Synthesis Essay On Capital Punishment

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. As long as there is no pain involved, the national courts have ruled that the use of the death

Many acknowledged the fact that capital punishment decreases the value of human life, which misrepresents the values of what the American government stands for.This argument not only defends the claim that the death penalty is unethical, but also introduces the idea that capital punishment remaining legal has a negative effect on a country's society as a whole because of the trivialization of human life. Many human rights activists and individuals interested in protecting the inalienable rights of American citizens also argue that the use of capital punishment violates a person’s inheritable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The legality of the death penalty can be seen as a violation to an individual's freedom and liberty, as it strips a person of their most basic right to life. Although there are still many that argue that lack of capital punishment for crimes such as murder takes value away from human life, this argument is fundamentally flawed

The United States specifically is built upon the idea of a person's right to life and liberty, but the legality of the death penalty directly strips citizens of this right. American Civil Liberties Union, founded in 1920 to defend the rights and freedom of American citizens, stated “The U.S. death penalty system flagrantly violates human rights law. It is often applied in an arbitrary and discriminatory manner without affording vital due process rights. Moreover, methods of execution and death row conditions have been condemned as cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment and even torture” (Human Rights and the Death Penalty). There are many reasons the capital punishment system in the United States is unjust; it is often racially motivated, demeaning, and cruel. But, the most basic reason the death penalty should be abolished is that by taking the guilty’s life, or in some circumstances the wrongfully accused life, the government is also stripping them of all other freedom’s guaranteed to them by the constitution. The judiciary system has every right to detain those who break the law, but nowhere in the constitution are they given the right to take another person’s life. This “act of justice” is viewed by many as murder itself. Amnesty International stated “The death penalty is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state.” Anyone would say