The Death Penalty Is It Just Or Unjust?

In this paper I will be discussing everything you need to know about the death penalty such as its pros and cons. While the innocent can be killed, the death penalty has its pros because it prevents them from killing again if they are released or have escaped from prison, it helps overpopulated prisons, and it can help victims’ families get justice and closure. Not only can the innocent be killed, but in the past the death penalty was very inhumane. To some its feels right but to others they feel like 2 wrongs don’t make a right. Most people think that the defendant deserves the death penalty, but what does the defendants’ family think?

The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution protects us to not be putted into cruel and unusual punishments, but when it comes to the death penalty, things become more complicated. In my personal opinion, I believe the absolute interpretation of the 8th Amendment and that the death penalty undoubtedly violates the 8th Amendment. Looking at the case of “Furman v. Georgia (1972)”, the Court invalidated death penalty laws in the end because the justices considered the punishment of the death penalty was too cruel and unusual to the Furman’ sin, accidentally killing people, and disproportionately using the death penalty would result in more serious problems to the poor and minorities. This decision fully reflected the reliability of

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.

The debate on whether or not the death penalty should be abolished has been ongoing for quite a long period of time. While there are those who believe that the death penalty does not serve its intended purpose, proponents of the same are convinced that the relevance of the same cannot be overstated and hence it should not be abolished. In this text, I examine the arguments for and against the death penalty.

The eighth Amendment states that the government is prohibited from cruel and unusual punishment. The death penalty is a complete violation of this amendment. Every one, guilty or innocent has the right to live freely, and the government taking away this simplicity of rights, is unconstitutional.

Aside from the eighth amendement, its also questionable if the death penalty disobeys the Declaration of Independence. In the Declaration of Independence it is stated that everyone has the right to " life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." How can they enjoy those three things if they are getting forced to die? The Declaration of Independence was established for every American on this earth, including the imprisoned. So does it make sense to take away those rights of the constitution when it comes to the death penalty? Many would believe

The death penalty or capital punishment may be approved by Congress or the state's legislature for murder and other capital crimes. The Supreme Court has ruled that the death penalty is a "violation" of the eighth amendment's ban

The death penalty is one of the greatest controversial punishments in the world. There are numerous people who agree with this practice and plenty more who do not agree and believe we should be done with it all together. Some important credential people who give compelling arguments for abolishing the death penalty is Diann Rust-Tierney and Barry Scheck, whereas; the people against abolishing it is Robert Blecker and Kent Scheidegger.

There are many pros and cons when discussing whether or not the death penalty should be used. Proponents in favor of the death penalty claim that it saves the government money by not forcing taxpayers to pay for the cost of housing inmates in prison, and help reduce prison overcrowding. Those who are in favor of the death penalty also believe that it is a reasonable punishment for those who commit heinous and violent crimes, and that use of the death penalty deters possible offenders. Also, some believe that it helps ease the mind of the victim’s family because they know that the offender will never harm anyone

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 drafting of the Eighth Amendment prohibits government officials from imposing cruel and unusual punishment against individuals. Opponents to the death penalty often describe their methods as cruel and barbaric; however; advocates tend to disagree. Several times during the past year; there have been botched executions. An article published by the Washington Post newspaper cites the flawed execution of Oklahoma death row inmate Clayton Lockett (Bever). The execution of Mr. Lockett by lethal injection was supposed to be quick and painless, but the event went horribly wrong (Bever). During the injection phase of the execution several of Mr. Lockett’s veins exploded (Bever). Without receiving

The death penalty is arguably one of the most controversial issues of our time. Currently, only eighteen states and Washington D.C. have abolished the death penalty. However, the question remains: what does research say for or against the death penalty? In 2009, a study was done that found the statistic that 88% of criminologists believed that capital punishment is not a deterrent to murder (Radelet and Lacock, 2009). The majority of research also points to the conclusion that the journey from arrest, to trial, to execution is extremely expensive, even more so than that of a life sentence. Finally, who considers the people tasked with performing the execution? What about their mental health? Through examining the death penalty’s facts, deterrence,

The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, has been a topic of debate since it has been introduced. The death penalty is the punishment of execution, which is given to someone who has been legally convicted of a crime. The topic has two sides, to keep and enforce or to abolish. When I came about the topic, I thought to myself this would be an effortless essay to not only argue, but to write as well. Before continuing my research on the subject, I found myself siding with keeping and enforcing capital punishment. However, after furthering my knowledge on the topic, I found myself siding with both sides, as they both hold incredibly important arguments. An advantage the death penalty provides is justice can be more accordingly served, but with this advantage comes a disadvantage of the financial cost for taxpayers. I agree with both of these strengths and weaknesses of capital punishment which is why I have declared myself undecided on whether I believe to keep and enforce or to abolish. Unfortunately, the death penalty is something that is neither black or white, it is a subject that contains many grey areas, such as

BOOK (1): Discusses the two sides of how and why capital punishment is either effective or ineffective in crime control; it also includes whether or not the death penalty is an acceptable punishment. C. Because of the topic, this resource is current enough to use in a research paper. It provides perspective and reasoning which is not time sensitive. R. It is a relevant source because it specifically talks about the effects of capital punishment. A. The author does not have any authority for this subject. A. Based on references by researchers and people in the field of criminal justice, the information provided is accurate. P. The purpose of this book is to have each point of view on the death penalty discussed with unbiased information (Connors, 2007).

The purpose of this reading material is to provide the readers both sides of the argument about the death penalty, starting with pro-death penalty arguments and the con-death penalty arguments. Then, following the information will be a thoughtful discussion from the writer’s ethical view, as to why the death penalty should be abolished. Death penalty supporters believe it will deter violence and supports due to of the information from the following areas: capital punishments for capital crimes, safety concerns, and retribution; on the contrary, the opposing side argues regarding: wrongful convictions, high costs, and high crime rates still present in the death penalty-approved states. Therefore, the death penalty is unethical, as it not only takes away a life at a costly price of the taxpayer’s money; but it also does not seem to deter