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Controversial Issues Concerning The Death Penalty

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Defining the Issue
Execution is the ultimate, irrevocable punishment: the risk of executing an innocent person can never be eliminated. The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, is an execution done by the government or state as a punishment for a serious crime. There are controversial issues over the death penalty and extremists from both sides widely express their opinions. Such issues include the chance of an innocent person being put to death, the death penalty being a racist form of punishment, and the cost of the death penalty versus life imprisonment. The death penalty breaches two essential human rights: the right to life and the right to live free from torture. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN …show more content…

Supporters see the death penalty as the only deserved punishment, whereas opponents of capital punishment see the corruption behind it, such as a scenario in which someone is unjustly condemned. In some countries, the person one sleeps with can result in condemnation, in contrast to the places that reserve it for the acts of terror and murder. Some countries execute people under 18 years old when the crime was committed, while others use the death penalty against people who suffer mental …show more content…

They face isolation from prisoners, exclusion from prison educational and employment programs, and restriction in terms of visitation and exercise. The inmates' living conditions examined by Dr. Grassian were extreme: a 6 × 9-foot cell with no window to the outside world, furnished only with a steel bed, steel table and stool, and a steel open toilet, all lighted by a single 60-watt bulb. There was no television, radio and reading materials other than a Bible. The cell has a solid steel door shut throughout the day with only a small plexiglass window to an inner corridor. Psychologists and lawyers in the United States and elsewhere have argued that protracted periods in the confines of death row can make inmates suicidal, delusional and insane. Some have referred to the living conditions on death row – the bleak isolation and years of uncertainty until the execution – as the "death row phenomenon," and the psychological effects that can result as "death row

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The documentary solitary nation demonstrates the effects of solitary confinement on the prisoner’s health. There are several problems associated with using segregation as a punishment, however, the main problem is the effects to the mental health of the inmates. The documentary illustrate that some prisoner lost their sanity in solitary confinement. One example is what happened to the prisoner Adam Brulotte, at the beginning of his solitary confinement time he was optimistic and have plans to improve himself by reading books and think about his future, but only after twenty five days he started to lose his mind and become unstable, threaten to cut himself, pushes feces under the door and flooded the unit. This behavior clearly indicates segregation bad affects to the mental health of the inmates.

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Owing to the fact that these inmates are considered to be a danger to the prison population, their ability to participate in certain activities inmates are allowed, the privilege of these activities are taken away and inmates are isolated as punishment. Whenever a person is isolated form social settings and human interactions they often develop social disorders and mental illnesses. “When anyone, mentally ill or not, does not have enough social contact, it affects them mentally and even physically. Loneliness creates stress, taking a toll on health. Other things affected can be the ability to learn and memory function.

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Criminals on death row will be placed in solitary confinement. This usually consists of twenty-three hours a day, alone in a small cell, with the only human interaction being with the jailer letting the criminal out for their one hour of exercise. Since the average time spent on death row is approximately ten years, the daily solitary confinement can have detrimental psychological effects on the prisoners. These effects, called Death Row Syndrome, include symptoms such as, depression, paranoia, hallucinations, self mutilation, thoughts of suicide, and stress (Harrison, 6-7). Prisoners also experience psychological stress and mental suffering from not knowing when their execution date will be.

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Some individuals find solace in being alone; however, imagine being alone in a concrete cell for months or even years? Isolated from the entire world into a small box seems intimidating, but this tactic is used throughout the US prison system. Solitary confinement is as a disciplinary action on the prisoners to ensure their safety and serve as punishment. This issue has raised both ethical and practical questions on its usage through US prisons because of its benefits and drawbacks. Isolated and cramped, for the next months or years, in a small area where the prisoner would sleep and eat is implemented into the prison systems.

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Thousands of people across America are experiencing near-hell while they are locked inside a type of prison called solitary confinement. Solitary confinement must come to an end in America, even for the worst of criminals. The effects of solitary confinement consist of mental illnesses, wrongful convictions, staff members receiving trouble, the long-lasting suffering for the criminals, and the number of people experiencing it must end now. Solitary confinement can change the life of a person behind bars forever. Prisoners are left with multiple mental illnesses, and some are worse than others.

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While it is true that prisoners in these facilities are kept in solitary confinement for long periods of time, and their interactions with the outside world are limited, the conditions in some supermax prisons are not as inhumane as they are sometimes portrayed. Many facilities have implemented programs to mitigate the effects of isolation, such as education and rehabilitation programs, as well as regular interaction with staff members. The question of whether the conditions in supermax prisons constitutes cruel and unusual punishment is a complex one. The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, but the interpretation of this clause has evolved over time. In recent years, there has been a growing consensus that prolonged solitary confinement can amount to cruel and unusual punishment, especially when it is used as a punishment in and of itself, rather than as a temporary measure for security

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Inmates in confinement have no contact with any human beings other than the guards, and this often leads to extreme mental health problems. Additionally, many inmates do not receive proper medical treatment and are left with severe physical health complications. One example of these health problems is presented in an excerpt from the American Law Yearbook from 2017. In this excerpt, the authors say, “Those held in solitary confinement are often subject to physical torture, including different types of restraints. Prisoners report that they also endure nonphysical torture, such as sensory deprivation, forced insomnia, permanent bright lighting, and extreme temperature.”

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First, it has given prisoners severe mental issues and pain that have made sone reach the point of suicide. Second, it violates international charters aiming to preserve human dignity. Third, it increases the recidivism rate among prisoners who completed their sentences. Furthermore, it has locked people in a metal box for at most 22-24 hours a day, as permissible by law in the U.S. (“Solitary Confinement Facts”). To end this injustice, lawmakers in the United States must agree to introduce alternatives to solitary confinement.

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People are born into different beliefs systems and therefore form opinions on worldly controversial topics very differently as well. For example, the death penalty stirs controversial debate all around the world. Death penalty also known as capital punishment is defined as the practice of executing an individual as punishment for a specific crime after conviction by a court of law. In the Unites States, the death sentence is legal in 32 states, with Texas holding the highest of these rates. The total number of executions in the US since 1976 is 1419, with only 16 of those being women (Death Penalty Info. Center).

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, nearly 20% of inmates spent time in solitary confinement between 2011 and 2012 (1). Solitary confinement, or more commonly known as extreme isolation, is when prisoners are locked up in small cells and have no contact with the outside world for at least 23 hours a day. This could last for several months, and sometimes decades. What are the effects of this sort of treatment towards inmates in prisons and jails?

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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.

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The Death Penalty The argument for criminals to receive the death penalty, also known as Capital Punishment, has been an on-going debate for years. This issue has been very hasty in the United States because people have their own opinion on this topic. A majority of people believes that the death penalty should be passed as a law in the states, but others think that criminals should just have life in prison. If a criminal was to commit a murder(s), the person should receive the same treatment as a person they killed, death.

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The death penalty is the act of punishing a criminal to death who has committed a crime such as first-degree murder, espionage, or treason. This process can also be called capital punishment. The death penalty law started to become a controversial topic in the early 20th century after World War 1. Opponents of the death penalty argue the inhumane, unconstitutional, and wrongly accused aspects of the death penalty. Proponents argue the financial savings, deterrent effects, and retribution aspects of the death penalty.

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The Death Penalty, loss of life due to previous crimes and actions, is believed by some to be extremely costly, inhumane, and cruel unlike some others whom believe it is just, right, and provides closure. The Death Penalty is not a quick and easy process. Most who get sentenced to deaths row wait years for their ultimate punishment of death. Some believe that it is not right to punish and kill a human for actions they have done because, they believe that the inmate should have another chance. Then others believe that it is right to punish someone for their actions especially if their actions involve killing another or multiple humans.

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Waiting in a prison cell for many years, an inmate in death row doesn’t know when his life will come to an end. This is a law under the U.S. government that is allowed to kill people who have committed a crime that’s grave enough. If someone commits a capital crime, they will be punished legally under the law. Taking a rope to the neck, or charging volts to the brain, it’s what people are fighting against today. Organizations are taking action against the death penalty by researching, publishing, and exposing facts whenever officials want to abuse their power with the law.

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