eCheat.com RSS Feedhttps://www.echeat.com/ Why The Death Penalty Should Not Be Around. The capital punishment has always been a very debatable question. Capital punishments are handed out to people who have been found guilty of the capital crime. It is not so easy to consider the death penalty as an easy way to punish the guilty. If the capital punishment is too convicted, it does not mean that the guilty party should be freed or allowed some sympathy. It would overthrow the resolution of the capital punishment, as it would be using violence to solve violence. In Texas, forty-seven people were given the capital punishment in 2005 to 2015. How can a prosecutor or judge tell if a man or woman imprisoned for murder is guilty? There could be a mistake when investigating. Would it be right to allege unlawfully someone and execute them? We should look at the ethical problems of the capital punishment. The death penalty should be banned in the state of Texas because there are that errors can be made, the cost of the death penalty is expensive, and the people who get the death penalty have low finances. First, there can always be an error when dealing with murders. An innocent person may be convicted of a murder that they did not commit, or sentenced to the capital punishment. The system can make tragic mistakes. As of now, 142 wrongly imprisoned people on death row have been vindicated. They will never know how many people have been executed for crimes they didn’t commit. DNA is rarely available in homicides, often unnecessarily, and cannot guarantee that an innocent person will be executed. The system is broken and does not give enough evidence that a person is guilty. Two-thirds of capital punishment cases that are enticed were successful. The capital punishment should be banned because a person can lose a family member who is innocent. Secondly, the cost of the capital punishment is more complex. Study after study has found that the capital punishment is much more affluent than life in prison. The process is much more compound than for any other kind of criminal case. The largest costs come at the pre-trial and trial stages that apply whether or not the defendant is convicted or sentenced to death. Cases without the capital punishment cost $740,000, while cases where the death penalty occurs, cost $1.26 million. Sustaining each death row prisoner costs taxpayers $90,000 more per year than a prisoner 2015-09-26T21:56:14.457-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Why-The-Death-Penalty-Should-Not-Be-Around_-35138.aspx Coporal Punishment When corporal punishment is brought up in the school system it is described as "a student discipline issue that encompasses both legal and tort. This brings the use of corporal punishment into two issues, which include cruel and unusual punishment and the use of due process. The only possible hope for parents in the use of corporal punishment on their children is the due-process argument. The guidelines contain the following rules " refraining from using corporal punishment as a first line of discipline, informing students ahead of time about which violation will result in paddling, having a second school official present as a witness during paddling, and informing parents of the witness's identity on request" .When surveyed 56 percent of teachers still favor the use of corporal punishment on students that fail to follow the rules. Many teachers that were surveyed have said that they do "not plan to spank their charges; they want the right to do so as an extra means of classroom control". When one sits down and thinks about the use of corporal punishment in schools they can see that a “teacher use force on children in the name of discipline; when children hit teachers, however, it quickly becomes assault and battery. People who are trying corporal punishment in schools do not mean banning discipline. Banning discipline would cause the schools to become a place where children could not learn valuable education, because "without orderliness, learning cannot occur. There are a few recommendations for the use of corporal punishment. The first is to remember that the risk of legal action is very real if you decide to use corporal punishment. The use of corporal punishment "should be limited to paddling. Corporal punishment is the use of physical punishment and the people tend to frown on other forms that are possibly used. The third recommendation is to limit the number of swats used. This is because the more swats you given a child the harder it is for you to defend yourself. When paddling a student you should inform the parents of the paddling as soon as possible. The fifth recommendation is to "allow parents to request alternate forms of punishment for their children and to place these in writing. The use of corporal punishment on any child should be properly documented. The final recommendations is that teachers and principals make all effects 2011-11-30T16:11:39.54-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Coporal-Punishment-34370.aspx Capital Punishment Definition Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the execution (killing) of a convicted criminal by the state, as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. Methods There are five methods of execution: Lethal Injection, Electrocution, Lethal Gas, Firing Squad and Hanging. Lethal Injection: When this method is used, the condemned person is usually bound to a gurney and a member of the execution team positions several heart monitors on this skin. Two needles (one is a back-up) are then inserted into usable veins, usually in the inmates arms. Long tubes connect the needle through a hole in a cement block wall to several intravenous drips. The first is a harmless saline solution that is started immediately. Then, at the warden's signal, a curtain is raised exposing the inmate to the witnesses in an adjoining room. Then, the inmate is injected with sodium thiopental - an anesthetic, which puts the inmate to sleep. Next flows pavulon or pancuronium bromide, which paralyzes the entire muscle system and stops the inmate's breathing. Finally, the flow of potassium chloride stops the heart. Death results from anesthetic overdose and respiratory and cardiac arrest while the condemned person is unconscious. Medical ethics preclude doctors from participating in executions. However, a doctor will certify the inmate is dead. This lack of medical participation can be problematic because often injections are performed by inexperienced technicians or orderlies. If a member of the execution team injects the drugs into a muscle instead of a vein, or if the needle becomes clogged, extreme pain can result. Many prisoners have damaged veins resulting from intravenous drug use and it is sometimes difficult to find a usable vein, resulting in long delays while the inmate remains strapped to the gurney. Today, 37 of the 38 states that have the death penalty use this method. Electrocution: For execution by the electric chair, the person is usually shaved and strapped to a chair with belts that cross his chest, groin, legs, and arms. A metal skullcap-shaped electrode is attached to the scalp and forehead over a sponge moistened with saline. The sponge must not be too wet or the saline short-circuits the electric current, and not too dry, as it would then have a very high resistance. An additional electrode is moistened with conductive jelly (Electro-Creme) and attached to a portion of the prisoner's leg that has been shaved to reduce resistance to 2008-10-06T04:37:22-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Capital-Punishment--33754.aspx Capital Punishment aka Death Penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the toughest form of punishment enforced today in the United States. It is a controversial issue that continues to be debated by the American public. One of the biggest issues being debated is whether or not the death penalty is immoral, excessively cruel or inhumane. I support capital punishment and do not believe that it is cruel or inhumane but that it delivers a small sense of closure to the public. The death penalty is an issue that divides our country. Currently, 65% of Americans support the death penalty for those convicted of murder. This number drops to 50% when a mandatory life in prison sentence is also offered. With an infinite number of variables in cases and in sentencing options, it is easy to see why there are so many different opinions. The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP) is the only fully staffed, national organization committed to removing capital punishment from the nation. Some of the main points that the NCADP brings up are that the death penalty is racially biased, the death penalty cost more to implement than life without parole, the death penalty does not deter capital crime, and that innocent people may be executed. There are also a number of groups that support the death penalty. These groups use the same statistics as the anti-death penalty groups to shine a different light on the same key issues surrounding the death penalty. Racial Bias The NCADP states that “In North Carolina, the odds of receiving a death sentence are 3.5 times higher among defendants whose victims were white,” and “The odds of receiving a death sentence in Philadelphia are 38% higher in cases in which the defendant is black.” However, pro death penalty groups share these facts, “…found that white murderers received the death penalty slightly more often (32%) than non-white murderers (27%). And while the study found murderers of white victims received the death penalty more often (32%) than murderers of non-white victims (23%), when controlled for variables such as severity and number of crimes committed, there is no disparity between those sentenced to death for killing white or black victims.” The deciding factor on this issue is the official inmate population numbers from the United States Department of Justice. Since 1976, whites have outnumbered 2008-07-14T18:15:27-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Capital-Punishment-aka-Death-Penalty-33635.aspx Pro Capital Punishment Capital Punishment The use of capital punishment in the U.S. is a growing concern for most American citizens. Controversy of whether to abolish it or not creates moral confusion. On one hand it brings justice, yet on the other its taking a life. According to statistics seventy percent of Americans are in support of the death penalty, while only thirty percent are against it. This clearly shows that a majority of people want to continue using this type of punishment ("Fact" 1). Digging deeper within the debate, one would find that there are two sides to every party’s opinion; whether it be religious, governmental, or other. After examining expenditures, morality, deterrent compensations, and retributions, one will likely conclude that the benefits of Capital punishment outweigh the harm. Nearly all civilizations historically have used execution to punish offenders and criminals alike; though customs are different today. Since WWII people routinely try to abolish the death penalty. Today ninety countries have abolished capital punishment for all offences, eleven for all offences except under special circumstances, and thirty-two others have not used it for at least ten years. A total of sixty-four countries still retain it. This includes the People's Republic of China who performed more than 3,400 executions in 2004, amounting to more than 90% of executions worldwide. Within 12 states, the US executed 59 prisoners the same year (Penketh). To abolish the death penalty, people would have to prove points in every aspect of its existence. The economical argument that people must always consider is the cost of the death penalty opposed to life imprisonment. According to California state records, the operating expense to finance the penalty costs tax payers more than $114 million annually (Tempest). A 2005 report from Newsday concluded that New Jersey tax payers have spent a total of $253 million since 1983, which is an incomparably greater cost than if capital punishment was idle (Newsday). "A 1991 study of the Texas criminal justice system estimated the cost of appealing capital murder at $2,316,655. In contrast, the cost of housing a prisoner in a Texas maximum security prison single cell for 40 years is estimated at $750,000" (Punishment). People have raised the question, “Why keep the death penalty if it is so costly?” and have also stated, “It is a 2007-12-16T20:05:32-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Pro-Capital-Punishment-33469.aspx Persuasive Essay on Capital Punishment Capital Punishment Long past Expiration Date Capital punishment is a very divisive topic in the United States and also in our home state Ohio. This is a topic that sparks passion within people about the equality and effectiveness of the American Judicial system. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion about this topic but the throbbing question that lingers in the air is that is it morally right? Capital punishment also known as the death penalty is the brutal ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime which might be murder or treason. The amounts of problems associated with capital punishment are massive, ranging from the innocent dying for a crime he/she never committed to racism, and the only way to resolve these problems is to eliminate capital punishment. According to the online Webster dictionary capital punishment is defined as the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime, often called a capital offence or a capital crime. In those jurisdictions that practice capital punishment, its use is usually restricted to a small number of criminal offences, principally, treason and premeditated murder. This method of punishment is practiced differently among the fifty states in the U.S. In the 38 states and federal government that currently have death penalty statutes, five different methods of execution are prescribed: Lethal Injection, Electrocution, Lethal Gas, Firing Squad, and Hanging. The vast majority of jurisdictions provide for execution by lethal injection. 20 jurisdictions provide for alternative methods of execution, contingent upon the choice of the inmate, the date of the execution or sentence, or the possibility of the method being held unconstitutional. Only one state does not have lethal injection as a primary or optional method of execution. Nebraska is the only state that provides for electrocution as the sole method of execution. No states provide for Lethal Gas, Hanging, or Firing Squad as the sole method of execution (Kuttner 19). This brutal method of punishment has for a long time stay past its expiration date and needs to be put to an end immediately, just like the famous saying “Out with the old and in with the new.” Whatever the style of punishment might be maybe by shooting, electrocution, gassing, hanging or lethal injection it has accomplished nothing but terrorize not only the criminal, but the family and friends 2007-11-05T19:18:02-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Persuasive-Essay-on-Capital-Punishment-33395.aspx Death Penalty One of the most complicated issues in this world, and issue that seems straightforward yet, its not. What shall you do when someone murders someone else? Should the criminal justice system execute him, or imprison him for the rest of their life? What if he is mentally sick? What if he is a minor? Everyone has a different point of view on the death penalty, based on his or her upbringing, race, and religion. I believe all these factors contribute to the various points of view towards the death penalty. I believe that murderers deserve to die, when they commit a serious crime, unless they are mentally ill. I grew up learning that the death penalty was given to awful people who have committed hideous crimes. Through religion I learned that capital punishment is a last resort to a serious crime. In Islam, Capital punishment applies in the case of a person who meets any of the following conditions: The apostate, the apostate is one who disbelieves after being a Muslim. A married adulterer, whose punishment is to be stoned to death, a murderer who kills someone deliberately, he is to be killed in retaliation (qisaas) unless the victim's next of kin let him off or agree to accept the diyah (blood money), the Bandits, who wage a war against Allah and His Messengers, and spies. Based on my beliefs, I was fine with the death penalty. It only makes sense because it is fair. Its karma, you deserve what you get, and what goes around, comes around. Murderers deserve to die if they take someone else life away. They have no right to take anyone’s life away, because they did not give them that life in the first place. I believe minor should be trailed as adults, and therefore, if they get the death penalty, then that is fair. They committed a serious crime, and therefore their consequences should be equal to that. Since the time we learn what is right and what is wrong, we also know that to kill someone is wrong too. Every little kid in this world knows killing is wrong, and furthermore the basics god given rules like, not to steal or lie etc. On the other hand, if a person is mentally ill, then they don’t deserve to die. Their illness should 2007-05-11T05:05:46-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Death-Penalty-33199.aspx Standards of Decency in America "The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." - Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) This is a dissertation on the Evolving Standards of Decency in America’s judicial system in relation to capital punishment. The first of three arguments in this abstract show how, when, and why America will come to embrace a complete moratorium on capital punishments. Evolving Standards of Decency demonstrates that through the history of America (and the world) people have come to understand, appreciate and the value of human life. Even when considering the lives of convicted criminals justice does not always mean an eye-for-an-eye. State sanctioned executions go back to the reign of King Hammaurabi of Babylon, in the Eighteenth Century B.C. Hammaurabi’s Code allowed for the death sentence for twenty-five different crimes. In Fourteenth Century B.C. the Hittite and, the Seventh Century Draconian Code of Athens, made the death penalty law for any crime committed. Also, written on the Twelve Tablets, Fifth Century B.C. Romans decreed that the death sentence could be carried out by such means as impalement, burning, beatings, drowning and notoriously, crucifixion. America however, gets the majority of its ideology about state executions from England. England is home to some of the world’s most famous proponents’ of the death penalty. Possibly the most notorious was King Henry VIII. During his reign he sought the execution of some twenty-five thousand Englishmen for crimes as menial as hunting on the kings land, delinquent taxes, insanity, witchcraft, hunting of game out of season, adultery, and Judaism. America’s first encounter with the death penalty occurred when Captain George Kendall was hung for being a spy for Spain, in Virginia during 1608. Four years later Virginia Governor Sir Thomas Dale enacted the Divine, Moral and Martial Laws which could get you a rope neck tie for the offense of grape stealing, killing chickens, or trading with Indians. It took until 1794 for Pennsylvania to repeal the death penalty for all cases except first-degree murders. Until then Americans were, by court order, being executed for crimes such as adultery, theft, and Indian trading for almost two hundred years. It took until 1846 when Michigan became the first state to abolish the death penalty for all crimes with the exception of treason. Following Michigan’s lead, shortly there after, Rhode Island 2007-05-01T03:11:53-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Standards-of-Decency-in-America-33172.aspx Negatives to the Death Penalty Negatives to the Death Penalty The death penalty is one of the most emotionally charged and controversial issues in the United States today. The death penalty has been continuously debated, not only as a legal issue, but as a religious and ethical one, historically as well as in present day. People have used a number of arguments to support their position regarding the death penalty. Among these arguments have been deterrence, cost, moral beliefs, and the possibility of mistake. I feel that the death penalty must be abolished because it is morally and ethically wrong and serves no true purpose. From it’s beginning, America included the death penalty in the legal punishments as part of it’s criminal justice system. Over the course of history, governments have been extremely inventive in devising ways to execute people. At one time or another people were flayed, their skins cut from their bodies, strip by strip, sawed into pieces, or beaten to death. Others were shot with arrows, thrown from a high place onto rocks or stakes, boiled alive in water or oil, eaten by insects, bitten by poisonous snakes, buried alive or walled up in cement. Others still were drowned, suffocated in a bog, quicksand or a soft pit of ashes, whipped to death, left in a cell to die of starvation or thirst, or left outdoors to die of exposure to the elements. The gas chamber was the first new means of execution developed. The condemned prisoner is strapped into a chair in a small, airtight chamber. Below the death chamber is a container of sulfuric acid. At the appointed moment, a white cloth bag containing cyanide pellets is dropped into the acid. A chemical reaction takes place filling the room with gas. The cyanide interferes with the victim’s respiratory system and eventually the brain loses consciousness. Soon the other vital organs give out. One expert compares the experience of being asphyxiated by cyanide gas to the pain felt during a massive heart attack. Constitutional? The electric chair, first used in the U.S. in 1890, is currently the second most commonly used method of execution here. The victim is strapped into a wooden chair, and copper electrodes are attached to his or her head and legs. At the appropriate time, a massive electrical charge is passed 2007-04-23T03:11:12-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Negatives-to-the-Death-Penalty-33074.aspx Issues of Capital Punishment and the Death Penalty Issues of Capital Punishment and the Death Penalty Twenty-six years ago, on July 2, 1976, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 7-2 in Gregg v. Georgia to reinstate the death penalty after a brief official break. Implicit in the Gregg decision was the optimistic belief that the many problems identified by a previous Supreme Court decision, Furman v. Georgia, could be fixed. In 1972, the Furman Court had struck down hundreds of state laws that the justices deemed illogical. But the majority in Gregg argued that objective standards would minimize impulsive decisions of the jurors and reduce discrimination. A quarter-century and more than 700 executions later, the promise of Gregg seems ridiculously naive. Gregg's ambition was to rationalize sentencing and ensure that death sentences would be applied more equitably and only to the most appalling offenders. It hasn't worked out that way. Today in the United States, more than 3,700 men and women await execution on death row. The overwhelming number of those put to death will be poor, members of a minority, uneducated, or of questionable sanity, and they will have been represented by some of the worst lawyers available. Clearly, it was absurd to assume that the state legislatures that had crafted the unconstitutional laws criticized by the Furman decision would suddenly fix them. The death penalty should be abolished if it can not be administered fairly and impartially. Obvious racial discrimination in the administration of the death penalty remains routine. Nearly 90 percent of the federal inmates on death row are minorities. Also, more than 76 percent of the cases, in which federal prosecutors had sought the death penalty during the previous five years, involved a defendant who belonged to a minority group. In the same study, U.S. attorneys were nearly twice as likely to recommend death for an African-American defendant than a Caucasian defendant (Clay 118-122). Under the beliefs established by Gregg, you might conclude that this would be unconstitutional. You would be wrong. In the Gregg decision, the Supreme Court said that a constitutional violation was established if a plaintiff demonstrated a "pattern of arbitrary and capricious sentencing." Since then, however, the Court appears to have abandoned this logic. In 1987, for example, it ruled that racial disparities are "an inevitable part of our criminal justice system." (Jackson 21-23). Growing numbers of Americans have begun to question the rationality of the system that executes people. 2007-03-04T18:40:02-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Issues-of-Capital-Punishment-and-the-Death-Penalty-32713.aspx Utilitarianism and the Death Penalty Utilitarianism And Death Penalty The debate over capital punishment has been continous for many years now. It is a very controversial issue that revolves around several theories of punishment and social justice such as utilitarianism, retribution, and the right to live. These arguments come from different types of schools and reasoning, but they can all be evaluated within a utilitarian view. It views society as one organism. Its goal is to improve the state of society for all citizens in the future. Utilitarianism does not view punishment as hurting or correcting an individual but helping to cure a sociological problem. There are three methods used to carry out the utilitarian form of punishment: deterrence, reform and incapacitation. Utilitarianism gives a definition or a criterion for right actions such as: a person is morally obligated to the action with the best consequences, a person does the action that she’s morally obligated to do if, and only if, that action maximizes happiness for all affected by the action, a person is morally obligated to do the action that maximizes the overall happiness of all who are affected by her action, and a person has done what she’s morally obligated to do if, and only if, only if there’s no other action (besides the one she did) that would bring about more happiness. If there’s another alternative action that she could have done that would have brought about more happiness and she didn’t do that one, she’s not performed the right action. Utilitarianism is not by itself an argument for or against capital punishment. It is a framework in which most ethical and practical considerations will fit to produce a balanced view of the whole capital punishment debate. “A utilitarian outlook also separates the few morally absolute arguments from all other arguments that are based, at some level, on a utilitarian approach” (Mcnabb 3). The theory of utility, Utilitarianism, is commonly understood as “being a hypothesis that assesses and promotes moral actions on the basis of their outcome using the maxim, 'the greatest happiness for the greatest number” (Pojman 544). It finds it most famous expression in the work of Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) but is also mentioned in the work of David Hume (1711-1776) and can trace its origins back to Epicurus (341-270 BCE). Both Bentham and Mill wanted to secure reasonable grounds for ethics based 2007-01-11T20:26:23-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Utilitarianism-and-the-Death-Penalty-32388.aspx The Death Penalty in Canada The Death Penalty in Canada In Canada the penalty for taking another human beings life is a measly 25 years in prison without parole. The only sentence that should be given to a person that took the life of another human being is a sentence of death. This may seem a little harsh in the eyes of some but the truth is that at the end of the day it all goes back to an eye for an eye. The death penalty is good because it cost less for Canadians, Justice would be served and you know that the murderer will not have freedom to walk the streets in a few years. The Canadian government would rather let its citizens pay out their hard earned money and allow a murder to eat three hardy meals and watch pay-TV on big screen TV’s. This to most Canadians is a privilege and should be given to those that can obey simple law’s that are easily followed . The average inmate costs $150.00 per day or $4500.00 to $4650.00 dollars a month. Who might you ask is paying for this outrageous expense, you are through your hard earned money the money you pay in taxes is allowing a murderer to live better then the average Canadian that respects law’s and statues set forth by the Government. The families that become victim to such a malicious crime would know that the murderer would never have a chance to do this again. A families that loses a relative through natural causes has a hard enough time trying to deal with the lose, if you knew that the person was murdered and the worst that the killer would get is 25 years without parole. The sentence in itself is unjust the simple fact that the killer could go back into society, and have a chance to do such a heinous crime again. There can be no relief for the victims families and may put an uneasy feeling in most Canadians. The only way that the family could see and feel justice truly works is if that person was to lose their life. In some cases the killer should not only be granted the death penalty but should have no chance to appeal their case, the person should receive the penalty the day the court finds them guilty. The family would truly feel relieved the day 2007-01-08T22:31:08-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Death-Penalty-in-Canada-32300.aspx Essay Against Capital Punishment Essay Against Capital Punishment In this country, The Death Penalty is used to punish some of the worst criminals. The country decides to take their lives for the crimes they have committed, The Death Penalty, also 2006-12-07T15:27:20-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Essay-Against-Capital-Punishment-31922.aspx Cause and Effect of Capital Punishment A Murderer in Jail When a murderer goes to jail and he is already sentenced a life-time in jail what exactly goes through his mind? Do they regret things they have done in the past, or maybe they would never have done anything differently and just wish they never got caught. Since they have a life-time in jail maybe they think that they have nothing to lose so they might kill another in prison. What exactly goes through the minds of these twisted murderers? Whatever goes through their head, we can only wonder when the next time they are going to take away a innocent life. The main problems with keeping a killer alive in prison is they have nothing to lose if they have a lifetime in jail, their mental state is not stable, and the prison guard to prisoner ratio is significantly different. In the minds of these murderers, in most cases than not, they are thinking about the next victim that will fall into their trap. Maybe they want to get back at the officers for catching them in the first place and will kill a prison guard. The guards never know what the prisoners will do next. Maybe they think they have nothing to lose but to kill another cellmate, or maybe their mental state is never going to change. They think that it is alright to kill five people then they are most definitely sick in the mind. The prison guard to prisoner ratio is a big difference and prisoners could take on the prison guards if they had others join with them. In the summer of 1999, New York opened a state-of-the-art jail which made seventy jails that were in New York. This prison was built for the aggressive prisoners who rebelled everywhere else. They would leave the prisoners in their cell alone for 23 hours out of the day never seeing a classroom or the cafeteria. Sometimes the guards switched it up and put two cell mates together in a cell for 23 hours. Well this had made Donnell Brunson go to the extent he had gone. It was May 12, 1999 at 2:45 a.m. and Brunson was reading in his cell with his bunkmate, Jose Quintana who was charged for killing another man. Quintana asked for Brunson to turn off his light but Brunson did not and kept the light 2006-12-07T09:08:13-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Cause-and-Effect-of-Capital-Punishment-31917.aspx Capital Punishment to Be Abolished Capital Punishment Under the Knife Capital punishment is one of the most controversial topics among Americans today. Since every person has there own opinion on this topic, either for or against, the question always raised is "Is it morally right." The number of problems with the death penalty are enormous, ranging from innocence to racism, and these problems will never be resolved unless the death penalty is abolished. Capital Punishment also referred to as the death penalty, is the foolishly ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime, often called a ''capital offense'' or a ''capital crime''. Some authorities that practice capital punishment limit its use to a small number of criminal offences, mainly treason and murder (Stem 49). Prisoners who have been sentenced to death are usually kept set aside from other prisoners in a special part of the prison until their execution. In some places this segregated area is known as "Death Row." Historically and still today, under certain systems of law, the death penalty was applied to a wider range of crimes, including robbery or theft (Stem 50). It has also been frequently used by the military for crimes including looting, disobedience, and uprising (Stem 52). This way of punishment has long past its expiration date and needs an immediate change. Like we say in America “in with the new, and out with the old.” This punishment has only one purpose; to terrorize not only the criminal, but the family and friends of them as well. There are many negative impacts on this controversial subject, but the main one is that innocent people will be executed instead of the real criminal. Thus, the criminal is still alive and the family has to go through misery finding out that their loved one is innocent. Even before finding out this the time leading to the execution and during the execution can build up so much stress, often resulting in strokes or heart attacks. Also, it must be remembered that criminals are real people too that have feelings just like the rest of the innocent people. Capital punishment needs to go and preferably fast. The first issue that should be observed is that of innocence. Are there really innocent people on death row? At least twenty-three people have been executed who did not commit the crime they were accused of (Kuttner 2006-11-17T03:00:09-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Capital-Punishment-to-Be-Abolished-31812.aspx Against the Death Penalty Against the Death Penalty The Death Penalty is, undeniably, one of the most controversial issues of our day. Emotional tensions are high between those who hold human life above justice and those who hold justice above all human life. The Death Penalty, along with all other forms of criminal punishment, is barbaric. This form of punishment, indeed all forms of criminal justice, truly shows the level to which society has sunk. When people stand outside prisons and cheer as prisoners are murdered, there is a problem. When personal bloodlust is held above moral ideologies, there is a problem. When human life is assigned a value and weighed against other alternatives, there is a problem. The state speaks of Justice, but this word is only a reflection of the confusion, anger, and hatred that has fermented within this country, indeed within the very foundations of human society itself. Truly there is no purpose to the Death Penalty other than vengeance, yet it seems that our society has sunk to such a level that even vengeance is acceptable to most. The state, though, mimics every abhorrent quality of a punishable act of murder; a murder committed in anger is punished with an execution committed in anger; a cold, calculated, murder committed with pleasure is met with the same form of execution. The end result is the same and the feeling with which it is carried out is the same. There are, even, many qualities of the death penalty that surpass the moral obscenity of a criminal act of murder. Where then is the difference between a murder and an execution? How can one form of murder be right and another be wrong? How can the same deed, carried out by two different people, be one time evil and another time divine? How, furthermore, can a morally adverse action promote the morality, let alone the continued existence, of human society? If we feel bad about explaining the Death Penalty to our children then we should not have to explain it at all. There is a large majority of Christians in this country, yet such a small number of them actually come up in opposition to the Death Penalty; oftentimes, in fact, they are its most avid supporters. How can this be? All the teachings of Christ, save for those which have been horribly twisted by his followers, are opposed to any form of criminal 2006-08-29T15:22:27-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Against-the-Death-Penalty-31367.aspx In Support of the Death Penalty In Support of the Death Penalty The idea of putting another human to death is hard to completely fathom. The physical mechanics involved in the act of execution are easy to grasp, but the emotions involved in carrying out a death sentence on another person, regardless of how much they deserve it, is beyond my understanding. I know it must be painful, dehumanizing, and sickening. The Eight Amendment says” Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted” (Morgan 184). However, this act is sometimes necessary, and it is our responsibility as a society to see that it is done. One of the first oppositions to the death penalty is error. However, the chance that there might be an error is separate from the issue of whether the death penalty can be justified or not. If an error does occur, and an innocent person is executed, then the problem lies in the court system, not in the death penalty. Daily tasks performed by the average person always have a risk of death as do other dangerous acts and situations we put ourselves in on a daily basis. Examples of this are: flying in a airplane, driving a car, crossing the street and even more dangerous acts such as, parachuting, auto racing, and other extreme sports. These activities continue to take place, and occasionally take human lives, but we have all decided that the advantages outweigh the unintended loss, and we continue with our daily activities. We have also decided that the advantages of having dangerous murderers removed from our society outweigh the losses of the offender. Another opposition is the length of stay on death row, with its endless appeals, delays, technicalities, and retrials keep a person waiting for death for years on end, and it is both cruel and costly. The main cause of such inefficiencies are the appeal process, which is also an argument more against the court system then the death penalty itself. It is costly, but I do not believe it to be anymore costly then supporting a hard criminal in the prison system for their whole life sentence. This could be as long as seventy-five years or more. When it is said that making a prisoner wait for years to be executed is cruel, then would it not be just as cruel to keep the criminal imprisoned for 2006-08-05T11:18:59-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/In-Support-of-the-Death-Penalty-31030.aspx Should Society Possess the License to Kill? Should Society Possess the License to Kill? Society approves the death penalty by dehumanization through the objectification of the people on death row. This dehumanization allows for society to step back and objectify the people, thereby ‘giving the thumbs up’ to execute them...approving it. Thus, calling it as a tool of justice or rather calls it ‘justice is served’. However, the victims and society knowingly acknowledges the illogical fallacy of capital punishment: the person severing on death row killed another person to end up there, but they are to receive the same action they committed by the state and call it justice. To understand notion of this thought of dehumanization resulting in the approval of the death penalty, one must understand the history of the death penalty, what is it in society, their company, how society influences the individual to approve the death penalty and its actual execution, how dehumanization is dangerous to use to justify goals, and finally the illogical fallacy to capital punishment. During colonial times of America, the Europeans brought with them their notions of justice with them including the idea of capital punishment. However, many more crimes were punishable in Early America such as in New York, hitting one’s parent was punishable by death. People recognize the nature of capital punishment and as a result wanted reforms to take place. In 1794, the state of Pennsylvania stopped imposing the death penalty for all offenses except first degree murder. This was the first of reforms that resulted in today’s modern death penalty. In modern times, one is able to gain the death punishment through first degree murder, treason, and espionage. The federal court is able to execute someone if that person so happens to commit a federal crime such as treason. Other then federal crimes, the state have the power to execute a person. Also the actual execution is now declared as ‘humane’ because it is not cruel or unusual punishment. For example Colonial times executed through public hanging or public burning on the stake. Today America executes through lethal injection, the electric chair and the rare fire assault team. Now it can be seen that society has incorporated the death penalty due to tradition and history, resulting in one of the reasons of approval of the death penalty. But one must see that reforms are taking place to achieve a goal, hopefully like many other societies, 2006-07-28T18:41:42-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Should-Society-Possess-the-License-to-Kill-30775.aspx Why the Death Penalty is Unrealistic in Today's Society Why the Death Penalty is Unrealistic in Today's Society The death penalty ultimate goal is to stop crime. What is the difference in the state killing someone and a man killing another man? Either way someone is being murdered and murder is a crime. People think that if you execute a person that you are freeing up more tax dollars for the state. Then you have the issue of dealing with people's moral and religious beliefs. When a person is given the death penalty, you are in essence giving them the easy way out of the situation. The death penalty has failed totally because it was a seriously flawed and unnecessary law. The death penalty should have never been considered, much less implemented and I feel that it should be abolished. The key part of the death penalty is that it involves death, something, which is rather permanent for humans. This creates a major problem when "there continue to be many instances of innocent people being sentence to death."(Hanks 142) In our legal system, there exist lots of ways in which justices might be poorly served for a recipient of the death sentence. One way is the handling of ones own defense counsel. If a defendant is without counsel, a lawyer will provide. But a lot of the attorney's given to defendant lack the qualities necessary to provide competent defense. With payment caps or court-determined sums of, for example $5 an hour, there is not much incentive for a lawyer to spend a great deal of time representing defendants. When you compare this to prosecution, "aided by police, other law enforcement agencies, crime labs, state mental hospitals, various other scientific resources, experienced prosecutors in these type cases, and grand juries"(Hank 144), the defense that the court provide is little no help. What if a defendant has a valid case to offer, but does not show it because he or she was represented wrong? Why should they be punish for a injustice that is created by the court itself when it appointed the incapable lawyer? The most frequent argument for capital punishment is that of deterrence. Society makes you think if you use the death penalty it will dissuade other criminals from committing violent acts. Numerous studies nave been created attempting to prove this belief, "but the evidence taken together makes it hard to be confident that capital punishment deters more 2006-07-18T19:14:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Why-the-Death-Penalty-is-Unrealistic-in-Today-s-Society-30372.aspx Problems of an Aging Death Penalty Problems of an Aging Death Penalty The death penalty has become archaic. As a society, we have become more civilized. The death penalty is only carried out in an erratic fashion. It has not been shown to be a deterrent to murder. As our society evolves in science, health and social awareness, it is only right that we should reject the death penalty as the cruel, barbaric, and outmoded vehicle it has become. We, as a society, are becoming more civilized. But we are currently the only nation in the western democratic world that has not abolished capital punishment. According to Amnesty International USA, we are the only country in the western world, since 1977, to execute inmates, who were under 18 years old, when they committed their crime. The United States has not actually executed any child, under the age of 18, because these inmates are actually in their twenties or thirties before all of their appeals have been heard. So we are actually executing them for something they did as a teen, even though the actual execution takes place years later. As awful as this sounds, there are countries in this world who execute teenagers. Yemen executed a thirteen-year-old child, who was found guilty of robber and murder. The former governor of California, Pete Wilson, has suggested that fourteen-year-olds should be eligible for the death penalty. He said that gangs use younger members to kill because they know that they will not be given the death penalty if caught. He believes that this would be a deterrent. Luckily this has not become a law in California, or the rest of the country. Pope John Paul II has criticized the United States for embracing the culture of death. Vatican II came out against the death penalty. The council stated that the death penalty may be the “only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor,” but also goes on the say the such circumstances are “practically nonexistent” in today’s world, in view of the resources available to governments to restrain convicted criminals from committing violent acts. The United Nations Human Rights Commission has adopted a resolution urging a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty. We, as a country, have reviled China and other countries for human rights violations. Many 2006-07-17T22:52:03-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Problems-of-an-Aging-Death-Penalty-30323.aspx Research on Capital Punishment Effectiveness Research on Capital Punishment Effectiveness The death penalty is the consequence that one human being must face for murdering another human being. The issue of the death penalty has long been debated. Some people believe it is the necessary sentence used for stopping crime. Others believe that it has no effect on crime. With the implementation of the death penalty, a lesser amount of crimes will be committed. Today such executions as electrocution, the gas chamber, and lethal injection are the main punishments for the crimes. All of these are contributing factors as deterrents of crime. Violence dominates the very streets that we walk in. Now more than ever, our society does not have normalcy. The world is not getting any safer. In order to ensure somewhat of a safe world, the death penalty must be enforced. In doing so, we will force the people who commit crimes to think twice about their actions. They must know that they will suffer the most extreme of consequences for their actions Americans value the death penalty, not only for its utility as a crime reduction tool, but also as a way of doing justice. Some crimes that occur are so vicious that they cause an abundance of outrage amongst people everywhere. For crimes such as these, society believes that it is necessary to express its outrage by seeking retribution, by punishing the offender in the most severe way possible. The only way they see it by killing him or her. If life is the most precious thing, then why is it that there are murderers that are still breathing the very air that the person that they killed once breathed. The death penalty also deters potential murderers from committing criminal acts. By having the death penalty, the message that severe crimes are unacceptable and that it is punishable by the ultimate sanction will get through to at least one person while saving another person’s life. The nation has the right to protect the innocent and punish the guilty by means of the death penalty. If the death penalty has continuous use throughout the United States, the crime rate should decrease and this will reduce the number of violent murders and other crimes, by eliminating the repeat offenders. Catholics have argued against the death penalty by saying that the church believes in forgiveness and therefore these people should not be given execution as 2006-07-13T19:22:23-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Research-on-Capital-Punishment-Effectiveness-30244.aspx Reasons why we do Not have the Right to Capital Punishment Reasons why we do Not have the Right to Capital Punishment Capital Punishment - Against Looking out for the state of the public's satisfaction in the scheme of capital sentencing does not constitute serving justice. Today's system of capital punishment is filled with inequalities and injustices. The commonly offered arguments for the death penalty are filled with holes. “It was a deterrent. It removed killers. It was the ultimate punishment. It is biblical. It satisfied the public's need for retribution. It relieved the anguish of the victim's family.”(Grisham 120) Realistically, imposing the death penalty is expensive and time consuming. Retroactively, it has yet to be proven as a deterrent. Morally, it is a continuation of the cycle of violence and “...degrades all who are involved in its enforcement, as well as its victim.”(Stewart 1) Perhaps the most frequent argument for capital punishment is that of deterrence. The prevailing thought is that imposition of the death penalty will act to dissuade other criminals from committing violent acts. Numerous studies have been created attempting to prove this belief; however, “all the evidence taken together makes it hard to be confident that capital punishment deters more than long prison terms do.”(Cavanagh 4) The more we resort to killing as a legitimate response to our frustration and anger with violence, the more violent our society becomes. “We could execute all three thousand people on death row, and most people would not feel any safer tomorrow.”(Frame 51) In addition, with the growing humanitarianism of modern society, the number of inmates actually put to death is substantially lower than 50 years ago. This decline creates a situation in which the death penalty ceases to be a deterrent when the populace begins to think that one can get away with a crime and go unpunished. The key part of the death penalty is that it involves death-something which is rather permanent for humans, due to the concept of mortality. This creates a major problem when “there continue to be many instances of innocent people being sentenced to death.”(Tabak 38) In our legal system, there exist numerous ways in which justice might be poorly served for a recipient of the death sentence. Foremost is in the handling of his own defense counsel. In the event that a defendant is without counsel, a lawyer will be provided. “Attorney's appointed to represent indigent capital defendants frequently lack the qualities necessary to 2006-07-09T15:09:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Reasons-why-we-do-Not-have-the-Right-to-Capital-Punishment-30148.aspx Anti Capital Punishment Essay Anit Capital Punishment Essay Some people might agree with the death penalty. Families get devastated when someone they love and care about has died. Its different when that person they care so much about has been murdered or killed. People tend to hate that person and have the urge to do just about anything to them in order for them to suffer, which causes us to take, revenge on them. This matter has lead to the death penalty. This is a punishment that slowly kills the man or woman that has committed the crime. Why should we have pity on those who choose to kill? If they felt powerful enough to kill, then we should be able to do the same to them. Whatever their reason is that they choose to kill they should be punished someway, somehow. However, a strong case can be made against the death penalty. We have no right to take someone’s life away from them even though they have committed a tragic crime. I believe the federal government should realize they are not preventing anything by their doing this. Reasons why people are sentenced to the Death Penalty Most of the people that have been sentenced to the death penalty have committed murder. The race and the gender has been a big problem. People think it unfair and unequal. Which I personally agree. There has been many more males sentenced to death row then there have been females. There have been 4 white females and 153 white males. Three black females and 185 black males. There were no Hispanic females and there were 100 Hispanic males. For other there was 0 females and 5 males due to The Texas Department Of Criminal Justice. (http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/racial.htm) Texas Department Of Criminal Justice) Trying To Forgive And Forget I know that it’s hard to forgive someone that has killed your loved one but it’s even harder to try to forget about it. We have to remember that we are just human and we do make big mistakes. I just think it’s easier to live your life looking forward then looking back at the bad things in your life. If someone spends there time thinking about this matter, then we will forever be cold hearted and live 2006-07-09T14:05:27-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Anti-Capital-Punishment-Essay-30120.aspx Moral Misconduct of Capital Punishment Moral Misconduct of Capital Punishment Each year, 250 people are added to death row and 35 are executed. Capital punishment is the harshest form or condemnation. It is a highly controversial issue and is therefore not practiced in all parts of the world. Putting and end to someone’s life is a cruel and unusual form of punishment. One can clearly see the barbaric ritual as a violation of human dignity. The fear of death has proven not to deter criminals from committing crimes. When executing the alleged, there is always a slight chance that he/she is innocent. That alone should be reason enough to discontinue with the practice. Capital punishment is morally wrong and allows humans to play God. This Barbaric ritual should be banned in all parts of the world. Capital punishment is a relic of barbarism. The act is morally wrong. The methods though which executions are made involve physical, emotional and mental torture. Who was it that gave humans the authority to play God? If the state in which the punishment is being condemned claims that taking a life is wrong, how can the state in effect do the same thing? To punish the taking of a life, should the state not also be punished for the same thing? Capital punishment does something almost worse than lowering the government to the moral level of the criminal. The government should have better sense of morality than the criminal. For the believers of Lex Talionis (a life for a life), - one question. If you take a criminal’s life for taking someone else’s life, should your life not be taken away also because you have taken the life of someone? We as a society should attempt to set examples for the criminals, not battle them. Can society place an unequal weight on the tragically lost lives of murder victims and the criminal? Where do we go off giving ourselves the authority of God? Contrary to popular belief, Capital Punishment does not act as a deterrent to crime. A study performed on the effect of capital punishment by Isaac Ehrlich shows that in the United States in 1957, there were 8,060 murders committed and 65 executions. In 1982, there were 2,520 murders committed and only 1 execution. The absence of deterrence is clearly shown. Countries such as Sweden, Denmark, and Switzerland do not practice Capital Punishment but they 2006-07-05T17:38:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Moral-Misconduct-of-Capital-Punishment-30028.aspx Why Capital Punishment is an Appropriate Sentence Why Capital Punishment is an Appropriate Sentence Capital Punishment deters murder, and is just Retribution Capital punishment, is the execution of criminals by the state, for committing crimes, regarded so heinous, that this is the only acceptable punishment. Capital punishment does not only lower the murder rate, but it's value as retribution alone is a good reason for handing out death sentences. Support for the death penalty in the U.S. has risen to an average of 80% according to an article written by Richard Worsnop, entitled "Death penalty debate centers on Retribution", this figure is slightly lower in Canada where support for the death penalty is at 72% of the population over 18 years of age, as stated in article by Kirk Makir, in the March 26, 1987 edition of the Globe and Mail, titled "B.C. MPs split on Death Penalty". The death penalty deters murder by putting the fear of death into would be killers. A person is less likely to do something, if he or she thinks that harm will come to him. Another way the death penalty deters murder, is the fact that if the killer is dead, he will not be able to kill again. Most supporters of the death penalty feel that offenders should be punished for their crimes, and that it does not matter whether it will deter the crime rate. Supporters of the death penalty are in favor of making examples out of offenders, and that the threat of death will be enough to deter the crime rate, but the crime rate is irrelevant. According to Isaac Ehrlich's study, published on April 16, 1976, eight murders are deterred for each execution that is carried out in the U.S.A. He goes on to say, "If one execution of a guilty capital murderer deters the murder of one innocent life, the execution is justified." To most supporters of the death penalty, like Ehrlich, if even 1 life is saved, for countless executions of the guilty, it is a good reason for the death penalty. Most supporters, including Ehrlich, consider the theory that society engages in murder when executing the guilty, invalid. He feels that execution of convicted offenders expresses the great value society places on innocent life. Isaac Ehrlich goes on to state that racism is also a point used by death penalty advocates. We will use the U.S. as examples, since we can not look 2006-06-26T15:15:45-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Why-Capital-Punishment-is-an-Appropriate-Sentence-29819.aspx Problems with Capital Punishment Problems with Capital Punishment "Dead Man Walking!" This sound rings through each and every death row inmate a thousand times a day; But should it? Capital punishment is one of the most controversial topics among Americans today. Since every person has there own opinion on this topic, either for or against, the question always raised is "Is it morally right." The number of problems with the death penalty are enormous, ranging from innocence to racism, and these problems will never be resolved unless the death penalty is abolished. The problems with capital punishment stem as far back as the ritual itself. The number of occurrence on why the death penalty is racist is uncountable. A 1990 report released by the federal government's General Accounting Office found a "pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in the charging, sentencing and imposition of the death penalty after the Furman decision." Professor David Baldus examined sentencing patterns in Georgia in the 1970's. After reviewing over 2,500 homicide cases in that state, controlling for 230 non-racial factors, he concluded that a person accused of killing a white was 4.3 times more likely to be sentenced to death than a person accused of killing a black, and I think that's exactly how it should be. The Stanford Law Review published a study that found similar patterns of racial dispair, based on the race of the victim, in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Virginia. For example, in Arkansas findings showed that defendants in a case involving a white victim are three-and-a-half times more likely to be sentenced to death; in Illinois, four times; in North Carolina, 4.4 times, and in Mississippi five times more likely to be sentenced to death than defendants convicted of murdering blacks. There is also the issue of Capital Punishment being a deterrent. But does the death penalty really deter crime? The death lobby wants you to believe the answer to that question is "yes." But, in fact, it is a resounding "NO." Consider this...the US is the only Western nation that still allows the death penalty, and we also have one of the highest crime rates. During the 1980s, death penalty states averaged an annual rate of 7.5 criminal homicides per 100,000, while abolition states averaged a rate of 7.4 per 100,000. That means murder was actually more common in states that use the death penalty. Also consider this...in 2006-06-20T15:55:14-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Problems-with-Capital-Punishment-29698.aspx Negative Stance on Capital Punishment Negative Stance on Capital Punishment Each year there are about 250 people added to the death row and 35 executed. The death penalty is one of the harshest forms of punishment enforced in the United States today. Once a jury has convicted a criminal, of an offense they go to the second part of the trail, 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 of execution 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. I am opposed to capital punishment because I don’t think that it is right to execute someone for making one or two wrong decisions. Capital Punishment is a cruel and unusual punishment. There also is a possibility of innocent death and it doesn’t deter crime. The strongest argument against capital punishment is the argument capital punishment is a cruel and unusual punishment. The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution, condemning cruel and unusual punishment, is used to protest Capital Punishment. The fallacy of this argument is that it appears to be a red herring augment, one that takes attention away from the facts of the case. When the Constitution was drafted, capital punishment was practiced widely in this country, yet it was not specified as wrong. Many of the framers of the constitution endorsed capital punishment, as did the philosophers that which the constitution draws from. John Lock went to say that murder is not wrong. So how can murder be immoral? Citizens under social contract agree not to kill only because others also agree not to kill. It is the function of penal laws to prevent murder by demonstrating to everyone that it is not in their best interest to murder. Contrary to popular belief, the death penalty does not act as a deterrent to crime. Expert after expert and study after study show that the lack of correlation between the threat of the death penalty and the occurrence of crime. 2006-06-16T14:18:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Negative-Stance-on-Capital-Punishment-29586.aspx Persuasive Death Penalty Essay Persuasive Death Penalty Essay When turning on the television, radio, or simply opening the local newspaper, one is bombarded with news of arrests, murders, homicides, and other such tragedies. There are many things that I don’t agree with in today’s society but, out of all the wrongdoing that takes place, I believe murder including the death penalty is the worst of them. I am strongly against the death penalty because it violates God’s rules, costs the tax payers too much money, the possible “wrongly accused,” and it is cruel and unusual punishment. How often do these concepts creep into the public’s mind when it hears of our ‘fair, trusty’ government taking away someone’s breathing rights? I do not support having the death penalty because it violates religious beliefs. Many religions, such as my own, Catholicism, follow the rules that God sent to use through the Ten Commandments. One of the most important of those ten states, “Thou shall not kill.” If you are executing an individual, that clearly violates this commandment. Murdering any person, no matter what the individual has been convicted of, is a mortal sin. Therefore, God will punish anyone who aids in executing people. I believe that religious beliefs, such as the Ten Commandments, are the corner stone for our law system. Executing someone should not be made an exception to God’s rule. My next reason against the death penalty is that taxpayers waste too much of their money with the death penalty. The average death penalty case is appealed three times. This means that the taxpayers must pay for the same trial to be heard three times. This is a very expensive practice. Also, the average convicted murder spends 12 years on death row. If supporters of the death penalty are positive enough to kill the person for committing the crime, shouldn’t the supporters be confident enough to execute them in a timely manner? Why spend the taxpayer’s money keeping these inmates in jail for so long? Taxpayer’s money should go to better society, not to accommodate the prisoners that are going to end up dead. There’s always the chance of the innocent being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A handful of evidence from a strong lawyer could sentence someone to life in prison, and even the death penalty. One could be spending and ending his life in captivity for simply walking down the 2006-06-15T22:56:52-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Persuasive-Death-Penalty-Essay-29582.aspx Capital Punishment is a Just Action Capital Punishment is a Just Action A strong case can be made in principle for and against capital punishment. The argument in favor of capital punishment should be based on justice and the nature of a moral community; this is the definition of a just action. People who commit the act of first-degree murder should be brought to justice. Being brought to justice requires that each person respect the life and liberty of others. Respecting the life and liberty of others means that we as United Sates citizens have freedom of thought and expression and equality before others. Those who commit vicious crimes can destroy the basis on which a moral community rests, and should have the fear of forfeiting their rights to citizenship and even life itself. Capital punishment in the United Sates is a just action in our criminal justice system. Many people who support capital punishment believe that the general public should be urged for capital punishment to be used more frequently. Michael Tonry explains a brief history of capital punishment in the United States of America. Approximately 20,000 executions have taken place since the settlement of the Europeans in the United States and Americans colonies, and more than 7,000 people have been executed in the United States since the year 1900. Between the years of 1967 and 1976 capital punishment was used not only for first-degree murder, but also rape. It was modified in 1976 that a criminal who committed rape would not receive capital punishment. At this time there are more than three thousand people on death row in the United States (Tonry 744). First-degree murder is the killing of an individual without lawful justification, in which the person intends to do great bodily harm to the individual, knows that such acts will cause death, or is committing a felony at the time of murder. The other types of murders are second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless homicide. These types of murder may have been performed by an accident or under sudden or intense passion. This is the reason why the death penalty is only issued for first-degree murder. There are several different methods or ideas behind the use of capital punishment. One of Tonry’s excellent examples of why capital punishment is a just action is the deterrence factor. A major purpose of criminal punishment is to conclude future criminal conduct. The deterrence 2006-06-15T15:49:41-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Capital-Punishment-is-a-Just-Action-29536.aspx History Surrounding Capital Punishment History Surrounding Capital Punishment The earliest historical records contain evidence of capital punishment. It was mentioned in the Code of Hammurabi. The bible prescribed death as the penalty for more than 30 different crimes, ranging from murder to fornication. The Draconian code of ancient Greece imposed capital punishment for every offense. Efforts to abolish the death penalty did not gather momentum until the end of the 18th century; in England and America this reform was led by the Quakers. In Europe, a short treatise, On Crimes and Punishments (1764), by the Italian jurist Cesare Beccaria, inspired influential thinkers such as the French philosopher Voltaire to oppose torture, flogging, and the death penalty. Encouraged by the writings of the philosopher Jeremy Bentham, England repealed all but a few of its capital statutes during the 19th century. Several states in the United States and a few countries abolished the death penalty entirely. The death penalty has been inflicted in many ways now regarded as barbaric and forbidden by law almost everywhere: Crucifixion, boiling in oil, drawing and quartering, impalement, beheading, burning alive, crushing, tearing asunder, stoning, and drowning are examples. In the U.S., the death penalty is currently authorized in one of five ways: hanging, electrocution, the gas chamber, firing squad, or lethal injection. In most nations that still retain the death penalty for some crimes, hanging or the firing squads are the preferred methods of execution. In some countries that adhere strictly to the traditional practices of Islam, beheading or stoning are still occasionally employed as punishment. The fundamental questions raised by the death penalty are whether it is an effective deterrent to violent crime, and whether it is more effective than the alternative of long-term imprisonment. Defenders of the death penalty insist that because taking an offender's life is a more severe punishment than any prison term, it must be the better deterrent. Public opinion, which in the U.S. currently supports the death penalty for murder by a more than two-to-one margin, rests largely on this conviction. Supporters also argue that no adequate deterrent in life imprisonment is effective for those already serving a life term who commit murder while incarcerated; those who have not yet been caught but who would be liable to a life term if arrested; and revolutionaries, terrorists, traitors, and spies. Those who argue against the death penalty as a deterrent to crime cite the 2006-06-13T03:27:22-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/History-Surrounding-Capital-Punishment-29406.aspx Making the Death Penalty a More Effective Crime Deterent Making the Death Penalty a More Effective Crime Deterent Over the past many years, people have argued over the effectiveness of the death penalty. The majority of executions have come from convictions of homicides (murder), though execution has been a choice in punishment for rape, treason, kidnapping, and armed robbery. Many people consider the death penalty as immoral and ineffective to deter crime. These people are half right; it is an ineffective means to deter crime. With this understood, it is time that we need to make a reform in the death penalty to make criminals, or future criminals, stop from murdering, raping, kidnapping, or robbing. Back in Ancient Rome, under the reign of Justinian I, around 533 AD, many crimes fit the description for the death penalty. These reasons included, but were not limited to, rape, treason, embezzlement, forgery, and kidnapping. Murder, however, was punished by banishment, a worse punishment than death itself in those days. In England during the Middle Ages, any serious crime, listed as arson, burglary, counterfeiting, murder, rape, and treason, was punishable by the death penalty. Currently, the death penalty is used mainly in cases of treason and murder. Most of the other listed offenses are punished with lengthy jail terms. Through these ages, technology has helped advance the uses of the death penalty. In the days before Justinian I, most criminals were put into the Coliseum and made to fight either trained gladiators or half-starved lions. Later, after many centuries, executions became a popular public affair. Customs of those days were to pay the executioner some money for a clean swipe; using an axe was not very accurate, and most executioners took two or three hacks before cutting through the neck, as most executions were beheadings. Hanging, of course, was still an option, but if the rope did not snap your neck, then you would slowly choke to death on the rope. In those days, public executions was a very useful deterrent for crime; many people feared the execution for the possible ‘mishap’ that might occur. The advent of the guillotine quickened the rate of executions to as many as 12 a day, rather than 3-4. Many other forms of execution existed during the Middle Ages. Drawing and quartering, where a person is basically de-limbed by various 2006-06-11T01:45:38-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Making-the-Death-Penalty-a-More-Effective-Crime-Deterent-29157.aspx Is Capital Punishment Effective in Discouraging Crime Is Capital Punishment Effective in Discouraging Crime Capital punishment is punishment by death for committing a crime. Since the early 1800's, most executions have resulted from convictions for murder. The death penalty has also been imposed for such serious crimes as armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, and treason. People disagree about whether capital punishment is moral or is effective in discouraging crime. Capital punishment in the United States In the late 1990's, 38 states of the United States had laws that allowed the death penalty. These laws were influenced by a 1972 U.S. Supreme Court decision. The court had banned the death penalty as it was then imposed. It ruled that "the imposition and carrying out of the death penalty" was cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the 8th and 14th amendments to the Constitution. But the court left open the possibility that the death penalty might be constitutional-if imposed for certain crimes and applied according to clear standards. After the 1972 decision, many state legislatures passed new capital punishment laws designed to satisfy the Supreme Court's requirements. These laws limit the death penalty to murder and to other specified crimes that result in a person's death. Such crimes include armed robbery, hijacking, and kidnapping. The laws of several states specify the circumstances under which a judge or jury may impose the death penalty. In 1976, the court upheld death sentences for three men convicted of murder under new laws in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. It ruled that capital punishment for murder was "not unconstitutionally severe." But the court struck down laws that made the death penalty mandatory (required) for certain crimes. In addition to state laws on capital punishment, the death penalty may be imposed under federal laws or military laws. Capital punishment was widely used during the Middle Ages, especially for crimes against the state and church. In the 1700's, England had more than 200 capital offenses. Most were abolished in the 1800's. The United Kingdom abolished capital punishment in 1969. Canada did so in 1976. The United States is the only Western industrialized nation where executions still take place. According to the organization Amnesty International, about 100 nations either have formally abolished capital punishment or have done so in effect. These countries include most European and Latin American nations. About 90 countries still permit capital punishment, including most developing nations. Many people oppose the death penalty, chiefly because they 2006-06-07T18:50:20-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Is-Capital-Punishment-Effective-in-Discouraging-Crime-29123.aspx Constitutional Argument in Support of Capital Punishment Constitutional Argument in Support of Capital Punishment In my opinion, one of the most controversial topics in the Supreme Court is the idea of capital punishment. The Eighth Amendment of the United States constitution guarantees freedom from cruel and unusual punishment but the Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the death penalty in today’s society. Thirty-eight states and the federal government authorize capital punishment and the number of people on death row has risen to more than 3,500 (Clear and Cole). Of the yearly 22,000 arrests each year for murder only about 300 will receive the death penalty (Clear and Cole). There are several different views on the death penalty that some people accept or reject based on their political or moral views. In the 1930s, there were about 150 executions per year but then it was on a steady decline until the case of Furman v. Georgia in 1972. This case ruled that the death penalty was constituted as cruel and unusual punishment. So the death penalty was banned until 1976 in the case of Gregg v. Georgia in which the court decided to have two different trials: 1-to prove if the defendant was guilty or innocent, 2- to decide what the punishment should be. This second trial takes in concern the criminal’s prior record, youthfulness, mental issues, or the lack of a criminal record. “The purpose of the two-stage decision-making process is to ensure thorough deliberation before someone is given the ultimate punishment (Clear and Cole).” So after this case the number of executions have increased but since this case the most amount of executions was 74 in 1997(ACLU). Today 38 states use the death penalty in several different ways: lethal injection, electrocution, lethal gas, hanging, or a firing squad. There are many people that oppose the death penalty and even states like Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and District of Columbia (Cleveland State Law Review 5). People say state there rejection of the death penalty by saying “ We simply do not believe that premeditated, state-sanctioned killing is justifiable under any circumstances. The death penalty brutalizes us. It is an indication of how little our government values human life (Christian Science Monitor).” Opponents of the death penalty argue that it is not applied 2006-06-02T16:10:52-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Constitutional-Argument-in-Support-of-Capital-Punishment-29038.aspx Economic and Ethical Problems with Capital Punishment Economic and Ethical Problems with Capital Punishment Capital Punishment has been one of the most controversial topics in the past decade, and for that I will only be addressing certain aspects of the argument, due to its broadness. What is cruel and unusual punishment? Is having a man shot in the head or hung by a rope until he dies cruel and unusual? Also, why is it that the unknowing American tax payer has to blow there hard earned money on non human like criminals who feel no remorse for what they have done. The answer is elementary, Capital Punishment is unconstitutional and not cost effective. According to the 8th Amendment of the Constitution, the people of the United States shall in no way receive any cruel or unusual punishment. That being the case, then what is cruel and unusual punishment? It is safe to say that Capital Punishment is highly unused and therefore unusual punishment. According to the Death Penalty Information Center nearly a fourth of the United States does not have an acting death penalty and of those that do nine have executed 3 or less inmates since 1976. Knowing these facts you can only conclude that the death penalty is highly unused and therefor is unusual punishment. Cruelty is even a more obvious when you examine the current methods of capital punishment. Electrocution, hanging, and a firing squad all of which are barbaric in origin to begin with. As stated by one of the Florida State Supreme Court Justices “execution by electrocution is a spectacle whose time has passed... Florida’s electric chair, by it’s own track record, has proven itself to be a dinosaur more benefiting the laboratory of the Baron Frankenstein than the death chamber of Florida State Prison” (the Death Penalty Information Center). The Webster’s Dictionary defines justice as a “principle of moral or ideal rightness.” No where does he describe justice as a non forgiving force in which the punishment for a crime is death. Webster states that justice is an act conducted in a moral and reasonable fashion. The Supreme Court of the United States agreed with Webster in their search for justice in 1976 when the voted the death penalty was unconstitutional in Woodson v. North Carolina. The Supreme Court and Webster do not solely share this opinion about 2006-06-02T02:38:29-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Economic-and-Ethical-Problems-with-Capital-Punishment-29010.aspx Capital Punishment is Wrong Imagine a loved one was tortured and brutally murdered. Imagine them screaming out for help and no one coming for them. Imagine, their last moments on Earth as the most horrific and terrible anyone has ever known. What should the punishment be for the murderer? After seriously weighing my initial feelings that capital punishment is murder against what I would feel if this happened in my family, I still believe that taking another life is wrong. There is no action that can ever justify the murder of another person. Capital punishment is wrong because the taking of another person’s life against their will is murder. Imagine again that a murderer has taken the life of a family member. The first feelings would be intense emotions driven by revenge and retribution. Yet these emotions are what fuel the need for violence. And capital punishment is the most violent response to the crime. This is an emotional response, not a rational one. Violence begets more violence. Statistics show that in the thirty-eight states that have the death penalty, violent crime punishable by the death penalty is not lower then in the states that do not have the death penalty. Nor has it reduced the amount of violent crime in that state. In the world, eighty-six other countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Countries who have not executed a single person in the last ten years are abolitionist-in-practice countries. Twenty-five countries are abolitionist-in-practice. Of the seventy-four countries that retain the death penalty, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States account for over 80% of the executions in the world. In the United Kingdom, there is no death penalty, no armed police, and yet, the crime rates are five times lower then they are in the United States. Is this a coincidence? Parallels can be drawn that the use of force and violent begets more force and violence. One explanation of the lack of crime in the UK without violent punishment, and the huge amount of crime in the US with the promise of violent punishment is “rising to meet expectations”. Imagine a child in a school that sets high expectations for learning, behavior and social interaction. Instead of being reinforced by punishment if not met, the child was rewarded when the expectations are met. 2006-01-17T08:09:40-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Capital-Punishment-is-Wrong-28440.aspx Views on Capital Punishment Views on Capital Punishment Death penalty has always been a punishment for serious crime in the United States system of justice. From Americas early years to the present the death penalty has always been a controversial issue. It has evolved from a punishment for witchcraft to primarily first-degree murders. Colonial abolitionist to present day death penalty supporters, have fought to no resolution on this conflict on morality and justice. Capital punishment was a sanction perfectly familiar to America’s early settlers. Since the first European settlers arrived in America, the death penalty has been accepted as punishment for crimes. All British colonies followed the English penal code but actual practice varied from colony to colony. In colonial Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Puritans left England to build a model society for Christians to emulate. Although Puritans felt that criminal justice needed amending, they never considered doing without it. They screened settlers who resided in their towns but future offenders who would fall to sin would still sneak through. Sin threatened not only the social tranquility of the colony but also divine wrath, for the Puritans conceived that they had covenanted with God to live according to his spiritual commands.(Hirsch 3). The Puritans felt 12 crimes fell under this category of stirring up their social tranquility. The 12 crimes which warranted this punishment were idolatry, witchcraft, blasphemy, rape, statutory rape, kidnapping, perjury in a trial involving a possible death sentence, rebellion, murder, assault in sudden anger, adultery, and buggery (sodomy). This capital list remained consistent with Puritan beliefs. The Puritan belief also held true in convictions of capital offenses. They believed that no sentence of death could pass without a warrant from God’s word. As the eighteenth century drew near most moral capital offenses were brought down to lower charges of criminal offenses. Judges and juries demonstrated an extreme reluctance to execute moral offenders they tended to downgrade capital convictions. Biblical reference took precedent as authorizations of the death penalty. Puritan criminal justice system mirrored Old World law by treating property offenses mildly and moral offenses with relative severity. The Quakers whom also had in place a form of capital punishment contrasted with their colonial counterparts the Puritans. The Quakers of South Jersey Royal Charter did not permit capital punishment for any crime. Their first execution took place in 1691. The Quakers believed that all human beings are born with an inner light that could 2005-12-25T00:53:44-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Views-on-Capital-Punishment-28236.aspx Fact Based Opinion on Capital Punishment Fact Based Opinion on Capital Punishment The Debate over the merits of capital punishment has endured for years, and continues to be an extremely indecisive and complicated issue. Adversaries of capital punishment point to the Marshalls and the Millgards, while proponents point to the Dahmers and Gacys. Society must be kept safe from the monstrous barbaric acts of these individuals and other killers, by taking away their lives to function and perform in our society. At the same time, we must insure that innocent people such as Marshall and Millgard are never convicted or sentenced to death for a crime that they did not commit. Many contend that the use of capital punishment as a form of deterrence does not work, as there are no fewer murders on a per- capita basis in countries or states that do have it, then those that do not. In order for capital punishment to work as a deterrence, certain events must be present in the criminal's mind prior to committing the offence. The criminal must be aware that others have been punished in the past for the offence that he or she is planning, and that what happened to another individual who committed this offence, can also happen to me. But individuals who commit any types of crime ranging from auto theft to 1st-Degree Murder, never take into account the consequences of their actions. Deterrence to crime, is rooted in the individuals themselves. Every human has a personal set of conduct. How much they will and will not tolerate. How far they will and will not go. This personal set of conduct can be made or be broken by friends, influences, family, home, life, etc. An individual who is never taught some sort of restraint as a child, will probably never understand any limit as to what they can do, until they have learned it themselves. Therefore, capital punishment will never truly work as a deterrent, because of human nature to ignore practised advice and to self learn. There are those who claim that capital punishment is in itself a form of vengeance on the killer. But isn't locking up a human being behind steel bars for many years, vengeance itself? And is it "humane" that an individual who took the life of another, should receive heating, clothing, indoor plumbing, 3 meals a day, while a homeless person who has harmed no one receives nothing? Adversaries of 2005-08-26T09:55:07-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Fact-Based-Opinion-on-Capital-Punishment-27789.aspx Capital Punishment Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right Capital Punishment - Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right A man stabs a stranger in the back leaving his victim to suffer a slow, painful death. Should this man be killed for his crime? or should he be locked up in a cell for the rest of his life? I believe capital punishment should not be reintroduced in Britain because, in ending the life of the convicted person, we become murderers, and there is always the risk of killing someone who is later proved innocent. Furthermorethere is no evidence to suggest capital punishment reduces the crime rate any more than a harsh prison sentence. Firstly, if a criminal is convicted and given the death penalty, we are carrying out an act that is as bad as the one we are punishing them for. By stooping to their level we become accomplices to murder. In addition, somebody has to push the button or pull the lever. how would we choose that person? and what effect would it have on their life and the lives of those around them? It is hard to imagine how anyone could live with the fact that they kill people to earn a living. It must also be taken into account, that there have been cases when new evidence has been produced after sentencing, which proves the person has been wrongly convicted. No legal system is totally infallible and the risk of killing an innocent person is not acceptable. Secondly, punishment should have a purpose other than revenge. in civilised society the idea of "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" is outdated. Moreover, as well as punishing the criminal, their sentece should deter others from a life of crime and make society a safer place to live in. In some countries the death sentece is still carried out, such as in some stated of America and Malasia, and their crime rate is no lower than that in Britain. Hence it can be seen to be innefective and demonstrates the need for other forms of punishment. Finally, the victims of crime and those around them suffer for a lifetime, so why should the criminal only suffer for a few seconds in paying for their crime? It is surely more of a punishment to be jailed for life, but life must mean until they die, not a sentence where they can expect to be released for good behaviour. Prisons should be 2005-08-15T08:40:44-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Capital-Punishment-Two-Wrongs-Don-t-Make-a-Right-27674.aspx Captial Punishment Absolutism Denounces It Capital Punishment Many positions can be defended when debating the issue of capital punishment. In Jonathan Glover's essay "Executions," he maintains that there are three views that a person may have in regard to capital punishment: the retributivist, the absolutist, and the utilitarian. Although Glover recognizes that both statistical and intuitive evidence cannot validate the benefits of capital punishment, he can be considered a utilitarian because he believes that social usefulness is the only way to justify it. Martin Perlmutter on the other hand, maintains the retributivist view of capital punishment, which states that a murderer deserves to be punished because of a conscious decision to break the law with knowledge of the consequences. He even goes as far to claim that just as a winner of a contest has a right to a prize, a murderer has a right to be executed. Despite the fact that retributivism is not a position that I maintain, I agree with Perlmutter in his claim that social utility cannot be used to settle the debate about capital punishment. At the same time, I do not believe that retributivism justifies the death penalty either. In Martin Perlmutter's essay "Desert and Capital Punishment," he attempts to illustrate that social utility is a poor method of evaluating the legitimacy of it. Perlmutter claims that a punishment must be "backward looking," meaning that it is based on a past wrongdoing. A utilitarian justification of capital punishment strays from the definition of the term "punishment" because it is "forward looking." An argument for social utility maintains that the death penalty should result in a greater good and the consequences must outweigh the harm, thereby increasing overall happiness in the world. Perlmutter recognizes the three potential benefits of a punishment as the rehabilitation of an offender, protection for other possible victims, and deterring other people from committing the same crime. The death penalty however, obviously does not rehabilitate a victim nor does it do a better job at protecting other potential victims than life imprisonment. Since a punishment must inflict harm on an individual, deterrence is the only argument that utilitarians can use to defend the death penalty. The question then arises as to whether capital punishment actually deters people from committing the same crime. Jonathan Glover attempts to answer this question in his essay titled "Executions." According 2005-06-21T22:35:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Captial-Punishment-Absolutism-Denounces-It-27118.aspx Capital Punishment An Action of the Past When turning on the television, radio, or simply opening the local newspaper, one is bombarded with news of arrests, murders, homicides, serial killers, and other such tragedies. It is a rare occasion to go throughout a day in this world and not hear of these things. So what should be done about this crime rate? Not only is it committing a crime, but today, it is signing your life over to the government. This is a risk one is taking when he decides to pull a trigger or plunge a knife, but is it really up to our justice system to decide one's fate? There are many issues that address this question of capital punishment such as religion, the effect on society, restitution being denied, the possible "wrongly accused", and the rights of the convicted. But how often do these concepts creep into the public's mind when it hears of our 'fair, trusty' government taking away someone's breathing rights? The Bible states "Thou shalt not kill," and this being a sin should have to be amended within oneself. However, the Bible also states "Don't judge others' personal convictions." It is the government's responsibility to punish people that disobey the law to keep our world in tact but is it their right to take away their lives? It is a Christian's responsibility to point out to those who sin that they do so and this country, trusting in God as it says it does, should do just that. So if the government stands strongly by this statement that's on the dollar bill, may they line up all the liars, adulterers, Buddhists, thieves, covetous and murderers at the chair. If they shall look into this one sin as so evil may they see all ten commandments so holy. The society is so confused as to what is "right." More and more children are becoming murderers themselves. The reason is obvious: they see that if they kill someone they go to jail, get the death penalty, and the government, who they know as the "good guy" kills them for punishment. Lesson learned: the finger is pointing to its own actions. Learning morals is only as hard as people make it. Why complicate things? Some people think that restitution is granted when one is sentenced to the death penalty. However, if a loved one is murdered and his family feels justice in having the murderer done 2005-06-21T03:29:55-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Capital-Punishment-An-Action-of-the-Past-27056.aspx Pros and Cons to Capital Punishment Pros and Cons to Capital Punishment For many years the death penalty has been the sentence for murders, rapists, and other serial criminals. But, in recent months it has been an issue in whether the death penalty should or should not be legal. There are many people that think that capital punishment should be used and there are others that feel that it should not be used. Also there are some in the middle that think that it doesn't really matter because they feel that whatever happens will be right because it was brought up and decided in a court of law. Capital punishment is the only way to be sure the killing will at least end with that criminal. Prisons are not hard enough on there inmates. For example, citizens feel that capital punishment is only fair to those that have committed the crime such as murder. This shows that you have to find and prove that the criminal is truly guilty. This could take days, months, even years and in that time they are treated nice and not like prisoners. For example the inmates are allowed to attend school and watch TV in case that they are released. But then, are the guards even thinking? These are men that committed series crimes, capital crimes. They killed people, and if there not going to be killed they sure better not be released to do it again. It seems like they don’t remember that the inmate had no mercy when they were raping, or killing that innocent person, yet we feel sorry for them. There are lots of issues that arise with the death penalty, such as moral issues and innocent lives being taken, when may be they shouldn’t. For example there is a lot that needs to be done before the initial action is taken place. This shows that their needs to be clear and correct evident on the suspect in custody. There fore the new technology that has been presented to society, such as DNA testing, many mistakes shouldn’t be made in these life-threatening decisions. New Technology should be used as a sure way that the judgement to death is correct. There are people that believe that the death penalty is morally wrong because they feel that only god should have the final authority in death. This shows that the death penalty is just a form of cruel and 2005-06-03T05:58:25-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Pros-and-Cons-to-Capital-Punishment-26820.aspx Esasy on Anti Death Penalty Death Penalty Death by execution has existed as a punishment since the dawn of time. Yet although this has existed seemingly forever, the question of its morality has also existed for that same amount of time. Killers kill innocent people, there is no question about that, but does that give us the right to kill these killers? I do not think so. Racism is often the driving force behind crime. Yet in a justice system that preaches equality, it too is led by racism. There is "a pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in the charging, sentencing, and imposition of the death penalty" according to a 1990 U.S. Government report. An overwhelming majority of death row defendants since 1977 were executed for killing whites despite the fact that whites and blacks are victims of murder in approximately equal numbers. In Texas, for example, blacks found guilty of killing whites were found to be six times more likely to receive the death penalty that whites convicted of killing whites. Of the 3,061 inmates on death row 1,246 of them are black, making 40% of death row inmates black. Compare this to the fact that blacks make up 12% of the U.S. population. Furthermore, many black prisoners on death row were sentenced to death by all-white juries after prosecutors had deliberately excluded black people from the jury pool. Racism alone is not the only problem with Capital Punishment. Many inmates on death row suffer from mental retardation. The 1984 ECOSOC safeguards state that the death penalty must not be carried out on persons who have become insane, while the ECOSOC resolution 1989/64 on the execution of the 1984 safeguards recommends that UN member states eliminate the death penalty for persons suffering from mental retardation or extremely limited competence. Amnesty International has documented the cases of more than 50 prisoners suffering from mental illness or mental retardation who have been executed in the U.S. in the past decade. Humanitarian standards maintain that mentally impaired people should not be held criminally responsible for their acts. The prohibition against executing insane recognizes that killing people who cannot comprehend the nature or purpose of their punishment is not a deterrent or retribution. Despite all this the mentally ill 2005-05-19T03:11:47-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Esasy-on-Anti-Death-Penalty-26667.aspx Capital Punishment Research Paper and Argument Analysis Capital Punishment The use of capital punishment in the U.S. is a growing concern for most American citizens. According to statistics seventy percent of Americans are in support of the death penalty, while only thirty percent are against it. These statistics show that few people are against capital punishment ("Fact" 1). With the use of the death penalty growing the controversy is becoming more heated. With only twelve states left not enforcing it the resistance is becoming futile ("Fact" 4). Many debates have been made and even clauses have been invoked, such as, the "Cruel and Unusual Clause" that was invoked by the Supreme Court in 1962 (Meltsner 179). The use of death as a punishment has been viewed as "cruel and unusual," but in further research the view of what is considered "cruel and unusual" has been reduced drastically (Berns 31). America's method of punishments has been reduced from several extremely painful execution methods, to four quick and less painful punishments. They consist of line of execution, gas chamber, electric chair, and the most popular lethal injection ("Ways" 1-4). The debate about the death penalty consists in both ethical and religious viewpoints. Some think that the death penalty should be legalized in all fifty states, to deter from crime, keep repeat offenders off the streets, and alleviate prison costs from the taxpayers. On the other hand, there have been some men and women that have been wrongfully accused and executed for murder. Since the 1900's at least 416 people have been wrongfully executed causing great concern for the accuracy of the death penalty ("Death" 4). According to an examination of the "Death Penalty and Legislature," Henry Schwarzchild calculated that if the courts were to "carry out the death penalty for every murder, then we would be executing 400 persons per week (Bedau 366). At the same time this small number of mistakes is nothing compared to the problems society would face without the death penalty. The concern of the death penalty not only pertains to social problems, but also to biblical aspects as well. Walter Berns states many passages from the Bible that support the death penalty, but after careful research he determines that the passages can be interpreted in many different ways. To read this passage from Genesis someone might think that the death penalty is supported "who so sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood 2005-05-15T01:50:17-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Capital-Punishment-Research-Paper-and-Argument-Analysis-26601.aspx Capital Punishment Should be Stopped Each year there are about 250 people added to death row and 35 executed. The death penalty is the harshest form of punishment enforced in the United Sates today. Once a jury has convicted a criminal offense they then proceed 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. Capital punishment is immoral in principle, unfair and discriminatory in practice. It assures the execution of some innocent people. As a remedy preventing crime, it has no purpose and no effect. Among the many reasons why a criminal should face life in prison rather then the death penalty is based on the number of times when a innocent person has been put to death. Although the number of innocent lives taken may not be large, one innocent persons life is already too many. Studies show that in this century, at least 400 innocent people have been convicted of capital crimes they did not commit. Of those 400, 23 were executed. The wrongful execution of an innocent person is an injustice that can never be rectified. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty, 96 men and women have been found to be innocent; some were just minutes away from execution. These numbers should be convincing enough to prove that capital punishment is not the only way to deter crime. In fact it has been proven that the thought of capital punishment does not deter a criminal from committing a crime. In most cases they are not in a clear state of mind when committing a capital offense. A study was published by economist Stephen K. Layson at the University of North Carolina that showed that each execution of a murderer deters, on average, 18 murders. The study also proved that raising the number of death sentences by one percent would prevent 105 murders. However, only 38 percent of all murder cases result in a death sentence, and of those, only one percent actually carry out the execution. Capital punishment in the United States should be abolished. Criminals need to live with their consequences for the rest of their life’s, not die for them. He or she will never have to look in the mirror and regret he/she’s horrible crime. Life in 2004-10-29T22:00:22-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Capital-Punishment-Should-be-Stopped-25606.aspx Death Penalty In the Name of Justice The state murdering people because of their crimes simply does not equate to justice. It is real easy to hear about how the government is doing this wrong or that, but the death penalty is abounded with so many injustices and faults that it’s an embarrassment to our entire due process of law. Supporters of capital punishment subscribe to religious and ethical points of view rather than facts, and when they do offer facts it’s always the same argument: "It’s a deterrent." The death penalty is extreamly flawed, most notably it comes with a very high price tag to an already under-funded correctional institution in America; no stable argument has been installed to warrant it as a deterrent; and the moral decay it establishes creates among other things a feeling of revenge and spite within society. Many people for and against the death penalty are under the proposed belief that capital punishment is a deterrent for crime. No study can offer a clear explanation of this theory. Almost a dozen states don’t offer a death penalty, and a dozen more haven’t executed in over fifty years that have one. Are their first and second-degree murder rates head and shoulders above the other states? Of course not. Some of these states include large metropolis’ such as Minnesota’s twin cites. Detroit has a high crime rate (in actual number not on a per capita basis) in Michigan, which doesn’t offer a death penalty, but Birmingham has one of the highest crime rates per capita in the nation. What has Alabama’s electric chair not done in Birmingham that life in prison has done in St. Paul? Deter crime, particularly murder. Studies have shown that, all evidence in view, long prison terms punish just as effectively as capital sentences. The flaws of capital punishment become too many shortly after they total one. This is because of the focus of the death penalty that being human life. Innocent people being sent to death or being released within weeks of execution are becoming frequent stories on the nightly news. The legal system is disturbingly unable to correctly administer the death penalty. Every day individuals who can’t afford a lawyer have to have one appointed to them under the constitution. Almost thirty percent of Americans can’t afford health care, how are they supposed to afford a lawyer? These lawyers, who are on average paid 5 dollars an 2004-07-05T22:26:37-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Death-Penalty-In-the-Name-of-Justice-25496.aspx Death Penalty Just or Injust Death Penalty Introduction: The most severe of all sentences: that of death. Also known as the death penalty, capital punishment this is the most severe form of corporal punishment as it is requires law enforcement officers to kill the offender. It has been banned in many countries, in the United States, an earlier move to eliminate capital punishment has now been reversed and more and more states are resorting to capital punishment for serious offenses such as murder. An Eye for and eye, a life for a life, who has never heard of the famous lex talionis? The Bible mentions it, and people have been using it regularly for centuries. We use it in reference to burglary, adultery, love and many other situations. However, some people use it on a different level, some people use it in reference to death. One steals from those who have stolen from him, one wrongs those who have wronged him, but do we really have the right to kill those who have killed. Today, there is a big controversy over capital punishment whether or not it works, or if it is morally right. We have a certain privilege on our own lives, but do the lives of others belong to us as well? Do we have the right to decide the kind of lives others can or cannot live? We find someone guilty of murder and sentence him to death, does that not make murderers out of ourselves? Can justice justify our acts? Those who assist in the death penalty are they not partners in crime? Is the death penalty a "Cruel and Unusual" punishment or is it now a necessary tool in the war on crime? With the increase in crime and violence in our society, how does the death penalty affect a North American family. History of the Death Penalty: Use of the death penalty has declined throughout the industrial Western World since the 19th century. In 1972, movement in America to have the death penalty declared unconstitutional during the landmark case of Furman v. Georgia, which declared the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment. However, after a supreme court decision in 1975, Gregg v. Georgia, which stated capital punishment did not violate the eighth Amendment, executions commenced again under state supervision. (Van der Haag, 1975, 3-4) The debate: Deterrence: There are four major issues in the capital punishment debate, the first being deterrence. A major purpose of 2004-07-05T22:26:22-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Death-Penalty-Just-or-Injust-25495.aspx Is Capital Punishment Just? Capital punishment is necessary in order for justice to prevail. Capital punishment is the execution of criminals for committing crimes, regarding so bad that this is the only acceptable punishment. Capital punishment lowers the murder rate, but its value as retribution alone is a good reason for handing out death sentences. It is one of the only fair punishments allowed by the judicial system. Another issue is that it saves money compared to the alternative of life in prison. The death penalty deters murder and prevents murderers from killing again by putting the fear of death in to would be killers. A person is less likely to do something, if he or she thinks that harm will come to him. Another way the death penalty may help deter murder is the fact that if the killer is death, he or she will not be able to kill again. Criminals deserve to die and not stay in jail. If a man kills a man and is convicted he should be ready to die next. Supporters of the death penalty feel that criminals should be punished for their crimes, and that it doesn't matter whether it will deter crime. They want to make examples out of offenders so that the threat of death will be enough to stop them from commiting such horrible crimes. Some people might say to give the murderer life in prison. This is hardly a punishment at all. Today, due to overcrowding in prisons, a lot of prisoners don’t serve their full sentence.Another thing about today’s prisons is that the prisoners get free meals, clothes, bed, electricity, air conditioning and heating, cable and many other luxuries that make it a comfortable place to live if you get used to the people. The death penalty should be given the day after conviction. Many people believe that criminals live in prison off of other peoples hard earned money. Criminals should think of the consequences before they kill someone. If they don't do this or did and still killed someone, they probably aren’t intelligent enough to make any positive impact on the world or they are mentally unstable. They shouldn’t get off the hook for killing someone. people might feel that sentencing them to life in prison is punishment enough but to other people it is just getting off the hook. There are seven main types of execution: Hanging, where the 2004-07-05T22:24:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Is-Capital-Punishment-Just-25494.aspx Essay on Capital Punishment "Dead Man Walking!" This sound rings through each and every death row inmate a thousand times a day; But should it? Capital punishment is one of the most controversial topics among Americans today. Since every person has there own opinion on this topic, either for or against, the question always raised is "Is it morally right." The number of problems with the death penalty are enormous, ranging from innocence to racism, and these problems will never be resolved unless the death penalty is abolished. The problems with capital punishment stem as far back as the ritual itself. The number of occurrence on why the death penalty is racist is uncountable. A 1990 report released by the federal government's General Accounting Office found a "pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in the charging, sentencing and imposition of the death penalty after the Furman decision." Professor David Baldus examined sentencing patterns in Georgia in the 1970's. After reviewing over 2,500 homicide cases in that state, controlling for 230 non-racial factors, he concluded that a person accused of killing a white was 4.3 times more likely to be sentenced to death than a person accused of killing a black. The Stanford Law Review published a study that found similar patterns of racial dispair, based on the race of the victim, in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Virginia. For example, in Arkansas findings showed that defendants in a case involving a white victim are three-and-a-half times more likely to be sentenced to death; in Illinois, four times; in North Carolina, 4.4 times, and in Mississippi five times more likely to be sentenced to death than defendants convicted of murdering blacks. There is also the issue of Capital Punishment being a deterrent. But does the death penalty really deter crime? The death lobby wants you to believe the answer to that question is "yes." But, in fact, it is a resounding "NO." Consider this...the US is the only Western nation that still allows the death penalty, and we also have one of the highest crime rates. During the 1980s, death penalty states averaged an annual rate of 7.5 criminal homicides per 100,000, while abolition states averaged a rate of 7.4 per 100,000. That means murder was actually more common in states that use the death penalty. Also consider this...in a nationwide survey of police chiefs and sheriffs, capital punishment was ranked last 2004-07-05T22:24:27-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Essay-on-Capital-Punishment-25493.aspx Views on Capital Punishment When turning on the television, radio, or simply opening the local newspaper, one is bombarded with news of arrests, murders, homicides, serial killers, and other such tragedies. It is a rare occasion to go throughout a day in this world and not hear of these things. So what should be done about this crime rate? Not only is it committing a crime, but today, it is signing your life over to the government. This is a risk one is taking when he decides to pull a trigger or plunge a knife, but is it really up to our justice system to decide one's fate? There are many issues that address this question of capital punishment such as religion, the effect on society, restitution being denied, the possible "wrongly accused", and the rights of the convicted. But how often do these concepts creep into the public's mind when it hears of our 'fair, trusty' government taking away someone's breathing rights? The Bible states "Thou shalt not kill," and this being a sin should have to be amended within oneself. However, the Bible also states "Don't judge others' personal convictions." It is the government's responsibility to punish people that disobey the law to keep our world in tact but is it their right to take away their lives? It is a Christian's responsibility to point out to those who sin that they do so and this country, trusting in God as it says it does, should do just that. So if the government stands strongly by this statement that's on the dollar bill, may they line up all the liars, adulterers, Buddhists, thieves, covetous and murderers at the chair. If they shall look into this one sin as so evil may they see all ten commandments so holy. The society is so confused as to what is "right." More and more children are becoming murderers themselves. The reason is obvious: they see that if they kill someone they go to jail, get the death penalty, and the government, who they know as the "good guy" kills them for punishment. Lesson learned: the finger is pointing to its own actions. Learning morals is only as hard as people make it. Why complicate things? Some people think that restitution is granted when one is sentenced to the death penalty. However, if a loved one is murdered and his family feels justice in having the murderer done 2004-07-05T22:24:08-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Views-on-Capital-Punishment-25492.aspx Methods of Capital Punishment Execution Research Paper Methods of Execution In the United States today, there are five existing methods of execution. These methods are used to kill convicted criminals that have been given the sentence of the death penalty. The different methods are; lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, and firing squad shootings. Lethal injection is currently used by thirty-six states in America. It is the most commonly used from of execution in the U.S. The preparation begins outside of the chamber with the use of a gurney. The convict is held to the gurney by wrist and ankle straps. There is then a cardiac monitor and stethoscope attached and started. In each arm there is a saline intravenous line. The convict is then covered by a sheet. The lines are turned off and the felon receives the first injection of sodium thiopental. This puts the felon to sleep. They are then injected with Pavulon, which relaxes all of the muscles in the body and stops breathing. Shortly after, the felon dies. A second method of execution is electrocution. This method is done by putting the person in a wooden chair, which they are secured to by leather straps. The electric current runs through the head and out the leg. The first current is of two thousand or more volts of electricity, lasting only an approximated three seconds. The voltage is then lowered to help prevent external burning of the body. The initial shock of the electricity causes the person's body to surge forward. The shock burns the internal organs or the person, which leaves them dead. During this process urinating, vomiting of blood, change in skin color, and even swelling or burning of the skin may occur. This method of execution is currently used by only eleven states. In a gas chamber execution the prisoner is put in a sealed steel chamber. The prisoner is restrained in a chair that has a pan below. At the first signal a valve is opened which releases hydrochloric acid into the pan. When a second signal is given tablets or crystals of about eight ounces of potassium cyanide is dropped into the acid. This combination creates a hydrocyanic gas. The fumes of this deadly gas rise and are inhaled by the prisoner, which kills them. The 2004-07-05T19:58:37-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Methods-of-Capital-Punishment-Execution-Research-Paper-25364.aspx Both Sides of Capital Punishment Murder is the unlawful killing of another human being with an intentional or criminal intent. In today's world, terrible crimes are being committed daily. Many believe that these criminals deserve one fate: death. Capital punishment, the death penalty, is the maximum sentence used in punishing people who kill another human being - and is a very controversial method of punishment. In most states, a person convicted of first degree murder has the potential to be given the death penalty. Capital punishment is a subject that can be counted upon to stir emotion and controversy into any conversation or argument. The very concept provokes a profusion of valid questions and opinions. Today's daily world of crime and violence calls for punishment of a severe nature, and many citizens argue that the punishment necessary is the death penalty. These people quote passages such as the "an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" concept from the Old Testament of the Judeo-Christian bible. Some people take the neutral position that there is no right or wrong answer, that each opinion on capital punishment is valid in its own way. Opponents of the death penalty claim that sentencing a person to death does not change the reality of the situation; the harm already done simply cannot be fixed from a vengeance standpoint. You cannot bring the murdered person back by taking the prisoner's life. Proponents of capital punishment tend to defend their opinion mainly on two grounds: death is a fitting punishment for murder, and executions maximize public safety through incapacitation and deterrence. The view of proponents of the death penalty in reference to the "let the punishment fit the crime" ideal is that, in the eyes of many law officials and citizens of the United States, if a crime is so serious that it causes irreversible damage or the loss of human life, then the only penalty for such crimes would be death for the individual that committed this act. Many also feel that if an individual can possess the strength and will to take the life of another human being in a planned manner, then they must also in turn be able to face their punishment which could only be a punishment of the same magnitude as the crime they have committed; that being for their life to be ended for the common good. These people feel that, while it is 2004-07-05T04:33:48-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Both-Sides-of-Capital-Punishment-25290.aspx