Death Penalty In America

1489 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Pros and cons of the death penalty

How has the death penalty in the United States of America impacted crime rates and how has it affected the economy?
I believe that capital punishment is a rather broad subject and one that is hastily spoken about, not giving people all the details. I attended an all-girls Catholic High School where we conversed about capital punishment. Although unusual for high schools to allow such a discussion, it was interesting to see everyone’s viewpoint about the topic. During that time, it seemed like we were forced into believing that the death penalty was wrong for a multitude of reasons. This notion that was forced into my values that capital punishment is bad and therefore does affect my values. I believe that everyone has the right to life no matter …show more content…

Von Drehle starts out talking about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing by Tsarnaev. The death penalty is a rather slow, insanely expensive process. In the past few years, various politicians have come out to state their opinions of being against it. The state of California has the largest number of people on death row and have executed the most people in the past half a century. California is also in a state of idle while federal lawmakers converse about if it is unconstitutional or not. Since 2014, 47 executions out of 49 executions have been carried out but just by five states including Texas, Missouri, Florida, Oklahoma, and Georgia. The author goes on to state the reasons why he is against the death penalty. His number two reason for being against the death penalty was the crime rate, in which I would like to zoom in on throughout my research. In 1976, when the new death penalty was approved New York City’s crime rate also skyrocketed. In addition, former attorney general Mark Earley had supported capital punishment for several years. In March of 2015, Earley published an article stating that he is now against the death penalty since it was giving the country false hope in believing that it would change our crime. David Von Drehle published this article in Time Magazine. The readers would be the public and all who are interested in the death penalty. I believe people who are …show more content…

This research question has been around the United States for multiple years now. It has been argued several times using broad information, therefore, I would like to investigate the financial and crime rates specifically. There has been a lot of agreements and disagreements. My research has shown that there are various people who agree completely with this issue but then also disagree as well. I enjoyed researching this topic as it helped me broaden my knowledge at the topic at hand and allows me to shape my own opinions about the issue. I believe that I do need to tweak my research question in making it more specific. Therefore, I will need to research specific information on the crime rates and financial impacts. I may accomplish this by looking at specific areas in the country in correlation with the death

Show More
Related

  • David B. Muhlhausen's Article: How The Death Penalty Saves Lives

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    “How the Death Penalty Saves Lives” According to DPIC (Death penalty information center), there are one thousand –four hundred thirty- eight executions in the United States since 1976. Currently, there are Two thousand –nine hundred –five inmates on death row, and the average length of time on death row is about fifteen years in the United States. The Capital punishment, which appears on the surface to the fitting conclusion to the life of a murder, in fact, a complicated issue that produces no clear resolution.; However, the article states it’s justice. In the article “How the Death Penalty Saves Lives” an author David B. Muhlhausen illustrates a story of Earl Ringo , Jr, brutal murder’s execution on September ,10,

    Read More

  • Sherman Alexie and Native American Writing

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...eter, Richard C. “Death Penalty Information Center” A Crisis of Confidence: Americans’ Doubts about the Death Penalty. 2007. 1-30 Print.

    Read More

  • Impact of Abortion Laws on Society: A Romanian Case Study

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the 1990s crime was at an all time high, but suddenly it dropped to an all time low. Experts investigated and found that numerous ideas could have been affecting the decline in crimes. A strong economy, prisons, gun laws, and population to name a few. Levitt and Dubner ask the question, why has crime risen so high in the first place? A strong economy would often be linked to lesser crimes, but studies have shown there is no relation. The biggest link to this is during the 60’s when there was a ton of crime and the economy was high as well. Another false idea of why crimes dropped in the 90s, is the justice system. Criminals were now being convicted for longer sentences. Criminals who would have originally got off the hook for doing drugs were now in prison; many other sentences got increased as well. This lead to more than two million people in prison (Levitt and Dubner, 2009). The increase of punishment for criminals quadrupled between the 80s and 90s (Levitt and Dubner, 2009). The first flaw the authors speak of is that executions are long and drawn out. Death row now only has a 2% execution rate while getting killed by a gang is 7% chance. (Levitt and Dubner, 2009). The second flaw is that capital punishment is more obvious. One criminal getting executed means seven fewer homicides (Levitt and Dubner,

    Read More

  • The Need for Capital Punishment in America

    1160 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is the firm belief and position here that committing such a crime as murder is punishable by death. Americans should take a position for anyone on death row, to be executed sooner rather than later.

    Read More

  • A Look on the Impact of Capital Punishment in Canada

    1248 Words  | 3 Pages

    Capital punishment is something no person should endure, no matter how awful the committed crime may be. It is a cruel and sick punishment, for example, someone who has killed somebody has to undergo various gruesome and awful forms of capital punishment such as electrocution where they strap you to a chair and 1000 watts of electricity flow through your body or decapitation where the person is restrained to a wooden device with a sharp blade and then the blade is released or even immurement where the person is left to starve and dehydrate to death. When they are convicted to capital punishment, they are just waiting for death, and how slow and/or painful the procedure might be.

    Read More

  • The Death Penalty in the United States

    1557 Words  | 4 Pages

    Capital punishment results in the victims family gaining a greater sense of security, making sure the criminal is able to be punished to the highest degree for his crime, and honoring retribution. The issue of capital punishment has created a division

    Read More

  • The Case Against The Death Penalty

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    It's dark and cold, the fortress-like building has cinderblock walls, and death lurks around the perimeter. A man will die tonight. Under the blue sky, small black birds gather outside the fence that surrounds the building to flaunt their freedom. There is a gothic feel to the scene, as though you have stepped into a horror movie.

    Read More

  • Evaluating the Arguments For and Against Capital Punishment

    2153 Words  | 5 Pages

    Van Den Haag, Ernest and John Conrad. The Death Penalty: A Debate. New York: Plenum Press, 1983.

    Read More

  • Just Kill 'Em?

    1425 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The Death Penalty in America: A Cultural and Historical Analysis.” Supreme Court Debates (2004): pp. 259-288.

    Read More

  • Death Penalty in the U.S

    1231 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this paper I will argue for the moral permissibility of the death penalty and I am fairly confident that when the case for capital punishment is made properly, its appeal to logic and morality is compelling. The practice of the death penalty is no longer as wide-spread as it used to be throughout the world; in fact, though the death penalty was nearly universal in past societies, only 71 countries world-wide still officially permit the death penalty (www.infoplease.com); the U.S. being among them. Since colonial times, executions have taken place in America, making them a part of its history and tradition. Given the pervasiveness of the death penalty in the past, why do so few countries use the death penalty, and why are there American states that no longer sanction its use? Is there a moral wrong involved in the taking of a criminal’s life? Of course the usual arguments will be brought up, but beyond the primary discourse most people do not go deeper than their “gut feeling” or personal convictions. When you hear about how a family was ruthlessly slaughtered by a psychopathic serial killer most minds instantly feel that this man should be punished, but to what extent? Would it be just to put this person to death?

    Read More

  • The Death Penalty

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    The death penalty continues to be an issue of controversy and is an issue that will be debated in the United States for many years to come. According to Hugo A. Bedau, the writer of “The Death Penalty in America”, capital punishment is the lawful infliction of the death penalty. The death penalty has been used since ancient times for a variety of offenses. The Bible says that death should be done to anyone who commits murder, larceny, rapes, and burglary. It appears that public debate on the death penalty has changed over the years and is still changing, but there are still some out there who are for the death penalty and will continue to believe that it’s a good punishment. I always hear a lot of people say “an eye for an eye.” Most people feel strongly that if a criminal took the life of another, their’s should be taken away as well, and I don’t see how the death penalty could deter anyone from committing crimes if your going to do the crime then at that moment your not thinking about being on death role. I don’t think they should be put to death they should just sit in a cell for the rest of their life and think about how they destroy other families. A change in views and attitudes about the death penalty are likely attributed to results from social science research. The changes suggest a gradual movement toward the eventual abolition of capital punishment in America (Radelet and Borg, 2000).

    Read More

  • Death Penalty Essay

    1757 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the United States violent crime has been a persistent problem that state governments are constantly trying to contain, if not eliminate. When a crime arises to the severity of the death penalty many times people instantly jump to the support of pro capital punishment , thinking that the accused should be put to death for killing another person. Currently updated as of 2011, there are 34 death penalty states and 16 states that have abolished the death penalty. In deed, very few issues are as polarizing as that of capital punishment. Support for the death penalty crosses all lines of race, socio-economic status, and religion. Given the right climate and circumstances, anybody can be quick to judge, convict, and condemn. Aside from the vengeful feeling of ‘an eye for an eye’, people are in favor of the death penalty because they feel it deters criminals and its less taxing on our penal system. However, what they fail to realize is that the death penalty has not been found to do either of those things, in fact, states without the death penalty have had consistently lower crime rates. Likewise, people are not correctly aware of what the results of the death penalty have really produced, or that life in prison without parole has been proven to be the more effective and economical path to go. The death penalty has proven to be more costly and a failure as a deterrent to crime.

    Read More

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

    1346 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jacoby believes the death penalty protects society by threatening future murders with fear. Gaes believes the death penalty is necessary because the overpopulation in prisons causes emotional and physical distress. The stronger side of the debate seems to be that the death penalty does not discourage crime at all nor does it help the victim’s family heal. It would be useful to know whether or not death-penalty states as a whole have lower rates of crime than non-death penalty states when arguing for the death penalty.

    Read More

  • Religion and the Death Penalty

    2352 Words  | 5 Pages

    The death penalty or some prefer to call it capital punishment has been around since 1608. During the foundation of our country there were twelve death – eligible crimes of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and they were as follows: idolatry, witchcraft, blasphemy, murder, manslaughter, poisoning, bestiality, sodomy, adultery, man stealing , false witness in capital cases and conspiracy & rebellion. While some are absolutely for it and some are absolutely against it there is one factor that comes into play on both sides of the argument and that factor is religion. Many people will state that there is or should be a line between church and state however religion has and will always play a major role in ones conceptual thinking as to what is right and as to what is wrong what is moral and what is immoral. Despite the fact that people would rather think or rationalize without involving religion is nearly impossible. “By virtually any definition, religion involves a central concern with making sense of life and death. The American legal system, rooted in Judeo-Christian ethics, routinely confronts issues that test our basic assumptions about the meaning and sanctity of life and about the role of the State in shaping and sustaining such meanings” (Young,1992).

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment is Ineffective

    1715 Words  | 4 Pages

    Waltenburg, E. N. (2008). The future of america's death penalty: An agenda for the next generation of capital punishment research.Justice System Journal,29(3), 447-X. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/194778726?accountid=28518

    Read More

More about Death Penalty In America

Open Document