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?
The death penalty has been one of the most controversial debates in the United States. Some believe that an eye for an eye is an effective mean of punishment while others believe that such mean of punishment is not effective in modern society. Edward Koch believes the death penalty affirms the sanctity of life. In the article by Edward Koch, published in The New Republic, “Death and Justice: How Capital Punishment Affirms Life,’ he utilizes the rhetorical devices of ethos, pathos and logos to justify his position for the death penalty towards the people opposing the death penalty.
Whether a criminal is guilty of committing murder or any other capital offense, they should all be given the same sentence - life in prison. How is it fair to allow them to voluntarily choose the death penalty over prison? Criminals willingly sought to break the law and should endure the lifelong debt they owe not only to society but to the family of the innocent victims whose lives have been taken. As asserted by Robert Johnson, a professor of justice and law, and Sandra Smith, a professor of legal studies, death by incarceration is a more effective and suitable form of punishment than the death penalty (Cromie and Zott 174). Although some might argue that it is unfair to keep a criminal alive, they fail to understand that the freedom they once had is permanently lost.
Some see the death penalty as the only means to extract justice for victims. Others see it as a morally reprehensible act where a second wrong is committed in order to make something right. With recent issues surrounding the death penalty in which execution hasn 't gone as planned sparking a nationwide debate, this is my outlook on why I 'm for the death penalty not only being abolished in the state of Texas but in addition to the entirety of the US..
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.
The US court has always strived to practice moral standards, while imparting a fair punishment upon its victims, but when it comes to the death penalty, it’s difficult to know where to draw the line. The first execution in America happened in 1608 in Virginia. In 1612 laws such as the Divine Moral and Martial Laws, were created. These laws used the death penalty for even minor offenses. In the 1930’s executions reached the highest levels in American history at 167 per year.
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.
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.
Politicians are using the death penalty as a superficial solution to crime so that they can distinguish themselves by their toughness rather than the actual effectiveness of the death penalty. The most common alternative to capital punishment is life imprisonment with no parole. The capital punishment trials are much longer and more expensive in each segment than other murder trials. Capital trials are longer and more expensive at every step than other murder trials. Hugo Adam Bedau is a leading anti-death penalty scholar and had this to say regarding capital punishment
Imagine a family member of yours got framed with something he didn't commit and sentenced to capital punishment, how would you feel? The capital punishment has been thrown back and forth with the argument that it is, or it is not an acceptable way of punishing. Offenders are doing what they know best, breaking the law, but the government instead of fixing the problem by doing something better, the make it worse by taking another life from society, which can be considered a "crime." The capital punishment is currently being used by thirty-four out of the fifty in the United States. Capital punishment often establishes the question, "Does the government have the right to take away someone's life?
Capital punishment is considered the utmost sentencing option in the United States. It is being put to death for committing what is called a capital offense or a drastic crime. Today, it is a debated issue In the U.S. as to whether states should allow capital punishment as an option or completely ban it. Indeed, capital punishment should be abolished in all U.S. states for many obvious reasons. Sentencing someone to death is something that should be reconsidered.
Jonathan Rothschild Capital Punishment essay Inhumanity of Capital Punishment Capital punishment is not a humane way of making a suspect suffer as worse as the victim who got killed suffered that day. It might seem that the cost of keeping someone in jail might be more than the death penalty but according to deathpenalty.org, the cost of keeping someone in jail is only a fraction of the cost of the death penalty. In California, the state spends 184 million dollars a year on the death penalty and is on track to spend 1 billion dollars over the next 5 years. Also, the death penalty doesn’t prove that people are innocent before being proved guilty because innocent people have died years before evidence was found that they were really innocent. There have been many debates
The Death Penalty Imported from the United Kingdom, the exercise of the death penalty has been recorded as far back in the United States as 1608. Since then, the subject has constantly been contested, with major anti-capital punishment victories occurring as early as 1974, when Pennsylvania outlawed capital punishment for 1st degree murder, 1888, when Rhode Island outlawed all capital punishment, and continuing into our modern time where the death penalty is now outlawed in 18 states. It is, however, important to also note that the reliance on the death penalty has continued to evolve as execution styles have become utilized and modernized in most of the remaining 38 states. With such an extensive history, it becomes clear that capital punishment remains an issue that evokes passionate argument from both sides. Seeking to comprehend the moral values being promoted by both sides, we will identify shared values, and employ them as a means of achieving a common ground for the creation of creative solutions.
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.
