Cruel And Unusual Punishment Essay

1634 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The origin of capital punishment

Capital Punishment: Cruel and Unusual or Deserved and Needed?
Introduction
“I support the death penalty. But I also think that there has to be no margin for error.” This quote is by former Illinois governor George Ryan, I totally agree with the statement because the death penalty can be very useful, but not if an innocent human is being put to death because of it. The death penalty in the United States has long existed, and should not be considered cruel and unusual punishment, in fact, it should be used to punish criminals with crimes deemed punishable by death. The history and background of the death penalty will be provided in this essay to help the reader build their opinion on this issue.
Background of the Issue The death penalty dates …show more content…

I agree that the death penalty does help protect the public from violence and future crime to some extent, but if a murderer wants to kill someone, they are going to do it regardless of risking their own lives to do it, because many are mentally ill, and their mind does not process potential consequences. In a study done by Dartmouth University, an analogy was made between the death penalty as a deterrent for murder like lung cancer is to someone who chooses to smoke cigarettes. The person willingly commits murder knowing that the death penalty is the potential punishment, just like another person lights up a cigarette knowing it could potentially cause lung cancer, (Lamperti, n.d.). Although there are a good amount of murderers who are mentally ill, their brain may not be able to process what capital punishment is, and how it will affect him. I do believe that the mentally ill should be exempt to the death penalty because the focus should be on getting the help that they need and deserve, not kill them for committing a crime that their mind probably told them was okay. I believe that the focus should be more on helping those who are mentally ill, than simply using the death penalty as a form of deterrence. The death penalty does help deter criminals from committing in some ways, but there are probably other ways that could be used and would work more

Show More
Related

  • Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty

    1667 Words  | 4 Pages

    Each year there are about 250 people added to death row and 35 executed. From 1976 to 1995 there were a total of 314 people put to death in the US 179 of them were put to death using lethal injection, 123 were put to death using electrocution, 9 were put to death in a gas chamber, 2 were hanged, and 1 was put to death using the firing squad. The death penalty is the harshest form of punishment enforced in the United Sates today. Once a jury has convicted a criminal, they go to the second part of the trial, the punishment phase. If the jury recommends the death penalty and the judge agrees then the criminal will face some form of execution, lethal injection is the most common form used today. There was a period from 1972 to 1976 that capital punishment was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Their reason for this decision was that the death penalty was "cruel and unusual punishment" under the Eighth Amendment. The decision was reversed when new methods of execution were introduced. Capital punishment is a difficult issue and there are as many different opinions as there are people. In our project, both sides have been presented and argued fully.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment: A Failed Experiment By David Von Drehle

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    In recent years, the practice of capital punishment has come under scrutiny. Some say that no longer holds the same impact as it once had. An article discussing the concept of the death penalty “Bungled executions, Backlogged courts, And three more reasons the modern death penalty is A Failed Experiment” by David Von Drehle is summarized and the thoughts, ideas, and principles therein are subject to response.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Hyde's The Gender Similarities Hypothesis

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is no secret that boys and girls grow up hearing about all of their differences. In Hyde’s article, “The Gender Similarities Hypothesis”, she recognizes the frequency of psychological studies done to prove that males and females are very different. It is a common belief that males and females have more mental differences than similarities. As Hyde’s article explains, this seems to be untrue. In fact, it is the opposite that Hyde finds true. She claims that males and females are almost completely psychologically the same, with only a few differences. In her article, she compares meta-analyses of different functions such as math computation, special perception, helping behavior, and more. She found that the vast majority of these experiments showed small differences between the abilities of males versus those of

    Read More

  • An Argument For Exempting the Severely Mentally Ill from the Death Penalty

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mental illness affects one in four adults every year ("NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness | Mental Illnesses"). Mental illness effects thousands who may not even be aware of it. Many who are aware do not receive treatment until something bad happens in result of not receiving treatment. These illnesses affect all aspects of the person’s life. They often do things without the knowledge of what they are doing. Many people who do have these illness commit crimes without the knowledge of the fact that they are doing wrong. People often do not believe that having a mental illness gives people the right to commit a crime, and it doesn’t. It merely suggests that the person who committed said crime was not aware of their actions therefore cannot be held accountable for the wrongdoing. Families of the victims usually are oblivious to what mental illness is and own they do end up educating themselves wondering why these people never got help so their loved one may have been spared. Mentally ill persons should be exempt from the death penalty because they are in a questionable state of mind, they will become low risk if they receive treatment, and the families of the victims do not want them to receive the death penalty.

    Read More

  • Essay On Cruel And Unusual Punishment

    667 Words  | 2 Pages

    CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT IN THE UNITED STATES 2 Cruel and Unusual Punishment in the United States: Continuity and Change within the Last Two Centuries A significant aspect of the eighth amendment to the United States Constitution is that the infliction of cruel and unusual punishments is prohibited. However, interpretations of the definition of what a cruel and unusual punishment consists of have become extremely ambiguous. For example, many argue that the death penalty is unconstitutional because it is cruel to take another person’s life willingly; however, others argue that it is acceptable if it is done in a controlled and humane manner. Over the course of the United States history, punishments have ranged from public whippings and hangings, to the electric chair and life in prison. Physical punishments have decreased as society has progressed, yet they continue to be a major source of controversy.

    Read More

  • Is the Death Penalty Cruel and Unusual Punishment?

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    If a person is so uncompassionate about human life and does not care what happens, is sick enough to harm someone else, they should also pay the price of their lives. Violent criminals will always exist in society and the death penalty will only decrease these numbers gradually, however every violent criminal that does not exist in society makes society a safer place. Placing these criminals in prison with a life sentence does not deter them from committing another crime. This just enables them to plan, plot and proceed with the next murder, escape or worse. The majority of people that commit heinous crimes that call for the death penalty cannot be reformed....

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Essay: The Death Penalty and the Eighth Amendment

    597 Words  | 2 Pages

    Is the death penalty consistent with the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against the imposition of cruel and unusual punishments? This essay will address this question and present a short history of the death penalty in America.

    Read More

  • History of the Death Penalty and Why It Is Not Wrong

    3309 Words  | 7 Pages

    “The Death Penalty: Pro and Con.” Wgbh.org. WGBH Educational Foundation, 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Essays - For the Common Good

    456 Words  | 1 Pages

    Capital Punishment Essays - For the Common Good. Putting to death people judged to have committed certain extreme Terrible crimes are a practice of ancient standing, but in the United States. in the second half of the twentieth century, it has become a very controversial issue. Changing views on this difficult issue led the Supreme Court to abolish capital punishment in 1972 but later upheld it in 1977. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard' Although capital punishment is what the people want, there are many.

    Read More

  • The Death Denalty, An Annotated Bibliography To The Death Penalty

    1346 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Pro Capital Punishment Speech

    1084 Words  | 3 Pages

    I will accomplish this by first providing you with a brief history of the death penalty, then I will discuss grounds for justifying the death penalty, and finally I will dispute some of the popular arguments against the death penalty.

    Read More

  • Death Penalty Position Paper

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is how the saying goes. Coined by the infamous Hammurabi’s Code around 1700 BC, this ancient expression has become the basis of a great political debate over the past several decades – the death penalty. While the conflict can be whittled down to a matter of morals, a more pragmatic approach shows defendable points that are far more evidence backed. Supporters of the death penalty advocate that it deters crime, provides closure, and is a just punishment for those who choose to take a human life. Those against the death penalty argue that execution is a betrayal of basic human rights, an ineffective crime deterrent, an economically wasteful option, and an outdated method. The debate has experienced varying levels of attention over the years, but has always kept in the eye of the public. While many still advocate for the continued use of capital punishment, the process is not the most cost effective, efficient, consistent, or up-to-date means of punishment that America could be using today.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Persuasive Essay

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    Capital punishment has been a controversial topic in association to any person condemned to a serious committed crime. Capital punishment has been a historical punishment for any cruel crime. Issues associated to things such as the different methods used for execution in most states, waste of taxpayers’ money by performing execution, and how it does not serve as any form of justice have been a big argument that raise many eyebrows. Capital punishment is still an active form of deterrence in the United States. The history of the death penalty explains the different statistics about capital punishment and provides credible information as to why the form of punishment should be abolished by every state. It is believed

    Read More

  • Neoclassical Theory Of Crime Essay

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    With social media as it is today, more often than not, the offender is guilty until proven innocent by the courts. Alternative sentencing is also a part of the neoclassical theory. Community service, psychological treatments and ankle monitoring bracelets are some forms of sentencing just to name a few. If someone is mentally ill, they punishment may not necessarily fit the crime, because the offender may not realize what they did was wrong. There would need to be an alternative form of sentencing for these individuals. Sticking them in a prison cell, is not going to help them in any way shape or form. Mentally ill individuals are not prominent in prison and some do receive the exact help they are needing. Alternative methods may not be the best way to deter crime and stricter punishment possibly should be enforced. Once offenders know the sentence is going to be detrimental, then they may rethink about committing more crimes. Not to the extreme of like some foreign countries, that if you steal, they cut your hands off, but just more severe punishment or harsher punishment the first time they appear in court, instead of waiting until the third or fourth

    Read More

  • Benefits of the Death Penalty

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    Have you ever thought about if the person next to you is a killer or a rapist? If he is, what would you want from the government if he had killed someone you know? He should receive the death penalty! Murderers and rapists should be punished for the crimes they have committed and should pay the price for their wrongdoing. Having the death penalty in our society is humane; it helps the overcrowding problem and gives relief to the families of the victims, who had to go through an event such as murder. Without the death penalty, criminals would be more inclined to commit additional violent crimes. Fear of death discourages people from committing crimes. If capital punishment were carried out more it would prove to be the crime preventative it was partly intended to be. Most criminals would think twice before committing murder if they knew their own lives were at stake. Use of the death penalty as intended by law could actually reduce the number of violent murders by eliminating some of the repeat offenders. The death penalty has always been and continues to be a very controversial issue. People on both sides of the issue argue endlessly to gain further support for their movements. While opponents of capital punishment are quick to point out that the United States remains one of the few Western countries that continue to support the death penalty. The deterrent effect of any punishment depends on how quickly the punishment is applied.

    Read More

More about Cruel And Unusual Punishment Essay

Open Document