Definition Essay: Murder

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Murder is considered a serious crime in our country. The loosely defined term of murder implies that a person who kills another human being with intent is known as being the worst kind of violent crime we see in our society. Any unlawful killing requires that a living person be killed and it does not mean that the guilty person feels any hatred or spite in order to plan and execute the act of murder. Moreover, the destructive acts that end peoples lives are classified as homicides which include manslaughter and first and second degree murder. More important, the justice system has put different labels on such crimes, but it also allows room for criminals to get away with murder.

A person who's accused of unlawful killing in a court of law may be faced with a manslaughter charge by the prosecutor. Since there are different scenario's in which a unlawful killing can occur, there are different charges that come with the type of circumstances that surround each case. That is, first and second degree murder charges come into play as the murderer in question will need to be measured up which will tell the public and or jury if his or her intension was premeditated or not. Moreover, the law uses a another general term called manslaughter which has it's own two divisions as well. According to the People's Law Dictionary by Gerald and Kathleen Hill, there are two types of manslaughter. "The first type is voluntary manslaughter (first degree) which is defined as a homicide resulting from an intentional act done with or without malice or premeditation and while in the heat of passion or on sudden provocation".(Hill) An example would be a husband catching his wife in bed with another man and he kills the man before the heated pass...

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... system is overflowing with many cases involving violent crime, but it doesn't seem rational to have a system in place where there are cases where first degree murder has occurred and the sentence doesn't match the violation. I believe that if you take a life, you deserve a life sentence in prison. Allowing criminals to get away with murder is something that will hurt all of us. If we live in a world where this continues to happen, the system will fail to do its job to protect our city's from the worst kind of criminal.

Works cited

Chibbaro, Lou."Accused Alston Killer Strikes Plea Bargin"Washington Blade 22Apr.2005.18 Feb.2006.

Dreisbach, Daniel. "Crinimal Law" Encyclopedia Msn Encarda Dept.of justice, law, and society, AmericanUnivercity.2005

Hill, Geraldand Kathleen Law.com dictionary

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