The chance of a criminal being sentenced to death is very slim. The number of inmates actually put to death is far less than it was decades ago. This decrease in number shows that the death penalty is faulty. With that being true, many criminals feel that they can get away with a crime and go unpunished. Also, the less that the death sentence is invoked, the more conflicting it becomes when it is actually used.
Capital punishment saves money and overcrowding in the prisons. The death penalty is the only punishment that would directly compensate for the tragic loss of a loved one. Cons---There are some people against the death penalty because they believe it is not fair to the poor, who cannot afford to hire an attorney to defend them. The poor usually get the death penalty because they are appointed an incompetent court appointed attorney with little or no experience in trying capital cases. There have been a lot of innocent people put to death.
Over the past century, murder rates have gone up a record high leaving the death penalty as the only option to stop murders. There are some criminologists who believe that capital punishment does not prevent crime. In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court abolished capital punishment due to the court case Furman vs. Georgia, that made murder rates higher then what they usually were. Many murders are caused by those who know each other i.e., relatives, friends, and acquaintances. Arguments go back and forth whether capital punishment is “cruel and unusual punishment” because of the torture people on death row go through.
Death penalty VS Life in prison By Colin Robertson “Other states are trying to abolish the death penalty... mine's putting in an express lane.” – Ron White The death penalty, as it is commonly referred, is the penalty sometimes given to the criminals faced with the most horrific crimes possible. Many feel it is necessary in order to keep society safe because of how it permanently removes these select people from society, feeling that this will keep them safe from danger. It has been a part of the justice system since the beginning of human history, used primarily in cases of murder, treason and in military service, but just because something is old, doesn’t mean it’s what is right. The last several centuries have seen the emergence of modern nation states. Almost obvious to the concept of nation state is the idea of citizenship.
The death penalty is a great tool for the American justice system. Without it, criminals may have the opportunity to reoffend or commit other heinous crimes. The death penalty also saves the lives of what may be future victims by preventing these criminals from ever having the opportunity to commit another crime against innocent civilians. There are those who will argue that we are taking away their human rights to live. True, every human was born with human rights, but I believe if you take away someone else’s life, you give up your human rights.
That is a true punishment; knowing you have done something wrong and genuinely regretting it. There is a chance the the wrong person could be executed. Within the past forty years more than 140 people have been released from death row in 26 states after being wrongly convicted. For every ten people executed in the United States, one of them is exonerated. "The death penalty costs more, delivers less, and puts innocent lives at risk.
b. When DNA testing became more advanced prisoners that have always known they were innocent and serving long prison times or ones that were on death row for crimes that did not happen but were convicted of them as well as ones who were wrongfully convicted of crimes they did not commit these people started to petition for DNA testing. 2. The size and scope of the Wrongful Conviction Problem in the United States a. DNA testing is usually only done when it comes to high end capital cases because there is more to generate from which gives greater assistance to avoid executions. When it comes to assault, robbery, and burglary cases there will be typically more error due to eyewitness identification and circumstantial evidence.
While criminals get more creative, the criminal justice system and the forensic science specialists have to update the techniques and tools that are used while obtaining evidence for the new crimes. Furthermore, medicine and technology are vital tools for the forensic science department to use to help explain the actions of the criminals. Using the results of the crimes it’s essential for law enforcement agents because they are given the power to help convict an individual as well as the prevention of future crimes. The origin of this type of science cannot be accurately pinpointed however, according to writer H.J. Walls’ in his article “Whiter Forensic Science’’ it started as a hobby of a few scientists who liked to become mixed up in the proceedings of the police and enjoyed the kind of problems this association brought them (Walls 32).” Another writer Cowan in his article “Decision Theory in Law, Science, and Technology” The aim of science, traditionally put, is to search out the ways in which truth may become known.
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.
Also, some new methods of DNA testing have found inmates to be innocent. States are looking into DNA testing to see how accurate it really is and if they are necessary in every Death Row court case. (www.deathpenalty.org) The topic of capital punishment is evident in the world today. The dispute over if it should be allowed or not plays a big role in society. Changes are still being made today to improve the methods and to please the public’s opinion.