The Controversy Over The Death Penalty

Why is the death penalty used as a means of punishment for crime? Is this just a way to solve the nations growing problem of overcrowded prisons, or is justice really being served? Why do some view the taking of a life morally correct? These questions are discussed and debated upon in every state and national legislature throughout the country. Advantages and disadvantages for the death penalty exist, and many members of the United States, and individual State governments, have differing opinions. Yet it seems that the stronger arguments, and evidence such as cost effectiveness, should lead the common citizen to the opposition of Capital Punishment.

By using the death penalty against an individual we are basically using an easy way out to the problem; an escape. If an individual is found guilty then they should do time for their action of crime, but they do not have to relay it on punishing them by killing them. They should be punished by sentencing them to a whole life time of prison. In prison they are guaranteed of no future crimes and at the same time they are being punished for a life time. In an article in antideathpenaly.com they stated that executions cost more than life in prison. It costs $2 million per person. In an article by Dudley Sharp, a death penalty resource director discusses the costs of death penalty and the cost of life without parole.

In the article "The Case Against the Death Penalty," which shows up in Crime and Criminals: Opposing Viewpoints, Eric Freedman contends that capital punishment does not discourage fierce crime as well as conflicts with decreasing the crime rate. This essay will analyse Freedman 's article from the perspectives of a working man, a needy individual, and a government official.

Some people think that the death penalty is a bad thing and others think that it serves the people right but I don’t really know which side to believe because there are good facts protecting both sides. The Death Penalty is a controversial issue.

On September 9, 1993 a seventeen year old boy, Christopher Simmons, and a few of his friends met up to discuss and devise a plan to commit a robbery and possibly even a murder, just for the sake of fun. Simmons’ plan was not complicated: find someone to burglarize, tie up the victim and either leave the victim tied to a tree or push them off a bridge. Simmons and his accomplice climbed through a window and proceeded into the bedroom of the victim, Mrs. Cook. The two teenagers tied the woman up and loaded her into the back of her own minivan. They drove to the state park at the edge of town, where they had planned to dispose of the body and that is exactly what they did. The boys were caught later on that month and put on trial for cold

Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is a constitutionally acceptable form of criminal punishment, but its use has created serious controversy in the United States. The use of the death penalty has changed throughout history. At one point, capital punishment was the automatic conviction for murder and other high felonies. Standards were later created in 1972 to lessen arbitrary imposition of the death penalty by Furman v. Georgia. In 1977, Coker v. Georgia established that the death penalty is not a proportionate punishment to rape, and in 2005, Roper v. Simmons made it illegal to sentence those who were under eighteen when a crime occurred to capital punishment. Some states have abolished the death penalty, whereas others allow it, but the

The controversy with capital punishment has been debated for hundreds of years. The Supreme Court is likely to sway its opinion often about whether it should be abolished or instituted throughout the United States. There have been many court cases and lawsuits regarding this issue that has suggested that legislation would be the most effective way to ending the discussion once and for all. In order to abolish the death penalty, the majority has to agree in support of abolition for any legislature to repeal it. This support would have to defend itself through the occasional questions of reinstatement of capital punishment. In order to abolish capital punishment, abolitionist have to provide alternatives to the death penalty that would make sure the criminals that committed the crimes receive harsh enough punishment that would please those wanting to keep the death penalty. Whether or not they are able to accomplish such a task is hard to say. The death penalty needs to be removed on the grounds that is unconstitutional.

Violent crimes such a murder, rape, sexual assault, and robbery are perpetrated by criminals once every few minutes in this country. Lawmakers spend countless hours enacting laws to prevent these crimes. The introduction of the death penalty is an effort to deter criminals from committing heinous crimes. What exactly does the death penalty accomplish? The best description of the term death penalty is the legal execution of criminals as punishment for committing a violent crime. Opponents of the death penalty want to outlaw its use and consider the action a form of judicial murder. Advocates continue to support the use of capital punishment as a way to deter

HE STOOD AT THE THRESHOLD OF THE EXECUTION chamber in Huntsville, Texas,18 minutes from death by lethal injection, when official word finally came that the needle wouldn't be needed that day The rumors of a 30day reprieve were true. Ricky McGinn, a 43-year-old mechanic found guilty of raping and killing his 12-yearold stepdaughter, will get his chance to prove his innocence with advanced DNA testing that hadn't been available at the time of his 1994 conviction. The double cheeseburger, french fries and Dr Pepper he requested for dinner last Thursday night won't be his last meal after all.

The death penalty is one of the most controversial issues in the United States today. The debate of a life for life is one that has many dimensions and points of views. However, the acceptance of the death penalty is affected by many factors morality, deterrence, retribution, mistakes, cost, race, an income. More specifically the discussion will be based on these three reasons to support the death penalty; the matters of retribution, deterrence and morality.

Over the years criminals were dealt with in many different ways: they were sent to jail, getting little punishment, or in worse cases, death. The death penalty continues to be an issue of controversy, and it is an issue that will be debated in the United States for many years to come. The death penalty is the highest punishment administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. This is the only punishment that leaves room for no mistakes. The death penalty system buries its worst mistakes. Although the opponents of capital punishment believe it to be immortal, advocates of capital punishment have proven it to be effective and ethically correct. The death penalty should be enforced on

First off, the death penalty is a punishment that is extremely cruel. What makes it so cruel is that it isn’t

The death penalty has been around as early as the first civilization had begun. This execution has been used to justify the criminal’s punishment for breaking the capital law(s). While many people believe that it brings justice to families and reduce the amount of crime, it does not. However, the death penalty has done more harm than good. Today in the United States, it is not as popular, as before, to execute a criminal. One of few states, such as the state of Florida, has yet to remove this inconvenient punishment. It is essential that Florida should remove the death penalty law due to many wrongful executions and the costly expenses of an inmate’s incarceration on death row.

Along with the Moral and Ethical problems the death penalty has monetary problems too. The cost of housing inmates on death row and the extra cost of appeals results in a total extra cost of 65 million dollars a year. All of that money is being wasted on a criminal who isn’t even worth the time to kill him. If you just put them in a federal prison it would cost a lot less. The death penalty per person is one of the most expensive state programs. Execution of one person costs about ten million dollars.

I know that it is in the eighth amendment that prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, and I can’t think of a greater punishment for a crime than death, but I believe that exceptions should be made.