The Death Penalty Should Not Be Legal

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.

The death penalty is a punishment given to people who commit heinous crimes. Since 1976, there have been over 1,390 executions. But does that make the death penalty, necessarily, a correct and justifiable form of punishment? “The death penalty is our harshest punishment,” states Ernest van den Haag, author of “The Ultimate Punishment: a Defense.” Van den Haag, in his article, argues how the death penalty is effective and should be used. However, Jack Greenberg, James P. Gray, and Jeffery Reiman, all concur that the death penalty should not be used as a punishment for criminals. Jack Greenberg, author of “Against the American System of Capital Punishment,” argues how the death penalty is an

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 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.

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

Many call the death penalty inhumane, and a large number of countries no longer execute criminals. However, the U.S. has kept capital punishment because it deters criminals from committing murders that place them in the position of the death penalty. However, the death penalty is wrong. No one deserves to have their life taken away by another human, even if they are guilty of murder.

The death penalty is a topic where many will come to a disagreement. In one hand, some may feel that it brings no closure to families of victims. In the other hand, there’s people who can testify to feeling or wanting to feel closure with the person who hurt their loved one dead. In some places, there’s evidence of the deterrent theory to be true and to not be true. Also, there’s facts that state that the death penalty violates human rights but at the same time, there’s facts that state that it saves lives. Lastly, there’s evidence that justice is and isn’t served when it comes down to the death penalty. There’s good and bad when it comes to the death penalty, closure or no closure, crime rates go lower or higher, and justice is either served

Statistics show that at least 4 percent of people who receive the death penalty are innocent. According to listverse.com, a woman by the name of Wanda Lopez was murdered at a gas station. The police went searching for the culprit. They eventually found a man by the name of Carlos De Luna. De Luna told the police that he was innocent and also offered to tell the name of the person he saw at the gas station. On December 7, 1989, Carlos De Luna was executed. The death penalty should be taken away because it is unfair to kill a person for committing a crime. Not all crimes are worth someone’s life being taken away. Others may argue that it gives the victims and their families closure. Many people feel that the death penalty is the only solution for the criminal. They also feel that the death penalty is the only thing that the criminal will fear. Yet, life in prison is the best alternative for the death penalty. The death penalty also costs millions of dollars. Money which can be used for the victims’ families and people in need. The color of your skin can also enhance your chances of being executed.

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.

In 1972, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was unconstitutional, removing over 600 prisoners from death row. The justices described the application of the death penalty as arbitrarily, random, and discriminatory. Justice Potter Stewart remarked that the death penalty like being “struck by lightning” and that “if society 's ultimate punishment cannot be applied fairly, it should not be applied at all” ¹. Of the 22,000 homicides committed every year, less than 100 people are sentenced to death, and politics, the quality of legal counsel, and where the crime was committed are often more determining factors than the crime itself ². The race of the victim has also been found to influence the likelihood of receiving the death penalty even today. Despite all these reasons, in 1978 the United States Supreme Court declared that the death penalty would no longer violate the Constitution under a two-stage trial system even though it made no real changes. Capital punishment today is an offense just as immoral, arbitrary, and illogical as it was and has been since the beginning of time.

The 14th amendment clearly says no state can deprive any person of life, liberty, or property. Why is it that the United States is still using this type of punishment that was used over Eighteenth Centuries ago? it should have been abolished. The death penalty is not effective at all and it does not show who Americans truly are. If the United States does not put a stop to the death penalty then we are just like any other country. The time is now to do something about this cruel and inhuman act Americans need to stand together and put a stop to the death penalty

There are quite a few problems within the criminal justice system of the United States. One of these so called problems with our system of justice is the death penalty. Capital punishment in this country seems to have its pros and cons. There are more issues and complications with being sentenced to death, while the positives are minuscule. The death penalty should not be allowed in the United States, and there are many reasons for this argument.

the years 1973 until 2009, over 135 inmates were released from death row as new evidence surfaced and proved their innocence (Schmalleger 360). This is just one of the many alarming facts that assist in the argument that the death penalty should be completely abolished. As the public opinion of capital punishment changes, there has been a drastic shift in the way states are carrying out death penalty sentences. Since 2007, seven states have abolished the death penalty as a possible punishment for crime (Schmalleger 369). Even though many states still have the ability to sentence an offender to death, only ten states have practiced an execution since 2007 (Dieter 815). While many argue the death penalty is necessary to protect society and can serve as retribution to the victim 's family, capital punishment should be abolished because it violates religious beliefs, and is a cruel and costly alternative to life without the possibility of parole, and it gives the criminal a way out by not allowing the criminal to take responsibility for crimes they committed.

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.