The Death Penalty Should Be Legal

America is within the top four countries for the number of executions due to the death penalty since 1999. Citing the, “Amnesty International in For What Tomorrow (2004), more than 1,800 people were executed in 31 countries, the vast majority of these in China (1076), Iran (165), Saudi Arabia (103), and then the United States (98)” (NAAS, 43). The death penalty is currently an intense debate involving the idea of whether or not we as people should be able to sentence another person to death. According to the ethical and moral reasoning of the philosophers Jeremy Bentham, Peter Singer, and Hugo Bedau, the death penalty should not be a legal punishment.

Imagine that you are arrested and going to be tried for a crime that you did, or did not, commit. What if you cannot afford the cost of a lawyer? Will you be able to handle the physical and mental toll that all of the appeals have on a person? The death penalty, or capital punishment, is one of the most debated topics in America. It has been used for centuries, but many claim it to be barbaric, and want the practice to end all together. The death penalty should only be used in cases where there is absolute evidence that the criminal is guilty, because life in prison can be an alternative, there are many flaws in the justice system, and it can be a cruel and unusual punishment.

I would like about whether or not the United States should abolish the death penalty. The United States should not abolish this because those who commit a capital felony which is punishable by imprisonment or death, should serve a capital punishment which is the death penalty. Many believe that certain crimes such as rape and murder should punishable by the death penalty. Although many also see it as inhumane, many also view murder and rape as inhumane. One can view this as part of Hammburi’s Code law that states “An eye for an eye.” Capital punishment has ben around for thousands of years; beginning even before the ancient Greeks and Romans. At that time, there were many different ways to carry out capital punishment such as, beheading, stoning and electrocution (PBS).

Since 2000, there have been over 200 exonerations from death row. More than half of these exonerations are because of DNA evidence that is found which proves a defendant innocent. The reason for these exonerations is that people make mistakes, there is no way to be fully positive of somebody else’s guilt. In some cases, evidence found against a defendant could just come down to bad timing. People may agree or disagree with capital punishment because it can become a very controversial topic. The main argument against the death penalty is that it is no longer morally correct and goes against certain beliefs. The death penalty should remain illegal in Canada because it costs more for taxpayers than life without the possibility of parole, it

The death penalty today is a hot button question that many experts cannot agree on. The topic deals with justice, logistics, and human morality which leads to either a person remaining alive or losing their life. It is not an easy choice to make because the death penalty has so much to do with human desires for justice as it does the justice system carrying out just punishments for crimes committed. In almost all of human history, capital punishment has been a punishment that was used to punish individuals who broke laws the society upheld. The United States of America is no different as it still continues to use the death penalty as a punishment in many states across the nation. The United States has contemplated the legality of the death penalty, with multiple court decisions dictating if and what is legal, as discussed in the video produced by CNN (http://www.cnn.com/videos/crime/2014/05/06/orig-jag-death-penalty.cnn/video/playlists/death-penalty/).

The death penalty should be illegal in the United States because often times, the state executes the wrong person. Someone could be executed but later the real person comes forward and confesses. This has happened many times before. This means that someone is executed for something that they didn’t do. And while the state could just release someone after they are found innocent, there is very little someone can do after they execute the wrong person.

Why should the death penalty be legal in every U.S. state? There are crimes that are so utterly odious that no amount of jail time will be ever punishment enough. Although personally not a fan of the death penalty, these most common arguments in its support might change one’s mind.

Capital punishment is the punishment of a heinous crime like murder. It is being used now in some states and has also been used in the ancient times. Thirteen states right now don’t have the death penalty: Alaska, District of Colombia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. But all states should ban it because the American Civil Liberties Union believes the death penalty inherently violates the constitutional ban against cruel and unusual punishment and the guarantees of due process of law and of equal protection under the law. Capital punishment is an intolerable denial of civil liberties and is inconsistent with the fundamental values of our democratic

In this essay I will argue that capital punishment should be abolished in the United States. Capital punishment is a legal process where the state sends individuals, convicted of treason, murder, and terrorism just to name a few, to death row to be punished to their deaths by execution. Also known as the death penalty, these convicted prisoners are then put to death by such methods as a firing squad, gas chamber, electrocution, hanging, or lethal injection. All of which are lethal social injustices.

How would you like to be put into a situation where you or a loved one is innocently executed by the death penalty? I know that I wouldn’t. Seeing this, the death penalty is a very controversial issue in which I believe that it should be banned from its allowance in the United States. The three biggest reasons for this are that innocent people are wrongly executed, it is also a form of revenge, and mental illness plagues some victims of the death penalty

The late George Carlin joked: “In prisons, before they give you a lethal injection, they swab your arm with alcohol! […] Well, they don’t want you to get an infection” (Carlin). Ironically, prisoners are treated more humanely when they are on Death Row than if they were standard prisoners. The current process allows for the prisoner to be killed, but is an attempt to prevent degradation of human life. Although the current regulations on the death penalty adhere to the Eighth Amendment (a ban on cruel and unusual punishment), many are upset with the manner in which the execution is carried out(Salgo). Robert Blecker argues that the death penalty should remain lawful and has faith in the government to find a constitutional way to do so,

As Americans we all have basic constitutional rights including the rights to life, liberty and personal security. Should there be any action in which a human being are denied these rights? An action in which a human being is no longer considered a human being? Cruel and unusual crimes deserve cruel and unusual penalizing. Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty should remain legal, and possibly used at a higher rate, however the case at hand should be more heavily considered to make sure that the convicted is actually guilty and deserving of such punishment.

There have been 1466 executions in the United States since 1976. This was the year that the supreme court reinstated the death penalty. They maintained that is was constitutional under the 8th amendment. The death penalty has been around since the beginning of the United States. Although there have been many debates and changes made the death penalty is still used today. The death penalty should stay legal. It should be used for only the most terrible crimes. If there is no serious punishment for serious crimes people are more likely to commit them.

America is there to protect all of the people and that includes the criminals that are on death row.

Capital crime is something that is meant for people that are found guilty of committing a serious crime, such as murder, rape, or theft. These are offences that should not be taken lightly but by killing the offender, the government is carrying about the action that they are trying to prevent. Also, the wrong person may be sentenced to death. After this person is executed, there is obviously nothing that can be done for the terrible mistake to be reversed. The death penalty should be abolished because it is more expensive than life imprisonment, numerous innocent people are condemned to death row, and it is cruel and inhumane.