Capital punishment’s validity in the legal system continues to be questioned but has been a huge part in human society and the legal system for centuries to restrain dangerous criminals and crimes. Later on, the death penalty as a punishment became a crime in itself, a crime against humanity thought by many, because killing, is killing no matter what. And it is wrong.To this day the argument continues. First of all, the death penalty seems somewhat barbaric and violates the “cruel and unusual” within the meaning of the eighth Amendment. This kind of punishment also sends the wrong message for what is trying to be accomplished: why kill people who kill people to show killing is wrong. Another kind of punishment for criminals is life …show more content…
This method was affirmed by the Supreme Court as constitutional. Yes, this way may be much more humane but it still doesn’t change the fact that the U.S is killing someone and taking a life away. Capital punishment violates the right to life, which is the most basic of human rights, undermining human dignity that is inherent to every single human being no matter what crime was committed. Death today is not how it was a long time ago. Do two wrongs make a right? A big argument dealing with capital punishment is that when someone kills another person, does that give you the right to kill that person. Yes murder is a serious crime, but how do we expect it to be looked down upon if it’s what we are doing to our criminals. Is it really up to us? To kill a person who has killed is a continued cycle of violence. Expressing this doesn’t make the crime go away, it contaminates the good and shows that you must fight back. "Capital punishment feeds the cycle of violence in society by pandering to a lust for revenge. It brutalizes us and deadens our sensitivities to the precious nature of every single human life." Most Rev. David B. Thompson, Bishop of Charleston, S.C., December, 1998. Killing people that may serve as a threat to society may save individual citizens lives but the chances are higher for loser innocent citizens sentenced to the death penalty, which is also more common than
Inviting the reader to explore diverse ways of thinking about the morality of capital punishment. First, foundationally the death penalty seems moral, the act of wrongdoing results in wrongdoing being done upon the actor. However, this is a very hypocritical and barbaric way of punishment for a human being. One of the main purposes of prisons was to strip criminals of their rights and keep them secluded from society, which is a serious punishment in and of itself. It is extremely unnecessary to take away a person’s life, regardless of what crime they committed.
Capital punishment has been a hot topic for quite some time now. In earlier times it was merely a way to punish as well as an attempt to deter members of society from committing heinous crimes. In the last century we have actively monitored the effects of capital punishment, and this has revealed the truth. It is for these reasons capital punishment is not morally acceptable.
Throughout United States history, there has been controversy over the death penalty. Should serious criminals be punishing with death, or should we outlaw the death penalty? Many people think that deterrence is one of the good justifications for the death penalty, but others believe that death penalty is the same type of crime that the criminals commit. The violation of the human rights is the main reason why some people want to outlaw capital punishment; also the state violates the human’s rights for inmates during the cruel time that they spend on death row. The evidence that capital punishment may very well deter murder had been in doubt, based on the irrational idea that killing another human life can be a bad example for society. In
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 as well. There are a lot of negative scenarios that comes into mind whenever this divisive topic is raised, but the number one is that innocent people will be executed while the real criminals escape the punishment. The worst feeling of all is for the family to discover that their loved one was innocent. One of the most often asked questions associated with this brutal murder is what are the chances that an inmate being executed is innocent? The fact is that two out of every six inmates being executed is innocent. That information alone is enough to raise a lot of eyebrows. Throughout our history there have been mistakes in convictions of defendants and the death penalty prevents any opportunity to rectify any miscarriage of justice. Capital punishment is irrevocable, and the errors of justice cannot be rectified. All possibility of a change of heart is totally gone. An innocent person has been hanged or electrocuted and the judge, jury,
From an early age, children are taught that murder is morally wrong. In today’s complex society that is impeded by unsettling periods of civil unrest, it is an expectation for everyone to acknowledge and accept that murder is one of the worst crimes individuals can commit. Perhaps it can be said that the death penalty is one of our legal system’s biggest contradictions of itself, as, if someone commits murder (or another heinous crime of that caliber), such ‘murderers’ will, in states that have capital punishment laws, be sent to Death Row and ultimately murdered in order to prevent potential future crimes by such perpetrators. I believe that the death penalty is wrong not only as it is immoral to take a life, but also, such ineffective laws waste money and do not deter crime.
Many people often debate over the legitimacy over capital punishment, whether or not a person can receive the death penalty as a punishment if he or she commits an act of murder. Some argue that the death penalty is a justly act against dangerous criminals while others argue that the penalty is immoral, playing the role of God, and does not even lower the crime rate one bit. In fact, the death penalty is a severe punishment with some negative outcomes at times, but overall, it was placed in this world to serve the sole purpose of protecting our people from violent and dangerous deviants. When used properly, just for cases in which the murder or crime was so heinous, justice is being served for the
Many have suggested that the capital punishment should be abolished and it should be replaced with life imprisonment. Life imprisonment is what we need. It is exactly same as criminal punishment except from taking away someone’s life (Clarke&&Whitte, 2007). Because of
Capital Punishment has been a hot topic in the public eye for some time. The question on many minds is whether it is acceptable for the state to end one’s life for the crime they have committed. I believe that everyone deserves a second chance. Another issue that we should address is, that in the justice system on daily basis we will encounter mistakes being made. With that said, if an innocent was executed, there is no way for the system to redeem itself, there is no way for that person to be brought back. As I began to research more into this issue, I became aware that there are plenty of people who actually agree with the idea of capital punishment being endorsed; however, I believe that capital punishment is a wrongful doing by the state.
In 1879, the United States Supreme Court ruled, by a vote of 9-0, that execution by firing squad was not cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. This began a long debate on whether or not a government reserves the right to punish those who have taken a life by taking their lives. There are many reasons as to why someone would be against capital punishment: it is not our right as humans to play God, it is against the constitution, the threat of capital punishment is not a valid deterrent, it is morally corrupt to take a life. All of these points are valid, and they represent the mindset of millions of Americans; however, capital punishment is a valuable asset to be reserved for only “the most heinous murders and the most brutal and conscienceless murderers” (Alice).
"The right to life and dignity are the most important of all human rights and this must be demonstrated by the state in everything that it does, including the way it punishes criminals.” - Justice Arthur Chaskalson. The death penalty is considered, “the legal” punishment for a criminal. Although the death penalty has been used for many years, the thought of it continues to bring shivers down the back of most of society. Even though there has been an abundant of debates whether it should be abolished or not, citizens do not really know the facts behind it. Most of the society assumes that the death penalty is less expensive than life in jail
Capital punishment have been a main debate on whether it is a cruel and unusual punishment and what it actually consist of. Even though the death penalty has been abolished in most of the western nation, the United States remain to practice the activity. The death penalty is perceived by an abolitionist as a form of cruel, unusual punishment. The idea comes from the fact that the death penalty deny the criminal their right to life. The judgment to execute criminals comes from government officials that generally claim to “speak for God.” In addition, this act violates the Eighth Amendment; prohibiting the government from imposing cruel and unusual punishment. To receive this type of punishment, the individual have to commit an extremely murderous crime that strongly affects humanity. Before any action of executions occurs, the criminal is put on death row for random extents of time. This such procedure for most absolutely “evil” criminals is thought to be the humane form of showing other individuals not to commit extreme crimes such as murder.
The debate over the death penalty bounces on many different problems: “the efficacy of capital punishment as a crime deterrent, the ethical and moral issues associated with government-sanctioned execution, and the potential for errors in the legal system that may allow for the misapplication or prejudicial application of capital punishment.” (Death Penalty: An Overview) The debate focuses on those who see the death penalty as a religious or moral issue and those who view the problem as a primarily guided by ethical and utilitarian values. Legislative issues include legalizing capital punishment within the regime of national laws, and the question of whether state and national agencies should be allowed
Capital punishment is an age-old practice. It has been used in civilizations for millennia, and will continue to be used for millennia to come. Whether used for the right or wrong reasons, capital punishment is unmistakable in its various forms. From hangings, to firing squads, to lethal injections, capital punishment and the associated proceeding have evolved over time. There have been many arguments against capital punishment, many of which still hold true. As capital punishment has evolved over time, however, many of the most valid arguments have been proven all but null. Capital punishment still has its ethical and moral concerns, but as it has evolved over time these concerns have not necessarily become less valid, but fewer in
This paper uses the many accounts found from various sources to enlighten the reader on the destructive and unhelpful nature of the death penalty also referred to as capital punishment. The death penalty is both useless and harmful to not only criminals but also their potential victims. This paper uses these horrific facts to try and convince the reader that the death penalty should be done away with before it is too late, although that time may have already come. With supporting evidence to support my cause, I hope that the following information sways at least one reader to see the harm of keeping the death penalty an active punishment. The time has come to come out of the dark ages and develop a new and more effective punishment for those criminals who would commit such heinous crimes as mass murder and other outlandish things.
In this paper I will be arguing why capital punishment is still necessary. The topics I will be discussing are: is capital punishment constitutional. Should there be a standard what types of execution should be administered. Is capital punishment an actual deterrent? How the death penalty may actually save the lives of those on death row. The perpetrators of the most egregious crimes left alive belittle the life or lives that they have taken and offer no sense of justice in the legal system. Capital punishment has acquired a stigma due to how it is applied and how death row inmates are executed. Capital punishment has been in the United States since it’s founding. It has been a tool of the judiciary for giving a sense of justice to those families that have had to lose loved ones. It serves to remove criminals that have violated the most sacred law of the social contract, permanently. The reason for capital punishment is to invoke justice against those who commit the most heinous crime, murder.