That was then and this is now; the times have changed and so have people’s views, are likely the next points those opposed will make. Have they really changed though? According to an October, 2009 Gallup Crime Survey, “65% of Americans continue to support the use of the death penalty for persons convicted of murder, while 31% oppose it” (Newport, 2009). The simple fact that America is a democratic republic makes any topic, in which a two-thirds majority favor said topic, substantial. As mentioned above, the fact that capital punishment can guarantee a criminal will not commit vicious crime in the future, leads Americans continually to remain in favor of it.…
Capital punishment has been around for thousands of years and to this day we still use some of the forms. It has been heavily reformed so that is a quick, humane, and effective way of execution. A person has to do a horrendous crime such as murder, or kidnapping where the victim dies for the death penalty to be an option when other alternatives such as life in prison with or without the possibility of parole are not sufficient. Even though many do not agree there are a numerous amount of people that do not agree with capital punishment and it may continue to change, it is a necessity for this…
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…
Many people who are against capital punishment are only thinking of the criminal and how cruel it is for them. But, shouldn’t we think of the families that are broken apart now because of the merciless acts of these criminals. Think of Susan Smith, how she knowingly drove her car off into a lake with her two children strapped to the seats. Think of how they must have felt as the cold water started to fill the cabin of the car, and then ultimately drown them. Barbaric is exactly the word I would use to describe her actions. But yet, the jury rejected the death penalty and chose a life sentence instead. Mr. Smith, the father of the two children, broken up from the ruling said "Me and my family are disappointed that the death penalty was not the verdict, but it wasn’t our choice. They returned a verdict they thought was justice" (Bragg, pg. 1+).…
The United States of America is one of the only democratic countries that still use capital punishment. This has raised a rather extensive debate, especially over the last 4 decades. I became interested in this issue in 2011 after the controversy surrounding the execution of Troy Davis, and the issue has remained. In my research, one argument in favor of the use of capital punishment has always stood out as the most solid: that it serves as a crime deterrent and will save more lives than we kill. On the other hand, people from the opposing side state that if the death penalty really did act as a deterrent, states that implement it should have much lower murder rates than states that do not, and that is simply not the case.…
The death penalty has been a criminal sentence imposed in America for hundreds of years, but it have been extremely controversial as Evan Mandery illustrates in “A Wild Justice: The Death and Resurrection of Capital Punishment in America.” Today, the death sentence is strictly used in murder cases and in thirty-two out of the fifty states in America. In these states, it is completely legal to use the ultimate punishment of death to incapacitate a criminal from committing any further harm to society. Throughout American history, many individuals have supported the death penalty because they believe it is an effective way to deter crime and is a form of retribution. Others have strongly advocated against capital punishment because it is not morally correct and it not applied fairly. Also, some argue that it is unconstitutional to use the death penalty because it violates the cruel and unusual punishment provision of the Eight Amendment written in the United States Constitution.…
More than half of the states in our country use this barbaric technique of delivering justice. The death penalty is a very controversial topic so some people's stands on the death penalty might be different from others. But, there are many facts that show the gruesome nature of the death penalty as well as how unneccessary it is. All of the collected evidence about the death penalty proves how bad of a punishment it really is to us against criminals, a much more reasonable punishment would be a life sentence in prison.…
Evidence 1- Jean A. Elster and Helen Cothran state people who serve life sentences for crimes such as murder always have the chance to kill again in prison, get let out on parole, or escape. (Elster 47).…
out of offenders, and that the threat of death will be enough to deter the crime…
There are many differences in the way people view the death penalty. Some are against it and some agree with it. There have been many studies trying to prove or disprove a point regarding the death penalty. Some have regarded the death penalty as a hindrance, and some have regarded it as state sanctioned murder and not civilized. The death penalty has been linked to societies for hundreds of years. More recently, as we become more civilized, the death penalty has been questioned on if it is the correct way to so enforce justice on the people. The death penalty is a highly controversial subject. No one knows who’s right or who’s wrong-it’s fifty percent speculation and fifty percent research. It’s just a lot of thoughts and beliefs from people who have contributed to the death penalty controversy. Who’s right and who’s wrong? That is the question.…
In my perspective the death penalty does not reach the minds of most criminals because a criminal rarely believes he/she could be caught. They hold a belief that they are intelligent enough to outsmart authorities. There is other whom holds such anger towards certain crimes that they believe death is a rightful punishment, but death does not “undo” a crime they have committed. I think it would be better for a criminal to think and reminisce their conscious. Their death would only put peace in their state of mind and except them from the punishments that prison holds for them. Families harmed by these criminals are sometimes frightened by the thought that they’re persecutor could escape and harm them again, however someone sentenced to life in parole in the united states has never escaped or been released. There is also a possibility that an innocent person could be convicted of a crime they did not commit, even with all our new technology and DNA testing there is always a chance of making a…
Many look upon this topic as a religious moral issue. The National Coalition against Death Penalty states that “the death penalty devalues all human life- eliminating the possibility for transformation of human spirit.” This organization also states that the death penalty “is fallible and irrevocable” , their studies show that over 100 inmates have been released from death row after new technological testing regarding their cases found them to be innocent.(1) On the reverse side of this religious outlook, there are those such as J. Melton that believe, the death penalty was started by God, himself when wrote in the bible, “He that killeth by the sword must be killed by the sword.”(Revelations 13:10). (2) There have been studies by Emory University professors, in 2003, state that each execution deters an average of 18 murders. A similar study in 2004 stated that it is believed that speeding up execution would strengthen deterrent effect. For every 2.75 years cut from time spent on death row it is said that 1 murder would be prevented. Another aspect of the death penalty is that of those who believe that rehabilitation is ineffective and capital punishment is the only punishments that is equivalent to some of the violent offenses committed and think that it is a way for closure for the families of the victims.(3) In my opinion, I believe that it is not just a…
Did you know that 1,432 people have been executed since 1976? Capital punishment, aka the death penalty has claimed countless lived since it’s establishment in the United States in 1608. Executions happen pretty often, with 38 people being killed last year alone. The death penalty is an unnecessary and horrible punishment which should not be allowed.…
The death penalty is used universally, in developed countries, as well as, in undeveloped countries. The death penalty is used more for retribution and retaliation than it is for justice. The death penalty does not deter crime effectively, it is incompatible with human rights and human dignity, used against minorities and the poor, and there is always the risk of executing innocent people. Its easy to agree to the death penalty when the accused is not someone you know...bu what if the accused was your son, daughter, father, mother, brother, or sister? Would you still be for the death penalty?…
Some people are against the killing of others for any reasons. Other people feel that certain crimes should be punished by death. The death penalty is a very controversial topic in the United States today and has been for a number of years, because people's life is at risk. The reviewing the numbers of facts prove that the death penalty should not be enforced. I think death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment. It should be abolished in this country it's racial discrimination, the financial cost and barbarity.…