The Death Penalty Should Not 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.

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

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

There are so many pro’s as to why we as a country need the death penalty. One of those reasons are, it provides closure for the victims, and or family members. The death penalty ensures families, and surviving victims that the murderer will be not be able to strike again. For example, a surviving victim will never feel closure unless the murderer himself is put to death. Meanwhile, the less fortunate ones who were murdered, raped, kidnapped, and etc. will never find closure until that person gets what they deserve.

The death penalty is a subject of much debate amongst the American people. Some people support capital punishment while others do not. Examination of sources and analyses of important history regarding the death penalty will hopefully add to the understanding of why it is so important in our day and age to have such a penalty to deter and deal with the most violent of offenders in our modern day society. A major influence on my position is my uncle being murdered when I was younger. The points I use to support my argument for being Pro Death Penalty are the history of the death penalty, the death penalty as a

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.

Since their declaration of independence, America had incorporated many aspects of Great Britain’s culture; one of those aspects include the death penalty, which began in 1608 at the time of the Jamestown executions. The death penalty, a topic discussed since it began, includes death by electric shock, gas chamber, hanging, firing squad, and, most commonly used, lethal injection. In 2014, it took an Arizona man two hours and fifteen times the normal amount of medicine to die with lethal injection. Knowing that the outcome of the death penalty may cause immense pain, the use of the death penalty should be illegal in all states throughout the United States.

The death penalty has been has been questioned about whether it is a reasonable sentence based on our 8th Amendment Right which protects us from cruel and unusual punishment. In the 1976, Gregg v. Georgia case the U. S. Supreme Court chose to uphold the death penalty. The only way an offender can be sentenced to the death penalty is if they have intentionally taken the life of the victim. A large number of Americans are afraid of putting an innocent individual to death for a crime they did not commit. Offender’s that are found to be guilty and sentenced to the death penalty sit on death row with more the adequate time to file appeals to their sentences. The average offender spends at least a decade on death row. A direct appeal begins with the state’s highest court when someone is sentenced to the death penalty where offenders are given the opportunity to have the death sentenced overturned. In some states, it is required, however in other states it is the offender’s decision. After the completion of this appeal, it is the offender’s decision to attempt another appeal in a higher court, in an attempt to get the sentence of death overturned. If the offender does not get the sentence overturned, the offender will remain sentenced to death most likely by lethal injection; lethal injection is a less painful, more humane way to execute the offender. Some states allow the offenders to choose from various approved means of execution to include death by firing squad, hanging,

Out of all Americans, “more than 60% of them support the death penalty” (Harden 1). Many people in the United States support this decision because they feel like justice needs to be rightfully served to those who committed unforgivable crimes. In some cases, this may seem inhumane but in other cases, it is what is best for the community for the people. The death penalty has been around for many years and it is still a debatable topic for some individuals. The death penalty was created to help, not harm; however, this can be discussed by a broad spectrum of people and it can be easy to see both sides of why it should or should not be around in this day and age. The death penalty is not accepted in every state; however, many should be informed on where it originated and how long it has been around, why it is used, and what people can do to only improve the system.

The death penalty is very costly to not only the government, but also society. The death penalty has no benefits at all and should be