The Death Penalty is an Acceptable Form of Punishment Essay

Frank Newport of Gallup News Service did a study on the public’s opinion of the death penalty and 69 percent replied with “yes” when asked if they were in favor the death penalty (Newport, 2007). His report also states that every year since 2001 when he polled the question “Is the death penalty morally acceptable?” the majority of the public has responded with “yes” (Newport, 2007). According to Newport’s study, most men (76%), women (62%), republicans (81%), democrats (60%), whites (73%) and non-whites (55%) are “in favor of the death penalty for a person convicted of murder” (Newport, 2007). This study supports the fact that the majority of society agrees that the death penalty is a just and fair way to punish convicted murderers.

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 topic of death penalty is highly controversial and debated on in American society. The death penalty has put many convicted murderers and criminals on the government. Using death sentence as a punishment for extreme crimes portrays America in a negative way. Although the death penalty brings justice to violent criminals, I argue that the death penalty is immoral and financially crippling the United States.

Capital Punishment has ended the lives of criminals for centuries. People have debated whether the government should have the power to decide one person’s life. On one side, people think the government does not have the right to play God as well as believe that the death penalty is simply unethical. Forty-eight percent of a half sample survey stated that life imprisonment was a better punishment for murder while forty-seven percent stated that capital punishment was a better punishment (Newport). However, capital punishment should be enforced throughout the country to help deter crime, benefit the economy, and ensures retribution.

According to a crime survey conducted for the years 2001-2010, in U.S., 64% of people are in favour of the death penalty in cases of murder (source B).The

The Death Penalty, or capital punishment is nothing new in the world. SInce the dawn of civilization people were sentenced to death for sometimes even the most minor of crimes, such a theft. As the world has changed in the last few thousand years, so have attitudes toward the Death Penalty,yet it is still a punishment that is carried out throughout the world today. In the United States, as of July of 2015, 31 states in the Union actively carry out the death penalty. Only 19 states have abolished the death penalty and replaced it with life in prison without the possibility of parole as the maximum sentence. However, with the declining popularity of the death penalty in the United States and throughout the world, the question that needs to be

“The use of the death penalty in the United States has been rapidly declining since the end of the 1990s” (Dieter, 2015). This is contrast to the believes of the Founding Fathers where “the death penalty was widely accepted at the time the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights were ratified” (Gardner & Anderson, 2014). While the crimes have not changed, aspects of capital punishment which were once viewed as constitutional, today are deemed cruel and unusual. The prevailing liberal view sees the death penalty as morally unjustified and a vengeful form retribution. “It is the most brutal form of state power, requires massive state administrations and it costs significantly more than life imprisonment which is both more humane and equally effective” (Davidson, 2015). They point to the lack of deterrence it provides and highlight the racial and gender biases of the criminal justice system and the potential for the execution of the innocent by the State. In contrast, those in favor of capital punishment see it as a valid, moral and constitutional punishment as punishments should be imposed in proportion to the crime. The death penalty is reserved for the most violent of crimes in society and without it, justice is not achieved for victims and their families. The death penalty must be viewed again as a valid, moral and legal

The majority of the United States’ perspective and value of capital punishment is to punish and kill prisoners, but with that system nothing is accomplished. Plus, there is no evidence that the death penalty reduces crime. In fact, most people on Death Row committed their crimes in the heat of passion, while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or while suffering from mental illness. They represent a group that is highly unlikely to make rational decisions based on a fear of future consequences for their

Today in the United States there are thirty two states that use the death penalty and the manner in which it’s implemented is limited to five methods. While the United States is not the only country to still use capital punishment, we will only look at the United States laws, methods, and motivations. This paper will delve into the primary motivations for continued use of capital punishment for crimes while attempting to identify if the desire is to deter, rehabilitate, or a desire for retribution.

Belief in the American Dream prevails harsher punishment for criminals. Capital punishment is a prudent issue that creates a spectacle among those for and against the death penalty.

In this paper, the authors examine how the death penalty argument has changed in the last 25 years in the United States. They examine six specific issues: deterrence, incapacitation, caprice and bias, cost innocence and retribution; and how public opinion has change regarding these issues. They argue that social science research is changing the way Americans view the death penalty and suggest that Americans are moving toward an eventual abolition of the death penalty.

The death penalty remains one of the most controversial topics in the study of criminal justice. Hundreds of convicted criminals have seen their fate by the hands of capital punishment in the course of United States history. Hundreds of others are still awaiting the day their sentence will be carried out. However, even though many of Americans still believe the principal role of capital punishment is deterring future crimes, thousands of others condemn the United States criminal justice system for its errors and fallacies, which result in erroneous capital punishment decisions and legalized violence against innocent people.

Crime in America is something that has been around for many decades. While a large number of crimes are considered minor, many more result in the serious injury or death of another human being. “When we think about crimes, we … normally focus on inherently wrongful acts that harm or threaten to harm persons or property” (Bibas 22). The death penalty, also called capital punishment, has been used as a means of punishing the most violent of criminals in an attempt to prevent others from committing similar crimes. Over the centuries, the methods used to conduct these executions have evolved and changed due to effectiveness and public opinion.

According to opponents of the death penalty, the death penalty, not only does not heal the wounds and hearts of the victim’s family and society, but it will also inflict more hatred and vengeance in the society. As Morgan (2011) said in her chapter “The Death Penalty Does Not Deliver Justice”, death penalty does not allow the relative of the victims to forgive and forget. For instance, she believes that seeing the cold-blooded execution of the criminal will not bring any peace or healing, rather, she believes that being involved in activities with other friends and relatives of the victim, such as the memorial service for the victim will be more effective in bring about peace and healing. In addition, she believes that arresting rather than executing the offender will bring more

An issue that has continually created tension in today's society is whether the death penalty serves as a justified and valid form of punishment. Whenever the word "death penalty" comes up, extremists from both sides start yelling out their arguments. One side says deterrence, the other side says there's a potential of executing an innocent man; one says justice, retribution, and punishment; the other side says execution is murder. Crime is an evident part of society, and everyone is aware that something must be done about it. Most people know the threat of crime to their lives, but the question lies in the methods and action in which it should be dealt with. In several parts of