Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Pros and cons of the death penalty
The death penalty argumentative essay
The death penalty argumentative essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Pros and cons of the death penalty
The death penalty has been an inalienable part of human society and its legal system for centuries, regarded as a necessary deterrent to dangerous crimes and a way to liberate the community from dangerous criminals. However, later on this type of punishment came to be regarded as a crime against humanistic ideals by many, and its validity in the legal system has been questioned. Until now, the debate rages on. This resulted in a wide discrepancy of laws on this issue. Some nations, including China, the US, Iran, Belarus, and others preserve the death penalty as an option, while others like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and almost all European nations have abolished capital punishment. Still others keep the norm in their legislation. Murder …show more content…
It is this contradiction in policy that confuses criminals and undermines any crime deterrence capital punishment was intended to have. Many people favor the death penalty as reparation for the wrong done to a victim’s family; however, in most cases, closure is not the result. Losing a loved one, no matter how that person is lost, is unbearable, irrevocable, and shattering. Pain like this is shocking and the victim’s family holds onto the hope that the execution of the murderer will bring relief and closure. Nevertheless, when the execution day arrives, the pain is not eased. No relief can be gained, for their pain is an unavoidable, natural process of life. Victims’ families have found such groups as the Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation and The Journey of Hope, which oppose the death …show more content…
Thus, there is a renowned episode with the female sinner (John 8:3 - 8:11) who was supposed to be stoned to death and saved by Christ saying “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her”. Jesus was not in fact censuring the right to kill the woman, according to the ancient law. Besides, there is evidence suggesting that this passage was not present in the original version of the Scripture and was later added by an unknown person (Religious Tolerance). Besides, the passage from Matthew 5:21-22 is supposed to condemn killing: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment..." These words implicate a person who kills out of anger, but is hardly applicable to cases where a person is murdered through a verdict of qualified
An inmate by the name of Gary Graham drew several protestors to a Huntsville unit in the year 2000; they were there in opposition to Graham’s execution. This day finally came after nineteen years on death row and four appeals. With him being a repeat offender he was not new to this side of the justice system, but after being put in prison he became a political activist who worked to abolish the death penalty. People who stood against his execution argued that his case still had reasonable doubt, he was rehabilitating himself, and his punishment would cause major harm to his family. Aside from that you have the advocates arguing that you have to set example for others, so you must carry out the punishment that was given, and while the execution may harm the offender’s family it will give the victims’ families closure for his crimes.
Introduction: Job David Guerrero lived in downtown San Diego when he was suspected of attacking five homeless men with serious upper-body injuries. Two of which were found dead with their bodies set on fire. Guerrero was linked to the murders form eyewitness testimony and video camera footage. Guerrero should deserve the death penalty under the act of which he commits a murder. This policy of action is morally justified through Lex Talionis, Kantian ethics, Gelernter and the social contract. Although arguments such as Jeffrey Reiman’s might oppose the death penalty and support lesser punishment, my position is a stronger alternative.
In this paper I will ask three people four different questions about their views on the death penalty. The first question I asked was “Why do you feel the death penalty is wrong?” Question number two, “Does the death penalty help protect the public and discourage crime?” Question number three, “Do you consider the death penalty cruel and unusual?” The final question, “Is the death penalty economically justifiable and cost effective?”
No, I do not believe the death penalty should be in use in today’s society because a loss of freedom cannot compare to a loss of life, as a human life will forever be more valuable than any material good. The death penalty is wrong for many reasons, however, strong cases why it should be abolished are; the death penalty is racist and punishes the poor, condemns the innocent to die, and capital punishment does not deter crime. The death penalty tends to be harsher on poor individuals. Innocent individuals who cannot afford a quality defense often have a greater chance to be put to death. Inadequate defense is a main reason why some death penalty cases are reversed. Racism is another reason the death penalty is wrong, but I consider the two sides to be similar. Looking
Albert Camus once said, “Capital murder is the most premeditated of murders.” Is an executor any less of a criminal than the people who are on death row? Our justice system seems to agree on the old notion of an eye for an eye, but this notion fails. How can one teach another that taking someone’s life is wrong by punishing the criminal with the very same crime in which he has committed? That would be like teaching someone that stealing is wrong by stealing from them. When using different scenarios, does the idea of capital punishment still make sense? The death penalty is a form of capital punishment that is given after a person has inexcusably committed a serious crime. Its policies and procedures have been altered over the course of history. The death penalty was established as a means of teaching a lesson to the world, is still in effect today, and has no future outlook of being removed.
When analyzing the pro and cons of the death penalty and if it should be kept or abolished in the United States, one has to analyze the different methods of execution. There are five main ways the death penalty procedure is performed which include lethal injection, electrocution, lethal gas, hanging, and firing squad. Lethal injection is the most common way of execution and “as of July 1, 2006, 81 percent of executions performed since 1976 have been been lethal injection, including 375 of the last 378 executions” (Methods of Capital Punishment). Lethal injection is the combination of three drugs. Five grams of Sodium pentothal, puts the prisoner unconscious. The second drug, which is called pancuronium bromide and 50 cc is given, relaxes the criminal’s muscles and paralyzes the diaphragm and lungs. The final drug, 50 cc of potassium chloride, causes cardiac arrest. The drugs are administrated through IV in each of the criminal’s arms. The second way of execution is electrocution, in which “the sentence shall be executed by causing to pass though the body of the convict a current of electricity of sufficient intensity to cause death, and the application and continuance of such current through the body of such convict shall continue until such convict is dead”(Methods of Capital Punishment). The criminal or offender is placed in the electric chair and a wet sponge is placed between the electrode and the offender’s scalp. 2,300 volts are given for 8 seconds, which is followed by 1,000 volts for 22 seconds, and then another 2,300 volts are given again. Electrocution execution used to be the main method, but there were too many botched executions that lethal injection had to be best and most effective method. As for today,...
Eaton, Judy, Tony Christensen. “Closure and its myths: Victims’ families, the death penalty, and the closure argument.” International Review of Victimology, Vol 20(3).Sep, 2014. : pp. 327-343.
Opposing the death penalty does not mean sympathy with convicted murderers. On the contrary, murder and manslaughter both demonstrate a lack of respect for life. For this very reason, a policy of state-authorized killings is immoral. Criminals no doubt need to be punished, but severity of punishment should have its limits, beginning with the use of human dignity. Governments that respect these limits do not use premeditated and violent homicide as an instrument of keeping the peace.
Proponents of the death penalty are right to argue that capital punishment does provide a sense of “closure” to those who are faced with the tragedy of losing a loved one due to homicide, but they exaggerate when they claim that this is the only means by which murderers receive just punishment for their crimes. Advocates of the death penalty fail to recognize that there are alternative methods – such as psychotherapy – that are able to replace the barbaric method of the death penalty.
The supporters claim that the death penalty will eliminate criminals and that these offenders will not be around to repeat any future crimes. Legally, criminals should be "innocent until proven guilty;” but in reality, they are often accused to be "guilty until proven innocent.” However, the abolitionists argue that innocent people have been mistakenly placed on death row and executed because of the flaws in the current criminal justice system. Amnesty International discovered that “innocent people may be sentenced to death through judicial error” ("Evidence Against Death Penalty”). As a result, tragedies are irreversible. An innocent victim by the name of “Steven Truscott was wrongly convicted of murder… It was horrible for Truscott and the victim 's family because the real culprit got away with murder” (Wheeler). So far, under this horrifying system, “17 innocent people sentenced to death have been exonerated and released based on DNA evidence, and 112 other people based on other evidence” ("An Indefensible Punishment”). As long as the death penalty exists, there will be risks of executing innocent people. It must be abolished permanently and substituted by a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Society 's needs of punishment and protection can be met without running the risk of an erroneous and irrevocable punishment. Many people favor the death penalty as reparation for the wrong done to a victim’s family; however, in most cases, closure is not the result. Losing a loved one, no matter how that person is lost, is unbearable, irrevocable, and shattering.
Capital Punishment, the sentencing of offenders to death through bifurcated trials (the division of a trial between guilt and sentencing phases), has been one of the most controversial aspects of our criminal justice
In Duval County, Florida during 2013, prosecutors were seeking the death penalty for the murder of Shelby Farah. However, Shelby’s mom, Darlene Farah, expressed her opinion regarding the hardships of the death penalty process. "I do not want my family to go through the years of trials and appeals that come with death-penalty cases." Instead, she wants her family to be able to, "celebrate [Shelby's] life, honor her memory and begin the lengthy healing process." (New Voices, n.d.) A topic of constant debate is the length and expenses attributed to the death row process. The appeal process in death penalty cases takes enormous amount of time to complete. Typically, a case may take between 6 to 10 years, but there are always exceptions (Death Penalty
A contentious issue in current debate is the death penalty and its application in society. The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, occurs when a individual is punished by execution as a consequence of an offence they committed (Taylor, 2014). Although Australia does not practice the death penalty, many countries continue to employ it as a means of justice and uphold its value in society. The death penalty debate is a multifaceted issue, encompassing many aspects of society including ethics and morality, the judicial system, and politics and the economy. It will be argued that the death penalty is a morally dubious and obsolete practice that is no longer relevant in modern judiciary, as it breaches the inviolable human right to life. Ethics and morality are primary arguments for both supporting and opposing the death penalty, as some individuals believe that the death penalty is a immoral practice and others consider that it can be morally justified when prolific crimes are committed. Punishment is fundamental element to any legal system as a means of justice and ensuing that the offender is unable to commit additional crimes; however, in the case of the death penalty there can be dire consequences if the legal system is wrong. Politics and the economy are also greatly influenced by the death penalty as they determine if the practice is maintained. The death penalty breaches a number of human rights laws and some individuals support that it is immoral; however, others consider it to be justifiable due to the heinous actions of the offender.
The death penalty in America has always been a big controversial issue. There are many pros and Cons to the death penalty and the cons outweigh the pros. That being said the death penalty should be abolished. The death penalty has been around in America since the 1600s and it was brought here by the colonial government. Not every crime gets the death penalty murder, kidnapping, rape, armed robbery, burglary, espionage, bank robbery, sabotage, and desertion in wartime are the only crimes that executions were carried out for between 1930 and 1965. In 1972 the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Death Penalty was unconstitutional and fell under cruel and unusual punishment which is protected under the 8th amendment. Between 1977 and 1983
Secondly, many believe that capital punishment is right because of the justice given to the victim’s family. These family members feel l...