Preview

Capital Punishment

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1170 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Capital Punishment
Outline

Essay question: The Death Penalty is ethically acceptable.

I. Introduction
Thesis statement: Death Penalty helps to decrease the murder’s rate, however it could violate human rights. II. Body
A. The Death Penalty Preventing Future Crimes. 1. The Effect of Deterrence 2. Incapacitation 3. Providing Justice for murder victims B. Injustice in prosecution 1. Innocence 2. Racial discrimination
C. Consequences of Death Penalty 3. Financial Cost of Death Penalty 4. Alternative Ways

III. Conclusion
Thesis statement: Nevertheless Death penalty is unethical and inhumane; it helps to achieve the balance in the country.

Death penalty is one the debatable topics throughout the world. There is a conflict between law and ethics. Public opinion does not coincide with the state opinion. There are 33 countries, which use death penalty as capital punishment. According to Amnesty International Report, in 2011, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and USA topped the list. According to statistics, in USA 33 states use death penalty as capital punishment and other 17 does not. (Amnesty International, 2011) Death penalty’s primary goal is to make people think twice before doing crime. The Death penalty helps to decrease the murder’s rate, however it could violate human right. The main argument in favor the death penalty is the effect of deterrence people from doing something illegal and unethical. The initial purpose of deterrence effect is to set up the highest price for murder, in order to decrease the rate of homicide. The former president of USA George W. Bush stated in the 2000 Presidential debate, “I think the reason to support the death penalty is because it saves other people’s lives”. However, according to Donohue & Wolfres (2006) death penalties deterrence effect is not based on facts. Deterrence effect is good in theory, but in practice the effect is minor. As Ernest Van Dan Haag (1968,p 281) identified

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    It is an established fact, that capital punishment is still conducted in many countries of the earth. People are being sentenced to death every day and in my essay I am going to respond to the ethic question whether death penalty serves as a justified and valid form of punishment.…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The death penalty has been an ongoing debate on whether it should be allowed or whether it violates our constitutional right. While most developed Western nations have stopped executing the United States continues to execute offenders (Zimring 2004). From 1977 through 2008 1,136 people have been executed, which consisted of people who committed murder (Procon 2010). Those who are in favor of the death penalty believe it is an important tool to help deter crime and it cost less than life imprisonment (Procon 2010). They believe retribution helps console the grieving family and it also ensures that the offender will never be able to commit another heinous crime (Procon 2010). According to Grant (2004) some people believe that some offenders should face the death penalty because of vengeance and retribution for violent crimes. During the…

    • 1847 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ernest Van den Haag strongly contends the need for capital punishment in our society in his article. Van den Haag provides a substantial amount of convincing facts and information to support “The Ultimate Punishment”. Van den Haag discusses such topics as maldistribution, deterrence to society, miscarriages of the penalty, and incidental and political issues (cost, relative suffering, and brutalization). The death penalty is indeed the harshest/ultimate punishment a convicted criminal can receive in our society. I agree with Van den Haag’s article. I am in favor of the death penalty system in the United States. Through capital punishment’s determent process, I feel it is a necessary and effective tool in implementing a type of ultimatum to basic life in our legal system. The ethical theory of consequentialism is often referred with capital punishment. Consequentialism mainly points out the benefits of the death penalty to society, like deterrence.…

    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Capital punishment has been a part of our justice system since the beginning. For many years the controversy of the death penalty has created social issues that question the validity and fairness based on concerns of moral and human rights. Even though many other nations use this form of justice, the fact that the United States views itself as a leader of human rights brings question to whether we are practicing what we preach. Nevertheless, the majority of US citizens are in support of the death penalty but does that make it rational? In the following paragraphs I will discuss my opinions on capital punishment and talk about issues concerning the death penalty as a deterrent to crime, should it be abolished and whether should youths convicted of violent crimes receive the death penalty. I will also explain how the irony of capital punishment makes it an issue of ethics having that both sides of this issue have valid positions that will keep the idea that as long as there is crime, capital punishment is here to stay whether we like it or not.…

    • 2209 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Capital punishment has been used around the world for many thousands of years as a way of enforcing justice when someone has done wrong by what standards that the cultures have. Over the past few centuries capital punishment has started to be questioned by many people in Europe and in the United States. Many people who support the death penalty cite reasons such as deterrence and not wanting to spend money a person who will never be a productive member of society again. Many who are in opposition to the death penalty say that the death penalty is killing innocent people and is actually not saving any money at all and that it is in fact costing too much and that it is wrong to simply kill someone who commits a crime. There are also questions to the fairness of the death penalty and many who question if it is being applied fairly. Both sides of the debate over the morality and legitimacy of capital punishment will be presented in this paper with this author taking one side. While the thought of having someone put to death is not something that anyone would like, the death penalty is the only way for ultimate justice to be administered for victims provided that it is fairly administered.…

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Why would we kill people who kill people to show that killing remains wrong? Often times in the justice system, a suspect with a heavy crime brought against them, have a high chance of getting sentenced to the death penalty. Although many times the verdict comes back correct, what about the lives of the innocents? Their life became limited once they got wrongfully convicted. Throughout this paper I will explain why capital punishment should not remain an option in the justice law system with first, explaining how sometimes innocent peoples verdict can result in the sentencing to death; second, the wrong message the death penalty sends to society; and third, a solution. In essence, the death penalty prove to have a high risk taking innocent lives.…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The death penalty is a major topic for debate Shannon Rafferty defends in her portfolio published by Penn State entitled “Death Penalty Persuasive Essay.” She believes the penalty should be allowed because it functions as a deterrent, it provides society retribution and it is morally just. Olivia H. disagrees with use of the death penalty in her essay “Capital Punishment Is Dead wrong.” She tells about the risk of punishing the innocent, and how the states are doing irreversible acts of crime. As the authors disagree about whether the death penalty should be allowed, they have some common ground when it comes to admitting the potential for human error and in both disagreeing to the use of barbaric punishments by the government.…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Capital punishment is the gravest consequence for violating the criminal law which has been used for thousands of years and it dates back to Ancient Times. The first proof of capital punishment is from Hammurabi’s Code, where Hammurabi quoted: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (ca. 1700 B.C). Nowadays, death penalty is a very controversial topic with many pros and cons. It can be a strong example, a safe and cheaper way to treat murderers, but it can also be a wrongful solution.…

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Capital Punishment

    • 1549 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Capital punishment, also known as death penalty is a “legal enforced deprivation of life based on a court decision; a lawful infliction of the extreme penalty on a person convicted of a grave offense. The morality of this practice is the subject of public debate, in which philosophical and ethical arguments play an essential role” (Nikolaichev, B. O). The issue of capital punishment can be a sensitive issue to approach on the grounds that individuals view it differently. American citizens are split over death penalty as a form of punishment. “People support or oppose punishment for complex, often emotional reasons” (Pataki, George). There are several reasons given by the supporters and the opponents of capital punishment in support of their feelings and views towards this form of punishment.…

    • 1549 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is clear in our society that violent crimes, such as murder, should carry some sort of stiffer punishment than that of other, lesser crimes. What is not clear is what that punishment should be. One punishment that is a constant source of debate is the death penalty. The death penalty is a form of punishment, is given to those who commit crimes deemed by society and government as deserving the infliction of death. The death penalty serves as a divider among many political ideologies, religions, and cultures. This essay will talk about the ethical issues associated with the death penalty.…

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Death Penalty

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Capital Punishment is a very controversial issue that is sweeping the nation. While some feel that the death penalty serves as a rightful and just punishment to the crime that was committed, others feel that we as humans have the right to decide whether they die for the crimes they commit. The question at hand is does the death penalty serve a deterrent to crime? The death penalty does not serve as a deterrent to crime. “Capital punishment has always attracted controversy. Simply, the arguments for and against can be divided into four categories with a moral and a pragmatic argument on each side. The purpose of the death penalty is central to the debate. Punishment can be seen as serving three purposes: retribution, deterrence and reformation. The death penalty can have no reformative purpose in terms of re-establishing 'a good citizen '. Therefore, the case for it must rely on retribution and deterrence. The pragmatic justification for the death penalty sees it as a unique and effective deterrent, which therefore protects society” (Von Drehle, 2008, p. 38).…

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Death Penalty

    • 2242 Words
    • 9 Pages

    According to Dezhbakhsh, Rubin and Shepherd, “in recent decades, the debate has heated up in the U.S. following the Supreme Court-imposed moratorium on capital punishment. Currently, several states are considering a change in their policies regarding the status of the death penalty (1).” Sidhu states that the death penalty has been met with controversy even from the beginning of the development of the United States of America (454). There have been several arguments that have been espoused in order to denounce the implementation of the death penalty in the country. Some of such arguments include concepts of public policy as well as law enforcement. However, it is clear that the bulk of the debates regarding the matter rely on moral considerations as well as the impacts of such school of thoughts on the development of the country in terms of societal considerations. The death penalty is a legal sanction in certain jurisdictions but there are some countries that detest such practice, disapproving the same as an inhuman practice for punishing crimes. There are several arguments that support the implementation of the death penalty and there are also several arguments that are against it. Sidhu writes that “There is perhaps a no more divisive and significant issue in the United States than that of capital punishment. The debate over the death penalty is of vital import and intrigue because it involves death, the termination of an individual 's known existence. Not only does the death penalty involve death, but more properly, it involves the deliberate taking of life. It is precisely because the death penalty involves the willful extermination of human life that the debate must be thoroughly examined. This article attempts to add this needed clarity by evaluating the various arguments against the death penalty (455).” Such reason may be also the primary reason why there…

    • 2242 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Death penalty

    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Death penalty is probably one of the most controversial punishments that can be applied to those who break the law. There are many people that support this punishment, but there is also a large amount against it. The reason why this huge problem has not been solved yet is because there is no right or wrong answer to this situation. In this essay I’m going to talk about death penalty’s characteristics, the way it has developed in different countries such as China, United States, and Peru; and finally my personal opinion.…

    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    buttts

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Supporters of the death penalty say that is a deterrent to future criminals. This is also not true. When a criminal commits a crime they usually don’t think they will be caught. How can the death penalty serve as a deterrent if the criminal can’t comprehend that he might die? Supporters also may say that the death penalty is a way to make sure these insane criminals are never to be let back into society. Yes this is true but most of these insane criminal are severing life or will most likely die in prison.…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Capital punishment is a legal demand and it’s essential to the penal system. Smith A, (2007).For example “if a killer is left off unpunished this would militate against the majesty of the law” Smith A, (2007). Further (Sassen,A, 2011) state that the “the imposition of death penalty even perpetuates this violence can be legitimized” . But Sassen,A, (2011) has a different opinion and he highlights that the Death Penalty violates the equal defense of laws. Further he added the idea that accused too to be given a sufficient opportunity, time and space to present legal defense on his behalf. Steel,J (2005) also state that the several countries around the world who use the death penalty do not executed in their legal system. Further Smith A, (2007) has mentioned that the capital punishment can be a right in grave injustice, while he is giving example in figures as “in Sing prison of America, according to Lewis 50 out of 437 convicts were later known to be innocent”( Smith A, 2007).Even though, Smith A’s statement has a point to consider it’s unreliable with the present trend of legal system in many countries, and Sassen A, and Steel J has pointed out with figures and the…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays