In this paper, I will discuss the effect that capital punishment has on deterring criminal activity. Capital punishment is the execution of criminals by the state, for committing crimes, regarded so terrible, that this type of punishment is the only acceptable punishment for the crime committers. For decades now, there has been an ongoing debate over the death penalty in America. The chief argument in favor of death sentences is the fact that it can be used as a deterrent. Deterrence is the idea that executing the murderers will decrease the rates of homicide by discouraging future murderers.
The death penalty is a source of divided opinion and controversy. Capital punishment is the most severe penalty in the US Judicial system. The death penalty is given for the most brutal crimes committed .People have been sentenced to death for many reasons. In America, 2 out of every 3 people support the death penalty. One of the functions of the criminal justice system is to administer a fair and just punishment for the crime committed by the suspect .Most Americans seem to agree with or oppose capital punishment on a case by case basis.
Arguments go back and forth whether capital punishment is “cruel and unusual punishment” because of the torture people on death row go through. Also, people commit murders because of witnesses that see them commit certain crimes. He or she has evidence of the crime an individual has committed and can testify it to the police. Murders happen because people get scared what a certain person might do and the victims are the ones who get hurt. The article presents a good argument for why the death penalty works because it explains the different type of murders that happen to people and the cause of it and why murder rates have gone down.
Capital Punishment Essay As America progressed and grew to the beautiful country it is today, there were different ways to punish the people that committed high crimes. The one form of punishment that is most feared, yet controversial, in the American society is capital punishment. Capital punishment is the practice of giving major criminals the death sentence. Once given this sentence, you are put on death row to die. Many people argue whether this should be practiced in the United States.
Perhaps the most frequently raised argument against capital punishment is that of its cost. Other thoughts on the death penalty are to turn criminals away from committing violent acts. A just argument against the death penalty would be that sentencing an individual to death prevents future crimes by other individuals. However, criminals are not afraid of the death penalty. The chance of a criminal being sentenced to death is very slim.
“Why do we kill people, who kill people, to show that killing people is wrong”. Fair enough as it might seem, but what is the ground for the opposition to the death penalty? It is asserted that death penalty is unjust, Tax Payer waste too much money, and it is a breech of biblical principles in our society. In the U.S. in 2010, 129 people on death row have been released with proof that they were wrongfully convicted.DNA, available have justify most of these convictions. I can’t guarantee we won’t execute innocent people.
How Just and Unfair is the Death Penalty? PHI 103 Informal Logic Instructor: Heather Hensell July 22, 2012 How Just and Unfair is the Death Penalty? The death penalty is capital punishment usually resulting in death for a serious crime such as murder. For centuries the death penalty has been an on-going controversial issue. In fact, the state of Texas has a reputation known for enforcing the death penalty.
The Eighth Amendment and Capital Punishment The death penalty is the most severe penalty in the United States judicial system. It is administered only for the most brutal of crimes. Three out of every four Americans are in favor of the death penalty. Opponents believe that the death penalty constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. Because the death penalty causes such a heated debate among interested individuals, politicians often use the conflict to acquire public support.
Mia Michael H.English Mrs. Gaskill April 23, 2013 An argument that never seems to have a clear winner is “Life in Prison” vs. “The Death Penalty”. Although both sides have valid points, I feel that only one should be allowed. The death penalty is inhumane and unethical. It seems hypocritical for us, the American people, and are judicial system to say that murder is wrong and illegal, but continue to murder both the guilty and thee wrongfully accused. The death penalty gives those that are actually guilty the easy way out of punishment, and the innocent a wrongful death.
Crime is an inevitable 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 actions with which we deal with crime. From the time of Fourteenth Century crucifixion to Tenth Century British hanging to present-day American lethal injection, the death penalty has been apportioned to those who have committed a variety of offenses (“Death Penalty Information Center”). However, even though the death penalty seems to have been effective in the past, it does not mean it is still effective in modern times. Today, the death penalty is not only an extremely costly, unjustified, and discriminating form of capital punishment, but it is also an exceedingly immoral one that needs to be abolished immediately.