only way to solve these issues is to get rid of capital punishment.

​The main problem when it comes to the death penalty is something that has been discussed countless of times without a proper solution to solving it completely. There are a lot of aspects that fill up this ongoing controversy, along with some believers that stand firmly on their stance about the topic when it pertains to life or death of an individual. Some debates are collected on the moral and ethical factors which pertain to the death penalty and what kind of effect does it have upon crime deterrence.

"Capital punishment is an intolerable denial of civil liberties and is inconsistent with the fundamental values of our democratic system. The death penalty is uncivilized in theory and unfair and inequitable in practice... we strive to prevent executions and seek the abolition of capital punishment" (ACLU). Our whole society is based on the liberties and rights its citizen’s gain from living here, but the death penalty violates that along with the country’s constitution. The act in itself is inhumane, similar to murder, but is execution justified because it’s in the name of the law and justice? Since, the intent to end someone’s life is always wrong and human rights are fundamental to our way of life, the death penalty should be limited to those with the intent to commit horrendous acts against humanity as a whole.