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Arguments against capital punishment essay
Pros and cons of the death penalty
Arguments against capital punishment essay
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Capital Punishment is a monstrosity due to the fact that it has unconstitutionally murdered innocent people. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, “Since 1973, over 140 people have been released from death row in 26 states because of innocence. Nationally, at least one person is exonerated for every 10 that are executed” (“Case”). The death penalty can be traced back to its ancient roots in the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon (“Part”). The Code of King Hammurabi was a list that contained the 282 laws of Babylon; the most notorious law from this code called for an eye-for-an-eye approach to justice. This law basically stated that what one did to another, would be done unto him ("Hammurabi"). This is similar to the “Golden Rule,” which tells people to “Treat others as you would want to be treated,” however the Golden Rule is not quite as severe and gruesome as the Hammurabi Code. Although it is believed by some that capital punishment is a useful and humane way to carry out retribution for victims, death should never be a substitute for justice because the death penalty encourages civilians to take the law into their own hands, it merely condones revenge, and furthermore it has yet to be proven that it actually deters criminals from committing capital crimes. Death penalty permanently prevents one criminal from ever harming another person again, however it does not guarantee that all persons involved with the criminal’s death are protected from people who are seeking retribution for the life of the criminal that was taken by the state. In some cases the legalization of Capital Punishment may provide citizens with the justification they need to take the law into their own hands and take another’s life in order to acqu... ... middle of paper ... .... Global Issues In Context. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. "The Case Against the Death Penalty." American Civil Liberties Union. N.p., 11 Dec. 2012. Web. 04 Feb. 2013. "Death Penalty: Deterrence." Death Penalty : Deterrence. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. "Death Penalty Statistics." Statistic Brain RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. "Hammurabi." CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA:. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. "NCADP: Devoted to Abolishing Capital Punishment." NCADP. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. "Part I: History of the Death Penalty." Death Penalty Information Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2013. "Top 10 Pros and Cons - Death Penalty - ProCon.org." Top 10 Pros and Cons - Death Penalty - ProCon.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. "Update: Death Penalty." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 1 Apr. 2004. Web. 5 Feb. 2013.
A brief history of the death penalty is in order so that one can be aware of this laws nature since that is how one would start to understand how it can be applied most virtuously and to understand its morality. The death penalty can be traced as far back as the Eighteenth Century, B.C.E. where the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon applied the death penalty to be instated as a punishment for 25 different crimes. Also it has been seen in the Fourteenth Century B.C.E in the Hittite Code; in the Seventeenth Century B.C.E’s Draconian Code of Athens (a code which made the only punishment for all crimes death); and in the Fifth Century B.C.E.’s Roman Law of the Twelve Tablets(this law was the start of a formal law which carried out death sentences by means such as crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burring alive, and impalement)
...eter, Richard C. “Death Penalty Information Center” A Crisis of Confidence: Americans’ Doubts about the Death Penalty. 2007. 1-30 Print.
Special attention will be given to the topics of deterrence, the families of the victims, and the increased population that has been occurring within our prisons. Any possible objections will also be assessed, including criticism regarding the monetary value of the use of the death penalty and opposition to this practice due to its characteristics, which some identify as hypocritical and inhumane. My goal in arguing for the moral justifiability of capital punishment is not to use this practice extensively, but rather to reduce the use to a minimum and use it only when necessary. Above all else, capital punishment should be morally justified in extreme situations because it has a deterrent effect. Many criminals seem to be threatened more by the thought of death rather than a long-term prison sentence.
Capital punishment has as its aim not only the punishment of criminals but also the prevention of similar crimes. Unfortunately, capital punishment does not in fact deter criminal acts, as most supporters of the death penalty expect. Michael Meltsner points out that "capital punishment was justified as a deterrent to crime, yet the killing [has been] done infrequently and in privacy" (3); these factors lead to the ineffectiveness of capital punishment as a deterrent. The infrequent administration of capital punishment stems from the vast differences in each case and the legal variations among the states that permit capital punishment. Currently, t...
The capital punishment has been cited as a reasonable sentence by those who advocate for retribution. This is essentially when it comes to justice so that people take full responsibility for their individual actions. Studies have proved that the decision to take away life of a person because they committed a certain crime serves to perpetuate the crime in question. It also serves to enhance the progress of organized and violent crime. It has been noted that various flaws in the justice system has led to the wrong conviction of innocent people. On the other hand, the guilty have also been set free, and a plethora of several cases has come up when a critical look at the capital punishment has been undertaken. Killers hardly kill their victims deliberately, but they probably act on anger, passion, or impulsively. In this regard, it is not proper to convict them exclusively without
Jost, Kenneth. "Death Penalty Debates." CQ Researcher 19 Nov. 2010: 965-88. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Berry, Williams W. “Ending Death By Dangerousness: A Path To The De Facto Abolition Of The Death Penalty.” Arizona Law Review 52.4 (2010): 889-924. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Nov. 2011.
Adams, Cindy. “The Death Penalty as Just Punishment.” Does Capital Punishment Deter or is it a Biased Process? 3 Sept. 2008. 30 May 2010 < http://penal-system.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_death_penalty_as_just_punishment>.
While one person lays with their wrists circumscribed to the worn leather of the gurney, another person holds two skin-piercing needles. The individual holding the needles is an inexperienced technician who obtains permission from the United States federal government to murder people. One needle is held as a precaution in case the pain is too visible to the viewers. Another dagger filled with a lethal dosage of chemicals is inserted into the vein that causes the person to stop breathing. When the cry of the heart rate monitor becomes monotone, the corrupt procedure is complete. Lying in the chair is a corpse when moments ago it was an individual who made one fatal mistake that will never get the chance to redeem (Ecenbarger). Although some people believe that the death
Pasquerella, Lynn. “The Death Penalty in the United States.” The Study Circle Resource Center of Topsfield Foundation. July 1991. Topsfield Foundation. 03 Feb 2011. Web.
“The Death Penalty: Pro and Con.” Wgbh.org. WGBH Educational Foundation, 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
Kurtz, John. "Top 10 Pros and Cons - Death Penalty - ProCon.org." Death Penalty ProCon.org. procon.org, 12 July 2014. Web. 4 Mar. 2015. .
When someone is legally convicted of a capital crime, it is possible for their punishment to be execution. The Death Penalty has been a controversial topic for many years. Some believe the act of punishing a criminal by execution is completely inhumane, while others believe it is a necessary practice needed to keep our society safe. In this annotated bibliography, there are six articles that each argue on whether or not the death penalty should be illegalized. Some authors argue that the death penalty should be illegal because it does not act as a deterrent, and it negatively effects the victim’s families. Other scholar’s state that the death penalty should stay legalized because there is an overcrowding in prisons and it saves innocent’s lives. Whether or not the death penalty should be
Eddlem, T. R. (2004). Ten Anti-Death Penalty Fallacies.The New American. 2002. Web. 10 June 2015.
Fein, Bruce. "Individual Rights and Responsibility - The Death Penalty, But Sparingly." Speech. American Bar Association. Feb. 2003. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.