Shemtob's Essay Executions Should Be Televised

Zachary Shemtob and David Lat wrote an artical, " Executions Should Be Televised", was first published in the New York Times in 2011. Shemot and Lat argue that execution should be televised or opened to public. The following is a summary of this artical.

"More than 4,500 people have been executed in the United States since 1930. There is no way of knowing how many have been executed in U.S. history because executions were often local affairs, with no central agency keeping track of them (Maloney, 1999)." Over 4,500 people were executed and this doesn't even include the unreported deaths. Decades ago, death penalty cases were not even to be reported in many times. For many years, people have been rationalize themselves for death penalty as " an eye for an eye"(2010).This "eye for an eye" statement is no longer giving any excuses for killing humans. The controversial idea of whether humans are rational enough to decide someone's life or death has been questioned. Humans absolutely don't have

In the United States, the use of the death penalty continues to be a controversial issue. Every election year, politicians, wishing to appeal to the moral sentiments of voters, routinely compete with each other as to who will be toughest in extending the death penalty to those persons who have been convicted of first-degree murder. Both proponents and opponents of capital punishment present compelling arguments to support their claims. Often their arguments are made on different interpretations of what is moral in a just society. In this essay, I intend to present major arguments of those who support the death penalty and those who are opposed to state sanctioned executions application . However, I do intend to fairly and accurately

Another subtopic that has caused much debate along with the death penalty is the increasing influence of today’s media reporting on capital punishment cases and pushing to have televised executions as a form of retribution for some viewers and a kind of morbid reality show- entertainment for others. This also brings in the question of whether or not media coverage of executions

The Declaration of Independence for the United States has done a good job at protecting its citizens from undue burdens; however there is one small subsection of the population in which the American legal system is failing. The American judicial system is failing those on death row in Texas. The state of Texas leads the nation in the amount of executions performed. (Amnesty International) Unfortunately, there are legal, moral, and racial issues with these sentences. Today, there are 260 inmates on death row. (Amnesty International) Additionally, since 1976, there have been 474 total executions. (DPIC) This is a problem because research states that nearly 4% of all death row inmates are actually innocent. (Rogers) This nation wide data is relevant for this policy brief because with such a high number of the states’ inmates on death row there is a

In the essay "Executions Should Be Televised" by Zachary Shemtob, "a professor at Central Connecticut State University", and David Lat, "a former prosecutor", both the authors agreed that even though executions is violent, it should still be televised so the public can make their own decisions. The author's thesis is that "executions in the United States ought to be made public." The authors explain that "the public wants the utmost accountability and transparency but the public, except the press and some few select witnesses, are only provided with the details in the morning papers and the people should know what is being done in their name

The use of capital punishment in the U.S. is a growing concern for most American citizens. According to statistics, seventy percent of Americans are in support of the death penalty, while only thirty percent are against it. These statistics show that few people are against capital punishment (“Fact” 1). With the use of the death penalty growing the controversy is becoming more heated. With only twelve states left not enforcing it the resistance is becoming futile (“Fact” 4). Many debates have been made and even clauses have been invoked, such as, the “Cruel and Unusual Clause” that was invoked by the Supreme Court in 1962 (Meltsner 179). The use of death as a punishment has been viewed as “cruel

In the essay, “A cruel and unusual kingdom”, by Leonard Pitts Jr. columnist for the Miami Herald, effectively argues that the use of the death penalty in the United States is inhumane, irrational and goes against American values. Though Pitts overall maintains a strong argument, writing style, and voice, he purely targets a supportive audience as he doesn’t include clear common ground nor a refutation of the other bias.

Summary: In conclusion, when it comes to the death penalty the United States views and how we conduct them. The three branches of government have spoke and it looks like they are for implementing and enforcing the death penalty laws. As lawmakers continue to look for ways to combat our war on senseless murders, we must rally behind them and get Congress to send a strong message of accountability. It you commit the crime; you must do the time and pay the price. Even if means death, killing someone is never ok and it’s time to say enough is

Hundreds of years ago, public executions were made to degrade and dehumanize a criminal in the worst possible way. In those days executions were performed by hanging, and that punishment was very demeaning to the criminal and his family. In 1791, the eighth amendment of the constitution had done away with that cruel and unusual punishment. In the modern era, criminals are now being executed by lethal injection. Why should an execution be televised? Especially in this day and era of reality television. Are viewers really interested in watching something so horrific, especially if it a botched execution? Executions have been held behind closed doors since the 1930’s with only a small amount of witnesses to view the execution. In the execution

Costs and Consequences of the Death Penalty, written by Mark Costanzo, neatly lists reasons for opposition, and abolishment of, the death penalty. Costanzo provides a review of the history of the death penalty, a review of how the death penalty process is working today, questions on whether or not if the death penalty is inhumane and cheaper than life imprisonment. He also questions if the death penalty is fairly applied and the impact, if any, that it has on deterrence. He closely examines the public's support of the death penalty and questions the morality of the death penalty. Finally, Costanzo provides his own resolution and alternative to the death penalty. Each of these items allows the reader an easy, and once again, neat view

The first known execution was in the colony of Virginia in 1622, by the 1800s the law in the United States not only accepted capital punishment but also required it (“Facts about the Death Penalty” 3). Execution was the automatic penalty for anyone convicted of murder or several other serious crimes. The debate has shifted from whether capital punishment is appropriate in a modern civilized society to questions about the fairness of the trials and the reliability of the results. These questions have contributed to the rise of citizens who oppose the death penalty (“Facts about the Death Penalty” 3). A divided United States Supreme Court also appears to be struggling with several important aspects of the death penalty. Especially vulnerable members of society like children, the mentally ill, and the mentally retarded who are viewed as undeserving

In today’s society Capital Punishment is still in place and the cost for each execution is phenomenal. Politics, racism, mental state and plea bargaining all play an important part in who gets executed. The capital punishment was reinstated in 1976, since then there have been 138 “volunteer” executions. With this in mind I will explore some of the facts and the fiction that surrounds the capital punishment. In all honesty, I think the capital punishment should be abolished. (Amnesty 2010)

¨(Orwell,34). In this Quote it shows how the crowd was shocked and impacted by the hanging. When someone younger sees a death of someone caused by capital punishment, it can be traumatizing and be a traumatic event in their life. They will always have the memory of people like Thomas Delaney and the Prisoner dying. Therefore, capital punishment should not be televised because it is disrespectful to families.

The Article provides numerous reasons the United States and Great Britain should have the death penalty. O’Sullivan addresses all the main counter arguments when explain to his audience his conclusion. His supporting evidence includes death penalty decisions in history and several other statistics. Emotionally terms, faulty cause and effects scenarios, and either/or point of views are other ways the author conveys his opinion to the audience.