Death Penalty In America Essay

The Death Penalty in America has been a talked about issue for some time now. Americans have their own opinions on the death penalty. Some people feel it is too harsh of a punishment, some believe if you take a life you should lose your life. I myself do not believe in the death penalty. To me it goes totally against what Americas was built on God. Even though over the last fifteen years or so we have slowly drifted away from “In God We Trust”. Looking at the death penalty in a whole it was never something that the United States came up with. It was adopted from Britain. (Bohm, 1999)The first ever recorded death penalty in United States history was that of Captain George Kendall in 1608. He was executed for being a spy. The death of Captain Kendall started a chain of other colonies jumping on board for the death penalty. In some colonies they were sentencing people to death for petty crimes, such as steeling, or trading with Indians. Over the years after the death penalty would be reformed and revamped numerous of times. Until it was only used when murder or treason occurred. Matter of fact Pennsylvania was the first state

   The law of God is, "Thou Shalt Not Kill" (Bible 79 ), and every system of ethics and rules of our society echoes that law. For decades, state and federal leaders have struggled with opposing views of the death penalty. Many minds have endured this difficult question-Who says it is right to take another human's life because of an act that he/she committed?

Crime in America is something that has been around for many decades. While a large number of crimes are considered minor, many more result in the serious injury or death of another human being. “When we think about crimes, we … normally focus on inherently wrongful acts that harm or threaten to harm persons or property” (Bibas 22). The death penalty, also called capital punishment, has been used as a means of punishing the most violent of criminals in an attempt to prevent others from committing similar crimes. Over the centuries, the methods used to conduct these executions have evolved and changed due to effectiveness and public opinion.

The death penalty is currently used by 34 states and is used by the federal government for punishing federal crimes. And in most cases the death penalty is used when the criminal has been convicted of murder. However, two people have been sentenced to death for the rape of a minor. The definition of the death penalty is: execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense. This begs the question does the government have the right to take away someone’s life? And if so is it ethical and moral? Overall the goal of the Criminal Justice system is to give the right sentence and protect the people. Even though the death penalty does this, there are better more efficient ways to accomplish that

If it could be conclusively drawn that every execution deterred one hundred murders, one would think that America would unanimously support the death penalty.  If someone thought otherwise, the conclusion could be drawn that that person valued keeping murderers

Almost all nations in the world either have the death sentence or have had it at one time. It was used in most cases to punish those who broke the laws or standards that were expected of them. Since the death penalty wastes tax money, is inhumane, and is largely unnecessary it should be abolished in every state across the United States. The use of the death penalty puts the United States in the same category as countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia which are two of the world’s worst human rights violators (Friedman 34). Lauri Friedman quotes, “Executions simply inject more violence into an already hostile American society.”

Since the beginning of time, laws and ordinances have been put in place to prevent chaos and delinquent behavior. Punishments have been put in place as a deterrent so that individuals may witness what partaking in a wrongful event is its consequent result. One of the most apparent examples is that of the death penalty. Like everything in life, the death penalty has gone through many major changes. Some of these changes include methods of execution, changes between the handling of adults and juvenile cases, and even the approval and disapproval of death penalty laws within states.

Imagine that someone you love or someone very close to you is a victim of a very serious crime, a crime so serious that the person who committed it is now sitting on death row with limited time left to live. How do you think you would feel? Would you be thinking that they deserved to die? Or would you be hoping that evidence would come to light to show them innocent or, even though the crime was horrific would you think they don’t deserve to be punished by death? Would you want to watch the person die at the hands of the law to ensure justice has been served or would you rather they spend the rest of their life in prison as punishment? When violent crime affects you personally it can make the death penalty look like a good option. The

Is punishing a guilty murderer, by death, for murdering an innocent victim unjust, or fair? When you think of murder, or in other words homicide, you just think that the life of a person has been taken away, by someone else. But that is not the end of it, you have also taken a loved one, a family member, a friend, even a peer. You have ripped the very soul from a person and established their name onto the weekly news headlines for your crime. “The eyes of a psychopathic killer are a chilling sight. I have looked into the eyes of more than one cold blooded murderer - and wished them dead” (Coddington 23). Now coming back to the question, do you believe that the murderer should have the same outcome as their victim? But also, would capital punishment

The death penalty should be a last result action that is taken when one person is convicted of a crime involving the death of another person or living thing. The actions taken to kill someone on death row are horrific in, and to kill someone that didn't commit the crime is an appalling thing to do. DNA is an efficient way to prove the absolute guilt of an individual. The death penalty should not be enforced without the opportunity of a DNA test.

The death penalty is a very controversial topic in the United States. It is implemented for the purpose of providing safety to the community and bringing justice to victims and their families. The death penalty is legal in thirty-one states (“31 States”), and there are over forty different types of federal capital crimes that are eligible for the death penalty. These include crimes such as treason and kidnapping that results in murder (“41 Federal”). However, many argue whether the death penalty is moral, just, legal, or beneficial. The death penalty consumes an enormous amount of this country’s resources that could be used for bettering communities and enhancing other government programs. I believe that the death penalty should be abolished because the United States cannot afford to maintain it.

In Florida, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (Fins) states that as of January 1, 2009; Florida has 402 death row inmates, making it the state with the second highest number of death row inmates in the nation. The crimes that are punishable by death in Florida are first degree murder, felony murder, capital drug trafficking, and capital sexual battery. Currently, the methods of execution practiced are lethal injection and the electric chair. In lethal injection, there is a three drug combination which consists of Sodium Pentothal (an anesthetic), Pancuronium Bromide (a paralytic agent), and Potassium Chloride (stops the heart and causes death). In electrocution, the inmate is strapped down to a chair while various cycles of electrical currents differing in voltage and duration (500-2000 volts and up to 30 seconds) pass through the body damaging the internal organs and causing death.

There are many controversial topics in this country’s politics and criminal justice system. These topics range from mass incarceration to racial profiling to three strikes and to the death penalty. The death penalty for many years has been a topic in which many cannot come to a consensus on, both in the state and the federal level. Although both sides to the death penalty argument have legitimate reasons, it is now seen that the death penalty is becoming less and less famous. It seems as if despite its vengeance for blood thirsty people, the death penalty has no positive effect. Death penalty should be abolished because it puts innocent lives in danger, it is expensive, and life without parole is better.

The death penalty is a form of punishment that is not used as often as one may think. Even though most of the American population is not personally affected by the death penalty, the friends and families of victims see it as a form of justice for their lost loved ones. From 1976 to the present there have been over 1,400 inmates executed after being put on death row (Baker, 1). The death penalty is an expensive style of punishment, costing around 470,000 dollars more in cases that consider capital punishment as an option compared to the cases that do not (Erb, 1). With most of that extra cost being paid by state taxes, there are other government funded programs that would experience a loss of support if the death penalty is used frequently. The U.S. National Government should ban the death penalty for economical reasons.

In the United States, the argument on whether the death penalty is constitutional or un constitutional stands strongly. While there are many supporters of it, there will always be some opposing the death penalty. As of today, there are thirty one states allowing the death penalty and nineteen states who have abolished it (Pennekamp). For the worst crimes, the death penalty is the more appropriate sentence, for many reasons. My stance for the death penalty is not only for the sympathy of the victims or victims’ families but include deterrence of crime, retribution, and morality. The opposing arguments in my case do not hold up, which includes myself refuting the ideas that the death penalty is unconstitutional.