The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty

First, the death penalty has its ups and downs because they could kill again if the criminal is released or if he or she escapes prison. There have been cases where the criminal serves his/her time in prison, then gets released and then kills again. They usually do this for two reasons: committing crime is all they are accustom to or they never learned their lesson while behind bars. There have also been times where people have escaped prison and the only way they know they’ll get away is by killing anyone that gets in their way. Majority of the public believes that if the criminal gets out and kills again, it’s the justice systems fault because it’s their job to keep us safe.

    The death penalty is an overkill of our society’s morality. Our humanity will be lost if we allow the death penalty. Humanity consists of our ability to have moral considerations towards life which is looking at more than just happiness that utilitarians tend to do. Innocence, being understanding, valuing people and things in life, and being virtuosic are views that keeps our humanity. There comes a time when people act off of emotions and decide to push away their morals.  Some may consider killing someone for their crime, but that makes us just as bad as them. Now, we are the killer. People have impulses that can become irrational and

The death penalty, although an ultimate punishment in America, is a very unfair and unjust punishment. If a person has the right to rape, torture, kidnap and/or murder someone else and infringe on another’s freedom; then they should be justly punished however death is not the answer. It should no longer stay as an integrated part of our country’s judicial punishment system. However, we should raise the sentences for these serious crimes, compared to what is currently occurring in today's judicial system.

The death penalty has been battered backwards and forwards by the questions of abolishment and replacement, with mixed results. There seems to a jagged line in the sand on where people stand, and due to the continuous use today (albeit at a slower clip than in the past), it is still very much a prevalent topic of punishment. Those who argue for it believe that taking it away will take away a great deterrent, that families find peace, and that those who commit egregious crimes deserve only death. Anything less “would fail to do justice because the penalty – presumably a long period in prison – would be grossly disproportionate to the heinousness of the crime” (“Top 10 Pro & Con Arguments,” 2016). Those who don’t believe in this punishment as a modern-day, useful tool of deterrence and punishment for crime, continuously counter these arguments, as well as any others, daily at every turn. Though many states have made it illegal, others placing moratoriums or refusals to use it, the death penalty can still be found active today. But why can’t it be replaced with life without parole, and it if can why should it?

Death is something that a lot of people think about, but do people think about the Death Penalty? Having been given the death penalty means that someone is going to be put to death by a lethal injection or an electric chair; There are more ways, but the injection and the electric chair are the most used. There are many different opinions surrounding the idea of death penalties; which some people think the death penalty should be used more and some believe the complete opposite.

The death penalty has been debated for centuries. Within just America, it dates back all the way to 1608. In an article entitled “History of the Death Penalty” from the website Death Penalty Information Center, it states, “The first recorded execution in the new colonies was that of Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of Virginia in 1608. Kendall was executed for being a spy for Spain.” So, it is safe to say that the death penalty has been around for a long time, and has been debated by many for just as long. Most people will claim that they are against the death penalty with no reason other than they believe it is immoral and wrong. Those people simply do not know the facts of how the death penalty actually helps the American Justice System. The death penalty prevents overcrowding in prisons, reoffenders, and is cheaper to the taxpayers.

“We oppose the death penalty for what it does to those guilty of heinous crimes, but for what it does to all of us; it offers the tragic illusion that we can defend life by taking life” by Joseph Fiorenza states that the death penalty is cruel and unjust. It may take lives of all those who are wrongfully convicted and may cost people millions of dollars. However, some may argue that the death of a criminal may bring closure to families of victims.

They don’t just use the death penalty on just anyone they use it on the people who deserve it. A concern about the death penalty is that an innocent person is put to death. This could not happen because 12 unanimous citizens in the jury must render the death verdict after an exhaustive trial, it is not like they just kill anyone. They kill the people who deserve it.

During the year of 1608, the first recorded execution took place, killing Captain George Kendall. Since that moment, as the United States of America expanded, the death penalty became part of the law. Killing 1465 criminals since 1796, the death penalty has kept numerous crimes from happening. The death penalty is supported by the victim of the crime’s family, follows the “eye for an eye” rule, is a deterrent of crimes and should not be abolished.

"Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought. Every murder perpetrated by ... any … kind of willful, deliberate, malicious, and premeditated killing ... from a premeditated design unlawfully and maliciously to effect the death of any human being other than him who is killed, is murder in the first degree." (Cornell) First-degree murder is very clear in its definition in US law. On the fateful night of November 14, 1959, Perry Edward Smith and Richard Eugene Hickock seemed to have completely disregarded that very law when they made the decision to murder the innocent Clutter family after a planned robbery attempt and murder for cover up. Herbert and Bonnie Clutter and two of their children, Nancy and Kenyon Clutter, were brutally slain that night only for a total gain of fifty dollars for the killers. For the brutal murders of the Clutter family, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock should undoubtedly be punished by receiving the death penalty.

All-in-all, the death penalty is a worldwide controversy. From time to time the death penalty has changed and changed again. From being hung, to electrocution, to lethal injection, the death penalty has always been a cruel and unusual punishment for criminals everywhere. The death penalty has also always been an option for those to do harm to others yet it has made the world safer by no accidents to prisoners who

The death penalty is part of the criminal justice system. The criminal justice system has multiple flaws so the death penalty could also be one of those. It is dehumanization and termination. Many people think the death penalty is okay when really it’s just producing another murderer.

The Death penalty is a very delicate topic. People can 't just scream their believes to prove their point. Today, the United States of America is in the minority of countries that still use the Death Penalty as a punishment for certain crimes. Even though the controversy over the Death Penalty is overlooked most of the time, the country divides into two groups; those who believe that it will reduce the crime rate and give calm to families victims, and those who believe is barbaric and Inhuman. There are three different points of view were to see the death

With this being said, there are countless faults with death penalty in America. Whether a person gets the death penalty or not sometimes is not determined by the atrocity of the crime but instead by the quality of the defense lawyer, the race of the victim and the county and state in which the crime was committed. Since 1976 a total of 1440 execution took place in the U.S. There are currently 31 states which allows for the death penalty and 19 states which abolished it. In a report done by the National Research Council it stated that the claim that the death penalty has a deterrent effect on murder rates are “fundamentally flawed” and should not be used in policy making decisions (FactSheet).

“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be” (Khalil Gibran). Every day the world is advancing. From how humans communicate and travel, to how humans learn, or utilize technology. Everything is being critiqued and criticized in some way, shape, or form. Whether it is with clothing, cars, or new ways to punish people, the world is constantly coming up with something new. The death penalty has been around for the longest time. It is used to punish “wrongdoers” (“Origins of Capital Punishment”). The death penalty takes the individuals lives to “pay for the crimes” that they did. The logic statement behind the death penalty is, “A life for a life” (“Origins of Capital Punishment”).