Essay on The Death Penalty

The death penalty is a controversial topic in the United States today and has been for a number of years. The death penalty was overturned and then reinstated in the United States during the 1970's due to questions concerning its fairness. The death penalty began to be reinstated slowly, but the rate of executions has increased during the 1990's. There are a number of arguments for and against the death penalty. Many death penalty supporters feel that the death penalty reduces crime because it deters people from committing murder if they know that they will receive the death penalty if they are caught. Others in favor of the death penalty feel that even if it doesn't deter others from committing crimes, it will eliminate

Keeping a prisoner in jail for life will be very expensive considering that it costs $80,000 a year; and the bad news is that the money comes from the taxpayer's pocket. Thousands of people will attack the death penalty. They will give emotional speeches about the one innocent man who might be executed. However, all of these people are forgetting one crucial element. They are forgetting the thousands of victims who die every year. This may sound awkward, but the death penalty saves lives. It saves lives because it stops those who murder from ever murdering again (Bryant). These opinions represent some of the strongest and most influential views that proponents hold. However, if our prison system could rehabilitate more effectively, perhaps those who murdered once, could change.

The Death Penalty in America has been a talked about issue for some time now. Americans have their own opinions on the death penalty. Some people feel it is too harsh of a punishment, some believe if you take a life you should lose your life. I myself do not believe in the death penalty. To me it goes totally against what Americas was built on God. Even though over the last fifteen years or so we have slowly drifted away from “In God We Trust”. Looking at the death penalty in a whole it was never something that the United States came up with. It was adopted from Britain. (Bohm, 1999)The first ever recorded death penalty in United States history was that of Captain George Kendall in 1608. He was executed for being a spy. The death of Captain Kendall started a chain of other colonies jumping on board for the death penalty. In some colonies they were sentencing people to death for petty crimes, such as steeling, or trading with Indians. Over the years after the death penalty would be reformed and revamped numerous of times. Until it was only used when murder or treason occurred. Matter of fact Pennsylvania was the first state

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

The majority of the United States’ perspective and value of capital punishment is to punish and kill prisoners, but with that system nothing is accomplished. Plus, there is no evidence that the death penalty reduces crime. In fact, most people on Death Row committed their crimes in the heat of passion, while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or while suffering from mental illness. They represent a group that is highly unlikely to make rational decisions based on a fear of future consequences for their

Many criminals take the lives of or hurt many people around them. They are later released after doing time in prisons to go on the streets again where they will do the same things over again. "[W]e reserve the death penalty in the United States for the most heinous murders and the most brutal and conscienceless murderers. To sentence killers like those described above to less than death would fail to do justice because the penalty – presumably a long period in prison – would be grossly disproportionate to the heinousness of the crime. Prosecutors, jurors, and the loved ones of murder victims understand this essential point…” Death penalty does the justice right for seriously violent criminals instead of having them do time in prisons to be released.

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.

Since the beginning of time there has always been the question of what to do with someone that has committed a serious offense that has resulted in serious injury or even death to a person. The death penalty has always been a topic of whether it is humane or inhumane to put someone to death over their crimes against another human being. The death penalty to some is either acceptable to where a person should be put t death for their crimes or is not doing anything to deter people from committing crimes. the death penalty is starting to become less of a punishment and more of a costly expense to taxpayers whom for “Each death penalty case in Texas costs taxpayers about $2.3 million.” The death penalty for some think it should be abolished while others would rather see it extended.

There is a better way to execute someone without the risk of killing hundreds of innocents, an example is life without parole, an example is Oregon there is the option of sentencing murderers to life in prison without parole. Every day people are executed by the state for a variety of crimes, sometimes for acts that should not be criminalized. Before people die they are imprisoned for years on death row, not knowing when their time is up, or if they will see their families one last time. Not only is capital punishment morally incorrect but it does not help the economy of the states. Enforcing the death penalty costs Florida $51 million a year above what it would cost to punish all first degree murderers with life in prison without parole. Another example is Texas, the average cost of death penalty is $2.3 million, three times the price payed to imprison someone for fourty years. (Death Penalty Information Centre). Currently the state of California is fighting to eliminate capital punishment with Proposition 62, the passing of this proposition could save the state $150 million per year. A death row sentence costs eighteen more than life in prison, all mosey that could be spent on education, public safety, and crime prevention. (Official Voter Information

The Death Penalty Discussion In today’s world terrible crimes are being committed daily. Many people believe that these criminals deserve one fate; death. Death penalty is the maximum sentence used in punishing people who kill another human being and is a very controversial method of punishment. Capital punishment is a legal infliction of death penalty and since ancient times it has bee used to punish a large variety of offences.

George Ryan once said “I support the death penalty. But I also think there has to be no margin for error.” In 1973 alone 144 death row inmates were exonerated or simply put: in 1973 144 people on death row were innocent. Now that may not seem like a lot but when thinking of that number as more like 1 in 25 people then it starts to get worrisome. The idea and precedent of the death penalty is good and can be used for good but when even one innocent person is sentenced and put to death for a crime they did not commit then there is a problem with the system. In order to reform the death penalty the criminal justice system needs to be revamped and reformed. Not only does the amount of innocent people killed need to be fixed but also the amount of time someone spends on death row must change. Many death row inmates sit there anywhere from 10-20 plus years

However, supporters would suggest that the act is keeping criminals and other bad people off the streets and out of the population. Which viewpoint is sounder? Well, the opposition would suggest that society show mercy towards these criminals by keeping them locked up for life, but had they shown mercy to their victims, then they would not be in this situation. Though the opposition’s viewpoint is true, they cannot refute the fact that it was the criminal’s performance of the crime that lead to their outcome. Criminals should recognize the reasons for the laws and abide by them. Many of the criminals who have murdered someone have been incarcerated and awaiting trial, giving them a chance to think about what they have done. However, eventually, they are released on parole, and a murderer is loose in the community claiming to be a changed person, though remaining completely capable of committing the crime again. Having the death penalty insures that the public is safe. This reasoning is shared by thirty four out of fifty states that still perform the death penalty (“Death Penalty Information Center”).

Many victims think it's okay to kill murderers, Why? Because they think it gives a relief to victims, they won't be scared no more. The criminals can feel the same way victims did(balanced). Hurt, Scared, Lost, Hopeless and helpless, Trying their best to escape. But the only bad thing is death row shows the systems has more sympathy for criminals than the victims hat suffered(Balanced).

Imagine what it feels like for people who are on death row. Regrets are racing through their minds. Nerves are shooting up their spine. They start to feel this overwhelming guilt come upon them. This guilt makes them feel as if they deserve this punishment. The truth is they do not deserve it. No human being in this world deserves that punishment. They deserve a second chance. They deserve a glimmer of hope in their life that makes them strive to do better. The death penalty kills their hope. It takes their hope and annihilates it, leaving no traces behind. The death penalty is a punishment that should never be used because no person deserves to be killed for their actions, and it has way too many harmful statistics that affect the government and the people of America.

The problem with the death penalty is that it is a big waste of money. Yes, in some cases it can make people feel better, like they are getting revenge on the people that did the crime to their loved one or someone they know but that is really cruel. In the article, The Price of Justice it shows how the price were a few years ago and it can only of up from there “in 1988, The Miami Herald reported that the cost of the death penalty in Florida was $3.2 million per execution compared to $600,000 for life imprisonment.103 Similarly, The Dallas Morning News reported in 1992 that the trials and appeals of a capital case alone cost Texas $2.3 million per case on average”. Making the criminal sit in a jail cell that is not that big with other bad people is more of a punishment then just killing them. And it is a lot cheaper to do it that way as well. The cost of the death penalty is not reasonable because the state can’t even perform the death penalty the right way. And we can use the money for better things for our states and for our society so we can improve our comity’s so