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Luis Garavito: Replacing The Death Penalty In America

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Luis Garavito, the world’s most prolific serial killer, is known for killing the most victims in the world. Garavito raped and murdered over one hundred and forty children in Columbia (Heyden). Since Columbia does not enforce the death penalty, he was sentenced to one thousand eight hundred and fifty-three years in prison. The Colombian law states that a criminal can only be imprisoned for up to forty years, and since he helped law enforcement discover a few bodies he was re-sentenced to twenty-four years in prison (Heyden). Reasons such as these exemplify the need for the death penalty and why it is beneficial in America. For decades, Americans have relied on capital punishment to prevent serial killers and other criminals from committing heinous crimes. …show more content…

The argument used by many death penalty advocates is that it serves to deter other violent criminals and murderers from committing such vicious acts themselves. Dating back to the early 1600s, the first recorded death sentence was carried out on Captain George Kendall in 1608 (Reggio). Kendall was killed by a firing squad for allegedly spying on America for the Spanish government (Reggio). This was the first of many executions by either a firing squad, hanging, asphyxiation, lethal gas, electrocution or lethal injection. Despite these horrific methods, Americans should support the death penalty because it demonstrates the power of the United States court system, serves as a warning to other offenders, protects citizens, and can bring a sense of peace to the families and friends of the

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American society has always wrestled with the concept and ethics of capital punishment. Despite the meticulous process involved when convicting someone, there are many questions and exceptions about who qualifies and the process in and of itself, as to be expected when dealing with something so profound and permanent. What if the accused is mentally ill? What if the perpetrator committed the crime when defending someone else? What if the convicted is innocent, but still put to death?

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Capital punishment has long been a heavily debated issue. In his article, “The Rescue Defence of Capital Punishment,” author Steve Aspenson make a moral argument in favor of capital punishment on the grounds that that is the only way to bring about justice and “rescue” murder victims. Aspenson argues as follows: 1. We have a general, prima facie duty to rescue victims from increasing harm. 2.

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The death penalty was first established dating back to as far as eighteenth century B.C. found in the code of King Hammurabi. Yet, for America the penalty started with great influence from Britain. The first recorded execution in America was “that of Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of Virginia in 1608” ( “Introduction to the Death Penalty”). He was executed for being a

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Rough Draft Is the death penalty an effective and justified punishment? This is a topic many Americans have discussed for a long time, and has caused much controversy. Both sides have their pros and cons, and they will be discussed. The first point that many people have about capital punishment is that it’s unconstitutional.

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Capital Punishment helps deterrence rates, and cost options for the future, and if the death penalty is inhumane, there will no longer be doubt on whether it is

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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.

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This is definitely the best definition of justice that has ever existed or ever will exist. Listed above are some reasons found that America should oppose the death penalty alongside of personal views on summarizing what the information means, this should be an eye opener for many. First, to speak

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Deterrence and the Death Penalty: The Views of the Experts. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (1973-), 87(1), 1. doi:10.2307/1143970 This article was written by Michael L. Radelet and Ronald L. Akers. They both consulted experts on criminology and criminal behaviour to evaluate the effectiveness of the Death Penalty.

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Therefore, the verdict that is given by the judge can have a great impact on the victim’s family. A reason for capital punishment in our legal system is to exterminate vermins like murderers and rapists who must not be let to live. Pedro Lopez is known as one of the most scariest serial killers in the history of mankind who alone is responsible for rape and murder of more than 300 women in South America during the 1970s. However, when he was caught, he was sentenced to only 14 years in prison. After serving his sentence, he was declared “sane” and was allowed to reintegrate into society.

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“‘Death sentences represent less than one-tenth of 1% of prison sentences in the United States…,’” (Von Drehle, 9). Furthermore, death row is just a small fraction of the criminal justice system and can not be based on that alone. For instance, what many don't take into account is the justice systems allows for many states, such as the populous state of New York, to ban the death penalty. (state laws, p1)

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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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Ever since the outset of the American Constitution, capital punishment has existed as a crime sentence in the United States. However, in recent decades, this topic has become highly controversial, as many states have dictated against the death penalty. Although states with this position on capital punishment are increasing, some states, such as Texas, have continued to edict this practice in their provinces. In the State of Texas, the sentence to death upon a person should not be permitted due to the fact it can wrongly convict a person, its court trial is highly expensive, and it brings forth an unjust treatment.

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Public executions have been part of United States since the 1608 execution of Captain George Kendall, and its application survived to the present-day (Archibald, 2015). Currently, thirty-one states still retain the death penalty but fortunately only seven in 2014 conducted executions (Death Penalty Database, 2014). Recent, debate between scholar's address the legality of the death penalty and whether heinous crimes constitute an automatic execution. However, the current debates neglect to directly address the reason why some U.S. states allow the death penalty while others have made it illegal. In the context of examining the difference in scholarly debates and the legality of the death penalty, the following hypothesis interprets the

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As of the current moment, the use of capital punishment in the United States is still legal in certain states and under specific conditions. Although the use of the capital punishment has been harshly reprimanded over the recent decades, there are many states that still see the death penalty as the proper punishment for the most extreme of crimes. At its core, the death penalty is defined as “the execution of a person as punishment for a crime against the state” (Death Penalty). This is the most extreme punishment a person can receive in the American justice system, and, under federal laws, it is still perfectly acceptable from a legal perspective.

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Death Penalty According to the 2010 Gallup Poll, 64% of the United State of America are supporting the death penalty, I as an American am part of that 36% that is against it. I do not believe that we as human being should determine whether another person should live or die. A second reason that I am against the death penalty is for the reason that the accused person could be innocent and normally the accused person only has one court presentation and is only judged by the judge not a jury of their peer, and is sent to death row where they pay for a crime that they haven’t done. My final reason that i do not believe that the death penalty should count as a punishment for the American people is because, a person that has done a massive massacre shouldn’t just be able to leave the world just like that without paying and suffering for what they have done, Or should the death punishment continue as it is for it has a great benefit to us as citizens of the United States.

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