ipl-logo

Why Abolish The Death Penalty

911 Words4 Pages

As of Dec. 31, 2010 at least 17,833 people are sentenced to die. (“Death Penalty”)This sentence comes in the form of the death penalty, a debatable method of punishment, that has been used all over the world. The penalty was first brought to America by European settlers and the first recorded execution in the new colonies was Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of Virginia in 1608. After being brought to a council Kendall and hung for his crimes. (“Wrongful Convictions Overturned”) Today capital punishment is much different. The punishment is now exclusively for the crime of murder. It is meant to provide closure to victims families, justice, and deter people from commiting murder. Theses goals do not rationalise the negatives. The United States should abolish the death penalty because it is cruel and unnecessary, extremely costly, and has not proven as effective deterrent of decreasing crime.
This punishment is a aberant way to handle justice. In the early …show more content…

A case involving the death penalty is $1.26 million, while one without costs $740,000. (“Death Penalty”) While one might think it is cheaper to execute someone than to house, feed and take care of them for the rest of their life, it is not. The death sentence costs at least 18 times as much as a sentence of life without parole would cost. (“California Affirms Death”)There are many costs that make a death sentence far more expensive than a sentence of life without parole. Because it is the truly irreversible form of punishment it requires a long and complex judicial process for capital cases, including several levels of mandatory review of the case. In addition to theses appeals and processings can takes decades to complete. This is way too expensive for an unjust punishment and the money could be used for better things. Because of its extreme cost, the death punishment should be abolished and replaced with life in

Show More
Related

  • Abolishing The Death Penalty In Colonial America

    1741 Words  | 7 Pages

    The death penalty goes far back into history, across many different civilizations, and many different cultures. It has been around since the beginnings of colonial America, and was very different compared to todays standards. “In colonial America, criminals

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Capital Punishment In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

    1512 Words  | 7 Pages

    Being on death row often prolongs the pain for the inmate. They spend their time in prison fearing the inevitable which for them is death. Today, we live in a society that is very divided on this issue. There are many in support of the death penalty, suggesting that it acts as a positive deterrent against future crime. There are also many

    Read More

  • Does The Death Penalty Violate The 8th Amendment

    405 Words  | 2 Pages

    The University of Texas-Pan American Essay #2 Anna Salkinder LSPI July 27, 2015 The death penalty has been a major topic of debate in the United States as well as various parts of the world for numerous years. At this time, there are thirty-one states in which the death penalty is legal. Nineteen states have completely abolished it (“States with and without The Death Penalty”). Since its initial development back in the 1600’s, the death penalty has taken a different course in the way it is utilized. In its early days, the death penalty was greatly used and implemented for several offenses.

    Read More

  • Abolish The Death Penalty In Texas

    760 Words  | 4 Pages

    The death penalty is a precedent set centuries ago as a method of punishment for severe crimes. In 1923, the state of Texas declared that those sentenced to death were to suffer through the electric chair by the hands of the state, instead of being hanged by the hands of the counties (TX Executions). Later on, Texas would adopt the lethal injection method. Many see the death penalty as an inhumane violation of the basic rights defined in the Bill of Rights. On the other hand, others may argue that it is unpractical to abolish the death penalty due to the voidance of justice.

    Read More

  • Death Penalty Cost Less Than Life In Prison Without Parole

    468 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some people think that the cost of the death penalty is so expensive per case. Most opponents present as fact, that the cost of the death penalty is so expensive at least $2 million per case. According to Dudley Sharp, reporter of ProCon.org in his article, Does the Death Penalty Cost Less Than Life in Prison without Parole, “There is no question that the upfront cost of the death penalty are significantly higher than for equivalent life without parole

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Capital Punishment

    873 Words  | 4 Pages

    Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is a legal process in which a person is put to death as a punishment for a crime by the government of a nation. The United States is in the minority group of nations that uses the death penalty. There are thirty-three states that allow capital punishment and seventeen states that abolished it (Death Penalty Information Center). The morality of the death penalty has been debated for many years. Some people want capital punishment to be abolished due to how it can cost a lot more than life imprisonment without parole, how they think it is immoral to kill, and how innocent people can be put to death.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: Race And The Death Penalty

    659 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although the death penalty may bring some closure to families of the victims and even the victims themselves it still should be abolished because the negatives outweigh the positives. People could be murdered by the state even if they are innocent. They are taking away any chance these people have at a normal life even though it's a life that they deserve and did nothing to have it taken away. 6. Conclusion

    Read More

  • Controversy: The Anti-Death Penalty Reform

    1394 Words  | 6 Pages

    The death penalty has been a system of punishment since its establishment in 1608 when Captain George Kendall became the first recorded execution in the new colonies. As the deaths caused by the death penalty per year began to lower, the levels of controversy surrounding its use began to rise. Today the death penalty has become more of a burden than a boon to society. I believe that in its current form the death penalty is a costly, discriminatory, and cruel system that needs to be reformed. One reason the current death penalty needs to be reformed is it costly system..

    Read More

  • John Stuart Mill's Arguments Against The Death Penalty

    900 Words  | 4 Pages

    The death penalty is a punishment of execution, given to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. The death penalty laws were established in the 18th century B.C when king Hammaurabi of Babylon instituted the law for 25 different crimes. In Jewish history the death penalty could only be given after trail by the Sanhedrin, which was composed of twenty-three judges. There were four different ways the death penalty was imposed on an individual, these were burning, stoning, strangling and slaying (Talmud). In today’s society most countries have abolished the death penalty due to various reasons such as unfair justice, but others still have it in place, for example some states in The United States of America.

    Read More

  • Should The Death Penalty Be Illegal Essay

    1267 Words  | 6 Pages

    The death penalty, is the loss of life, which is induced by different tactics. The most common methods in the United States is lethal injection, hanging, firing squad, and the electric chair. The most chosen method by inmates is lethal injection. Lethal injection consists of the inmate being strapped to an operating table or gurney and a trained medical doctor will place two needles into the veins of the arms(Death Penalty Information Center).

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech: Why The Death Penalty Must End

    767 Words  | 4 Pages

    Why death penalty must end ‘’An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind,’’ said Mahatma Gandhi. The execution of someone who has possibly done a crime is an inhuman act. Death penalty is hypocritical and flawed. If killing is wrong, why do we kill when a criminal has done the crime of killing someone? In this essay, I will write why death penalty should end by writing about the violation of human rights, execution of innocent people, the fact that it does not deter crime and money.

    Read More

  • Should Death Penalty Be Abolished?

    1320 Words  | 6 Pages

    The major reason why the death penalty should be abolished is that the cost of the death penalty is too much and the USA is in debt to many other countries. What this means is that the death penalty should be abolished and also the cost death penalty is more than the cost of maximum sentence life in prison. According to J. Marceau and H. Whitson, “The Cost of Colorado’s Death penalty,” 3 Univ. of Denver Criminal Law Review “A new study of the cost of the death penalty in Colorado revealed that capital proceedings require six times more days in court and

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Essay: An End To The Death Penalty

    1249 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Death Penalty first arose and originated all the way back from Ancient China. It started with those whose crimes went against the Ancient Empire. Those who disobeyed the ruler or palace were punished by death. Beheading was the usual way of Capital Punishment in Ancient China. They killed off civilians, mercilessly.

    Read More

  • Death Penalty Appeals Process Essay

    1467 Words  | 6 Pages

    The death penalty is the ostensible purpose of the death penalty is deterrence of heinous crimes. ... Hence when the perpetrator of a heinous crime is put to death by the State, there is a sense of 'justice' being done and that the survivors can get 'closure'. Before I learned about the complete process of the death penalty I was totally for it but now that I've learned more about it I have became undecided.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Essay: The Ethics Of The Death Penalty

    1985 Words  | 8 Pages

    Politicians are using the death penalty as a superficial solution to crime so that they can distinguish themselves by their toughness rather than the actual effectiveness of the death penalty. The most common alternative to capital punishment is life imprisonment with no parole. The capital punishment trials are much longer and more expensive in each segment than other murder trials. Capital trials are longer and more expensive at every step than other murder trials. Hugo Adam Bedau is a leading anti-death penalty scholar and had this to say regarding capital punishment

    Read More

More about Why Abolish The Death Penalty

Open Document