The Death Penalty Is Bad

Capital punishment does it help or hurt people throughout the world? Capital punishment is known all across the world as the death penalty. Capital punishment has been known to care of the murderers in the world and put a stop to their unthinkable crimes. Many Americans agree that the death penalty is a good thing, but some see the situation differently. I agree that capital punishment really does help America and that it is a good thing. The death penalty gives closure to the victims’ families, it makes sure the killer will never get the chance to kill again, and helps to stop overpopulation in the prison system.

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

During the colonial era, Britain was the biggest influence on America when it came to utilizing the death penalty. The death penalty was used for minor offenses such as stealing, killing animals, and trading with Indians. As the late 1700s approached, a movement towards abolishing the death penalty began. Beccaria wrote an essay in 1767 called “Crimes and Punishment,” that had a significant impact on the world’s opinion towards the death penalty (Bohm,1999). Beccaria suggested

The death penalty is a legal punishment practiced worldwide, which includes execution being the punishment, mandated to someone convicted of a crime. The death penalty has existed since 1700 B.C. when the Code of Hammurabi was a legal document in ancient Babylonia. Ever since the Code of Hammurabi many countries have adopted this punishment including the United States. When European settlers came to America, Americans obtained the death penalty. During the establishment of the Constitution, framers continued the custom which led to the eighth amendment. “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury…; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb… nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law…” (Constitution 1).

“The first established death penalty laws date as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon, which codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes.” Capital punishment has been used as a form of justice in the United States for nearly four centuries. It was first used by Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of Virginia

The death penalty is just one of many faults in the justice system. It is legal in 31 states such as Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. It is illegal in 19 other states such as Alaska, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and D.C. The biggest percentage of the inmates facing death row are in the south, the greatest number found in Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. There are both goods and bads about this form of punishment, some cons about the death penalty is that it gives out the wrong idea, why kill someone to show everyone else that taking a life is the wrong thing to do. It is not going to bring the victim back to life and the criminal’s family is going to be

“The death penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they commit. The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do we deserve to kill?” In 1607 the British left the United Kingdom to the new world now known as the United States. When the British went to the United States they brought over the death penalty with them. When the British came to the United States there had been some spies that followed them from the European countries. They ended up finding a guy named Kendall who was a spy from spain. The first execution occurred in Virginia where they executed Kendall. After the first execution, it became a regular thing in the new world. People were executed for stealing grapes, trading with the Indians and killing chickens.

Before achieving independence from Britain, the US followed Britain’s laws and that included capital punishment. The reasons of why someone would be executed varied from colony to colony. (DPIC) The United States Supreme Court almost declared the practice of capital punishment in 1972 because people thought it was unconstitutional. The eighth amendment states ‘Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.’ This particular amendment is suppose to protect the citizens of America from “excessive punishments.” Even if the convicted person plead not guilty and stuck to their original story, if they got the death penalty then that is it. This amendment, though, has not stopped the countless lives—innocent or not—, that have been sentenced to death. Capital punishment supporters argue that death is the only option for people who have allegedly committed heinous crimes such as murder and rape, that is their strongest argument. It is said that the death penalty is supported out of “desire for vengeance or retribution.”

The death penalty has been debated for centuries. Within just America, it dates back all the way to 1608. In an article entitled “History of the Death Penalty” from the website Death Penalty Information Center, it states, “The first recorded execution in the new colonies was that of Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of Virginia in 1608. Kendall was executed for being a spy for Spain.” So, it is safe to say that the death penalty has been around for a long time, and has been debated by many for just as long. Most people will claim that they are against the death penalty with no reason other than they believe it is immoral and wrong. Those people simply do not know the facts of how the death penalty actually helps the American Justice System. The death penalty prevents overcrowding in prisons, reoffenders, and is cheaper to the taxpayers.

The death penalty in America was influenced mostly by Great Britain more than any other country ("Part I."). Starting when the European settlers came to the new world they brought the practice of capital

In Britain, hanging was the most prominent method of execution. Over 200 different crimes were punishable by death. However, in the eighteenth century 100 of the crimes were eliminated from the death penalty. Britain was the primary influence on America’s use of the death penalty. The death penalty has been used in America for several different crimes, such as murder and treason.

When english settlers came to America they brought with them capital punishment, better known as the death penalty. The first recorded use of capital punishment in the colonies was in 1608. The death penalty was used for cases such as murder, treason, and oddly enough, stealing grapes. The death penalty often varied from

Capital Punishment was adopted by America when the state of Virginia carried out the colonies’ first execution in 1608 (“History of the Death Penalty”). Since then, usage of the death penalty has been instituted by 36 states, making execution the ultimate form of punishment. Although in theory the death penalty seems like a viable method of punishment, in practice, it has serious flaws that damage the integrity of the state. Capital Punishment has been falsely idolized as a deterrent, applied unfairly for generations, used as a vehicle for revenge, and made people blind to the fact that life in prison without parole is an equally acceptable form of punishment. The death penalty is an

The Death Penalty has been used in the United States since the very foundation of our nation; the first recorded case was the execution of Captain George Kendall in 1608 in the Jamestown colony as it was believed Kendall was a spy (DPIC). Americans have seen executions throughout history and are somewhat exposed to the idea but the 21st century is a very different place than the 17th century. This century is a time of equality and rights for people of all

According to Paul Marcus of the Melbourne University Law Review, “the practice (of the death penalty) dates to early English common law, where virtually any person convicted of a felony offense faced a mandatory death sentence (Marcus 841).” The British had brought their ideas of capital punishment into the New World to assuage any chaos within their new territory. The origin of the death penalty in the United States traces back to the English settlement of Jamestown A man was tried and convicted of espionage in concerns