The Controversy Surrounding The Death Penalty

Death Penalty

The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, is an execution used as a punishment on someone convicted of a capital crime. There are several ways in which these executions have been or are being made. The most common is the lethal injection, others being electrocution, hanging, lethal gas, gas chamber, and/ or the firing squad under limited circumstances. The death penalty was first used in the U.S. in colonial times therefore leading to more than 900 executions since the year of 1976 in the U.S., with the state of Texas leading the nation (“At Issue”). There are many pros and cons that are discussed about this topic that are justifiable depending on the different points of view. Some people believe that the death
penalty serves as a deterrent for crime and that the offender deserves the punishment for the brutal crime he/she has committed. On the other hand, some say that it is an immoral practice, innocent people have died, and that it has not been proven to deter crime.

There are 33 states that accept capital punishment, leaving 17 states that abolish this act.
Capital punishment is embedded on an offender in case or a murder, drug trafficking, rape of a minor, treason, espionage, and few others. There are many questions that can be asked concerning this issue. Some are: Does it affect your religion? Do you believe it deters crime? Is the cost of the death penalty worth it? Is it humane? Noted in interviewing on these questions, most of the people say that the death penalty does not deter crime, that it is against their religion, it is a humane way to kill people, and that the cost is not worth it. For the most part the people whom were interviewed believe that the offenders who have committed capital crimes should just be put in jail for life instead of being put on the death
row. Proponents believe that the death penalty is appropriate because it gives closure to families of victims, it’s a way for the offender to pay for a brutal crime that was committed, and because to some extent it is believed that it deters crime. It has been said that they count between three to eighteen lives that would be saved by the execution of each convicted killer (Tanner). Speeding executions would strengthen the deterrent effect (Tanner). When a loved one has been a victim of a murder or a brutal crime, all you want is for the person to pay for what has been done to them, which in most families gives an ending to the suffering. As stated in the following quote , "A lot of these other arguments will not matter when someone is faced with the murder of a loved one” (Williams 55-56).

Opponents to the death penalty think it is an immortal practice that does not stop crime and that has lead to the execution of innocent people.
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O 'Connor said in a speech in 2001 to a group of women lawyers in Minnesota "the system may well be allowing some innocent defendants to be executed” (“Innocence”). It has been said that if capital punishment disappears in the United States it won’t be because voters and politicians no longer want to execute the guilty (Douthat 7). It will be because they 're afraid of executing the innocent (Douthat 7). "A government that cannot guarantee the absolute accuracy of its proceedings should not take to itself the power of taking a human life," said Senator Martin Looney, referring to the Tillman case (Williams 55-56). While interviewing certain people about this issue there was a statement made by a person that really caught my attention she said “...The death penalty should not be a closure to a family because another person is being killed, when God should be the one making that decision. Remember, two wrongs don’t make a
right!”
Survey Questions

1. Lethal injection executions have a total of _____ parts to complete the process.
a. 1
b. 3
c. 5
2. Alaska & Hawaii have abolished the death penalty.
a. True
b. False
3. What is the most common execution in the U.S.?
a. Hanging
b. Lethal injection
c. Gas chamber
4. How many states participate in capital punishment?
a. 24
b. 33
c. 25
5. Connecticut is the most recent state to abolish the death penalty.
a. True
b. False
6. Since the year of 1976 there have been 11 gas chamber executions.
a. True
b. False
7. Executions are more expensive than keeping a prisoner in jail for life.
a. True
b. False
8. What has been the youngest execution?
a. 20
b. 35
c. 24

According to the results on this survey many people don’t know the amount of states that are part of capital punishment and how expensive it is to practice an execution which are very important factors that should be looked into. The cost of capital punishment is extremely high. Many states have found administering capital punishment is more expensive than housing prisoners for life without parole (Williams 55-56). Due to a study released in the months of Jul/Aug of 2011 it has been stated that “last month found California has spent more than $4 billion on capital punishment since 1978, executing 13 criminals, “That 's about $184 million more a year than life sentences would have cost”, “New Jersey abolished its death penalty in 2007 in large part because the state had spent $254 million over 21 years administering it without executing a single person” (Williams 55-56). Concepts like these are what people take in consideration on whether capital punishment should be abolished or not.

In conclusion, capital punishment is a topic that can be argued in many different forms all depending on the viewpoints of people. Both pros and cons can be analyzed when trying to figure out if you are for or against it. This topic has been out there since before the 80’s. Even with the most painless method available, it is seen to be cruel in our society. The death penalty has been carried out throughout the years from Egyptians to Romans to the Middle Ages until today. Back in the earlier days murder was not committed as much as it is now a days because citizens would fear the consequences of being put to death, it being the only option. This is why in our generation people commit so much crime and murdering because most of them just get imprisoned for life where they are being taken care of with food, watching TV, and so forth instead of having to think of being put to death for the murdering of someone. For the most part the fear of punishment is what protects society.

Works Cited
"At Issue: Death Penalty/Capital Punishment." ProQuest LLC. 2012: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 Oct 2012.
Douthat, Ross. "The Case for Execution." International Herald Tribune. 27 Sep 2011: 7. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 Oct 2012.
"Innocence and the Death Penalty." America Vol. 192 No. 4. Feb. 7 2005: 3. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 Oct 2012.
Muscara, Aprille. "U.S. Out of Step with the World on Death Penalty"." Global Information Network. 15 Sep 2010: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 Oct 2012.
Tanner, Robert. "Studies Say Death Penalty Deters Crime." Lincoln Courier (Lincoln, IL). 11 Jun 2007: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 Oct 2012.
Williams, Richard. "The Cost of Punishment." State Legislatures. Jul/Aug 2011: 55-56. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 24 Oct 2012.