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Capital Punishment Thesis Statement

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Recommended: Reasons why the death penalty should be abolished

Andrew Zamora
Sophia Learning
English II
January 18, 2023

Capital Punishment
Research Question: What evidence exists to support the claim that the use of capital punishment as a deterrent for crime is ineffective and how does it perpetuate a cycle of violence and fail to address the underlying societal issues that lead to criminal behavior?
I. Introduction
Background Information
Capital punishment is a flawed and ineffective system that fails to deter crime, is prone to errors and miscarriages of justice, and is disproportionately applied to marginalized and minority groups. As of 2021, there were approximately 2,743 people on death row in the United States. The racial makeup of death row inmates is disproportionately black and white, with …show more content…

Source 1
Hiromoto, L., Keltner, C., Frizzell, W., Chien, J., & Sparr, L. (2022). PTSD and trauma as mitigating factors in sentencing in capital cases. The journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 50(1), 22-33.
II. The ineffectiveness of capital punishment as a deterrent
A. Lack of evidence for a deterrent effect
B. Studies showing no correlation between capital punishment and crime rates
c. Innocents have been sentenced to death and later exonerated, raising serious questions about the accuracy of the criminal justice system (Hiromoto et al., 2022).
Source 1
Hiromoto, L., Keltner, C., Frizzell, W., Chien, J., & Sparr, L. (2022). PTSD and trauma as mitigating factors in sentencing in capital cases. The journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 50(1), 22-33.
III. The perpetuation of violence
A. The moral implications of state-sanctioned killing. Notably, the use of lethal injection, the most common method of execution in the US, has also come under scrutiny in recent years due to the use of controversial drugs, difficulties obtaining them, and concerns about their effectiveness and human nature (Malešević, …show more content…

The points above summarize the arguments against capital punishment as a deterrent to crime. There is a lack of evidence for its effectiveness, and studies have shown no correlation between the use of capital punishment and crime rates. Additionally, there are concerns about the accuracy of the criminal justice system, as innocent individuals have been sentenced to death and later exonerated. State-sanctioned killing is also seen as morally questionable and potentially perpetuating violence. Furthermore, the death penalty does not address underlying social issues such as poverty, inequality, and lack of access to education and opportunities that contribute to criminal behavior. Additionally, the arguments point out that the death penalty is disproportionately applied to people of color, those with lower income, and those with inadequate legal

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