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Arguments for and againts the death penalty
Pros and cons on the death penalty
Arguments against the death penalty
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However, their hanging is definable as murder due to the premeditation of those responsible for their deaths. In regards to the crimes committed and the fact that the victims were well-loved community members, the jury felt as though these criminals’ actions merited their execution. However, if one strips the cloak of law from these citizens, the reasoning behind these hangings is incited by malice and a belief in the necessity of the deaths of these men. Consequently, in a court of law, no intentional killing is justifiable; a murder is a murder, regardless of circumstances. Nonetheless, a juror states during the voir dire examination, “Ordinarily I’m against [capital punishment].
Over the years, a plethora of court cases have caused Americans to wonder: is our jury system indeed as wondrous as it is conceived to be? To explain, the jury system is the concept of giving the defendant in a trial the option of either having a bench trial, one where a judge alone reaches a verdict, or a trial by jury, one where a group of twelve ordinary citizens is chosen to reach a verdict on the case. One may wonder why a dozen everyday denizens are being endowed with the absolute power over a possibly life or death decision in the life of a neighbor that is unknown to them, but the framers of the United States Constitution believed that this was the most democratic option in making sure that justice is properly served. Explaining further,
When finding a jury system, the court attempts to find twelve adults that are unbiased to decide the fate of the defendant. If we lived in a perfect world, that would work but we do not. Almost everybody has an opinion on certain topics that revolve around a case including the death penalty and their own experiences. A jurors will always be biased no matter what they put down when filling out their form. For example, in the 2008 court case, the verdict of the jury stunned the public making many raged and confused (Document D).
Death Qualification: Choosing Jury in Death Penalty Cases Death qualification is a process unique to capital trials in which prospective jurors are questioned about their beliefs regarding the death penalty. Courts can eliminate potential jurors who are not willing to vote for the death penalty in a capital case. If the judge believes that a juror 's feelings about the death penalty would impair his or her ability to judge the case and choose the punishment fairly, that juror will be dismissed "for cause. " There is an unlimited number of "for cause" challenges and typically all jurors who say that they oppose the death penalty are excluded. Jurors who are not eliminated by the judge "for cause" because of their death penalty views can be eliminated
The death penalty is currently legal in 31 states in the United States. The fact that capital punishment is not morally required in any case is true. One could argue jail is not moral either and we would have a larger number of criminals who do not fear any type of punishment. Why should mercy be shown to those who commit senseless acts that take another’s life, on of the most sacred things?
The first objection is that the death penalty does not "provide a measure of moral desert" (Nathanson). For the second, Nathanson states "it does not provide an adequate criterion for determining appropriate levels of punishment." The main objection is an "eye for an eye", or Lex talionis, and I believe it fails to support equality retributivism and creates punishments that are morally unacceptable. There is no way that
Imagine that Zoe’s brother had been sentenced to the death penalty. She knows her brother is innocent and visits him before the execution. The prison smells of dead rodents and faintly of the toxic injection that will eventually find its way into each nail-biting prisoner. The brother cries and laces his cold fingers with Zoe through the cell bars. Zoe cries salty tears and listens to the clatter and moans of prisoners.
The role of the jury in capital cases Capital cases that include the death penalty are carefully analyzed and structured to allow the fairest due process. The selection of the jurors is one of the most crucial parts of the case. Attorneys and judges have to come to an agreement on who will serve on the jury before the case goes to trial. There have been many cases that have argued the selection of the jurors, for example, Uttecht v. Brown, Lockhart v. McCree, and many others. These cases have faced controversy due to the selection of jurors and have set precedents for new and present cases.
Annotated Bibliography Draft Student name : Haider Zafaryab Student number: 2360526 Thesis Statement : Capital Punishment is a very controversial topic around the globe. I believe that it does more harm than good and breeds violence in society. Source 1: Radelet, M. L., & Akers, R. L. (1996).
From the beginning of the foundation of America, men have tried to figure out the correct way to deal with law-opposing criminals. From crucifixion and slavery, to death by firing squad and life sentences, the world has utilized different forms of discipline. The death penalty has formed into the most questionable form of punishment, drawing the most attention from the public eye. This sanction is used to punish criminals for committing the most heinous crimes and offenses. The crimes that obtain the death penalty mostly consist of murder which include murder during a kidnapping, murder for hire, drug-related drive by shooting, and genocide.
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.
Of the eight possible topics in which I was presented to choose from, I have chosen to consider the topic that states: The death penalty is immoral, and no one who has been successfully taken into custody and imprisoned should ever then be executed. The reason I chose this topic is because I am neutral on the subject and have no bias towards either side. However, the fact that I am neutral on the subject will help me represent both sides equally and give a fair and honest argument from each angle. The reason I chose this topic over the other options would be because I have never really invested much time or thought into how ethical/unethical the death penalty actually is. This presents an opportunity for me to think critically about this topic, and therefore, form my own opinion on whether or not I agree/disagree with the statement provided.
Annotated Bibliography Aronson, Jay D., and Simon A. Cole. “Science And The Death Penalty: DNA, Innocence, And The Debate Over Capital Punishment In The United States.” Law & Social Inquiry 2009, pp. 603-633. Academic Search Complete, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=43649701&site=ehost-live. Jay D. Aronson and Simon A. Cole’s article “Science and the Death Penalty: DNA, Innocence, and the Debate over Capital Punishment in the United States,” (2009) proposes that the death penalty needs to be abolished because of the permanence of capital punishment.
Capital punishment, otherwise known as the death penalty, is a humane form of execution legally used on a person convicted of a capital crime such as murder, or treason. To some, capital punishment is justice, providing closure for the loss of a loved one. With others, however, it is just more senseless violence slowly tearing people apart. Due to its dark history, the ruthless discrimination it causes, and the major conflicts that it has created, capital punishment is considered to be one of the most controversial components of the United States Criminal Justice System.
When people commit into crime or offenses seriously, they should be sentenced to be punished as a result of death. This is the definition of death penalty. Nowadays, there are many kinds of sanctions to punish those criminals and death penalty is definitely the most cruel and extreme one. Some people think a government should ban the existence of death penalty in a country because such penalty is a symbol of disregarding of human rights. Other people consider death penalty as a effective way to prevent revenge by those criminals and threaten other offenders in order to keep the order of society.
