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.
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. Some Americans believe the death penalty brings justice, when someone is murdered. Capital punishment is a controversial issue in the society. Pros--Some people favor the death penalty because it is believed to deter crime. Criminals might think twice before they commit a crime if they knew they were going to get the death penalty.
Many prosecutors use the threat of the death penalty as a way of getting a plea deal to get the offender off the streets. (Ewegen, 1994) Yet using the death penalty this way does not make it a deterrent against crime, it just keeps the judicial system from spending more money on trials. The death penalty has been abolished in many developed societies. The death penalty has no deterrent effect on capital crime. More over, the risk of executing an innocent person is unacceptable.
It is both mentally cruel (to BOTH the guilty party AND the victims family) and it is costly to society. Death is final - if someone is innocent they can never be revived; so, in this opinion, it does not discourage crime. Moreover, the death penalty costs the state and US government millions of dollars for each person put to death, making it obsolete compared to keeping the person in prison for life. Religion can also play a part in this, as many religions disregard and don't believe in putting a person’s to their deaths.The arguments against the death penalty are mainly ethical in their nature, that it is basically wrong to kill and that when the state kills it sends out the wrong message to the rest of the country.The main arguments in favor of restoring the death penalty are those of deterrence and retribution: the theory is that people will be dissuaded from violent crime if they know they will face the ultimate punishment and that people should face the same treatment that they gave out to others.Many people insist that, a sentencing judge is required to consider any mitigating circumstances before imposing the death penalty. If we take a close look at the overall problem with the effectiveness of the death penalty in California, we see that “the average was between conviction and execution”
Because of the fact there are more crimes that are worse than this, such as murder, and rape In which someone should be put to death, not just because a person can’t prove someone’s guilt. Also I believe this law is saying if another person cannot prove guilt and the person is indeed guilty, the innocent person is the one who pays the consequences.
Although there are many pros and cons to the death penalty, you must weigh them all out to decide if you are for or against it. I believe it is immoral not to take the life of someone who has raped, molested, tortured, or murdered someone. These are just a few of many things that I believe you should be killed for doing. Justice should right a wrong, with an eye for an eye, but it is not always equal justice that is sentenced. It would not be out of balance for the death penalty to be forced on someone in cases when rape and molestation has happened.
The American Civil Liberties Union holds that the death penalty inherently violates the constitutional ban against cruel and unusual punishment and the guarantee of due process of law and the equal protection of the laws. The imposition of the death penalty is inconsistent with fundamental values of our democratic system. The state should not arrogate unto itself the right to kill human beings, especially when it kills with premeditation and ceremony. We shall therefore continue to seek to prevent executions and to abolish capital punishment by litigation, legislation, commutation, or by the weight of a renewed public outcry against this brutal and brutalizing institution. Opponents of capital punishment say it has no deterrent effect on crime, wrongly gives governments the power to take human life, and spreads social injustices by disproportionately targeting people of color (racist) and people who cannot afford good attorneys (classist).
The murder of multiple people? There is no concrete standard. Every individual case has the potential for a different outcome based on factors such as race, age, mental health, sex, economic class, representation, the jury, and/or the judge. Discrimination is an inevitable part of capital punishment. These factors provide substantial evidence that the death penalty is not applied fairly and therefore should be eliminated.
Only in some major cases which includes only death of an innocent person with criminal intent. Since majority of inmates sitting on death row are there for murder, I believe the death penalty is a fair sentence and have total confidence in our death penalty. Many people will argue both pro’s and cons to whether the death penalty is effective. It’s been a very controversial subject since the American people are dealing with real peoples lives. Lives of the innocent who has died by the hands of a heartless murderer, and lives of those related to
He presents a question as if a solider doing his duty in war is the same as a person convicted of murder. Here is where I disagree with him. I believe that many men and women who are serving any military know what they could possibly have to do if they are sent off to war. They are aware of the possibility of having to defend themselves and take another life. This to me is different than a planned and strategic murder of another person.