I chose this topic because capital punishment is very controversial. On one hand, the criminal is being severed the punishment he or she served on someone else or he or she served on numerous other people. On the other hand, the criminal is confined to prison for the remainder of his or her life. It truly comes down to death or life in prison. I support the death penalty and it aligns with my beliefs and moral compass. With a law enforcement and military background, the general public is not exposed and has not witnessed the true evil that a human being can inflict on another person. Until someone interviews and sits down face to face with such a callous criminal, who has no regard or concern for human life, it could be hard for them to understand how the death penalty could be fitting for certain crimes. Criminals thrive on control and when they sentenced to death, that control is completely taken away. Another reason why I support the death penalty has to do with the fact that a criminal could receive a presidential pardon. For example, a criminal that is sentenced to life in prison and after serving twenty to thirty years could be released by a sitting president who is about to leave office. This power of pardon does not have to any basis of the criminal’s innocents or reason. Therefore, in my opinion, justice has not been served.
Capital punishment, at one point, was common and has been around since the world started punishing people for committing crimes. Crimes
In an effort to make sure that innocent men and women are not wrongly convicted in capital punishments cases, they are given a wide range of appeals procedures. Immediately following sentencing an automatic appeals process called Direct Review begins. It is during this process that appellate courts review the lower trial court’s decision, checking for errors and making sure the case was tried on sound judgment. If any errors are found
Since the beginning of time there has always been the question of what to do with someone that has committed a serious offense that has resulted in serious injury or even death to a person. The death penalty has always been a topic of whether it is humane or inhumane to put someone to death over their crimes against another human being. The death penalty to some is either acceptable to where a person should be put t death for their crimes or is not doing anything to deter people from committing crimes. the death penalty is starting to become less of a punishment and more of a costly expense to taxpayers whom for “Each death penalty case in Texas costs taxpayers about $2.3 million.” The death penalty for some think it should be abolished while others would rather see it extended.
“The Death Penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for their crimes they commit. The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do we deserve to kill?” says Bryan Stevenson. Bryan S. is right, the Death Penalty should, Could be stopped if we could stand together. You might not agree with me on however way you feel about this but i believe that we should change the law.
Capital punishment is one of the most controversial topics in today’s world. Many people believe that it is morally wrong to have capital punishment as a sentence to a crime. People also do believe that it is morally permissible for a severe crime. Capital punishment is also known as the death penalty. It can be given as a sentence when somebody is convicted of an extremely violent crime. The biggest issue that can be seen with this is that somebody could be innocent and sentenced with the death penalty because of the nature of the crime that they have been accused of even if they didn’t commit it. I believe that there is a moral line between using the death penalty and using other forms of punishment.
Perhaps we should give the judge a knife and tell her that if she has
While capital punishment may be unjust for criminals, it is also an injustice done to unsuspecting citizens. Taxpayers are stuck paying for this entire process, from a criminal’s first court case to their execution. This is especially bad for American citizens because even though it might not seem like it, the death penalty is more costly than life in prison. For example, in an article titled “Californians asked to end death penalty - to save money,” cases involving capital punishment are proven to cost more than ones that do not. This is partially due to the fact that there are few public defenders equipped to handle death penalty cases. It also has to do with the number of appeals to higher courts inmates are forced go through. Both of these contribute to a mess of petitions and appeals that can span a decade, sometimes more. These can get costly, especially when compared to life in prison. In the same article, it was estimated that cases involving capital punishment can cost taxpayers $3 million in lifetime costs. This is about $1.9 million more than any other court case. This is just one example of an unnecessary cost that could be avoided if prisoners were given life in prison without parole. Supporters of the death penalty will also argue that the cost of executing someone is cheaper than keeping them alive. While the drugs themselves may be cheap, the cost of keeping someone on death row is not. The specific costs are not tracked by state officials, but studies
Murder, rape, robbery, and assault all reflect the influence of evil from media, family, friends, but ultimately fed by greed from inside. The rise and fall of these violent crimes will continue, but in the hopes of creating a positive society, efforts must be made by society and law enforcement to support a peaceful and good society. 1
The definition of capital punishment is the legal killing to punish someone who has committed a crime. For certain crimes like murder, the death penalty is enforced. The death penalty should never be used because innocent people could be killed.
When talking about social injustices, capital punishment is the worst one of all. It is the final straw of any government sanctioned disciplinary action. There is no going back, no reversing or patching up mistakes. When a government makes the decision to exact capital punishment on someone, that’s it. They can no longer redeem themselves, atone for their sins, and try to contribute to society in a good, well-mannered way because they will no longer exist in this world. This act of ‘justice’ is clearly a violent, totally unacceptable way of dealing with criminals. Everyone should be given another chance no matter how serious their crimes are; the life sentence is punishment enough, there is no need to murder someone.
Capital Punishment is a legal punishment where a lot of innocent people have been convicted and executed. It’s a punishment determining who lives and who dies, I believe Capital Punishment should no longer be an option. The death penalty puts innocent lives at risk, there are better alternatives and The Eighth Amendment prohibiting cruel or unusual punishment.
“On the afternoon of July 23, 2007, in the town of Cheshire, Connecticut, two men broke into the home of Dr. William Petit, his wife Jennifer and their two daughters. The men beat Dr. Petit nearly to death with a baseball bat; one of the men raped the doctor’s wife; and the other man sexually assaulted their 11 year-old daughter, Michaela. The two men then strangled Mrs. Petit to death, tied down the two daughters on beds, doused them with gasoline, and, while the girls were still alive, set the house on fire. Dr. Petit survived, but his wife and daughters did not.”
The problem with capital punishment is that you can take the life of the killer but can’t take away the damage that's been done. Capital punishment needs to be abolished because it is risking the execution of innocent people, it is killing a person which is cruel and unusual, and it is wasting millions of dollars for the death penalty system.
I understand that because of what you have experienced you feel closure from the death penalty. I do see your point of view, so I can understand why you agree. However, I must say I disagree. It does not deter crime. A criminal is not going to stop and think “if I kill this person I will have to sit in prison or be sentenced to death”. It just does not cross people's minds. You said that you believe he knew exactly what he was doing. That statement is probably true. However, if someone commits a horrific act on purpose, they usually are happy with the outcome. I know you would like to think that after seeing the aftermath of their actions they feel remorse. The reality is that they know right from wrong. They just have no regard for that feeling of knowing they are doing something wrong.
In 1991, Todd Cameron Willingham was accused of starting a house fire at his home in Texas, which resulted in the death of his three daughters (Lithwick). He was then put on trial for arson (Lithwick). The case was total chaos, and no matter the evidence, Willingham was always denied innocence (Lithwick). Thirteen years later, Willingham and his team finally saw potential, when Gerald Hurst, a celebrated scientist, conducted his own self-reliant investigation regarding the case (Lithwick). In his study, Hurst found no evidence that the fire was intentional, writing in his report that it was likely caused by a space heater or faulty wiring (Lithwick). Hurst’s report was disregarded by the state of Texas and Willingham was sentenced to the death penalty. He was executed in 2004 (Lithwick). The death penalty is a cruel, time consuming, costly, and inconsistent method of punishment that should be abolished throughout the United States.
Capital punishment is the government practice of punishing a criminal by execution that dates back to the 18th century, however times were very different back then. Nowadays, the death penalty is carried out by lethal injection and in some states the electric chair, while in the early years of this practice it was hanging, stoning, being torn apart, etc. Some crimes that are punishable in Florida by the death penalty are First-degree murder; felony murder; capital drug trafficking; and capital sexual battery. Pennsylvania was the first state to move capital punishment out of the public eye and into correctional facilities. William Kemmler lived in New York and was the first person in the United States to receive the death penalty in 1890 for the murder of his wife with an ax. As mentioned, the electric chair was a form of capital punishment and when the first electric shock was delivered to Kemmler at approximately 700 volts, he did not die right away. A second shock was needed at 1,030 volts for two minutes, afterwards there were clear signs that Kemmler was deceased. Doctors then stated after the execution that they would have been better off using an ax instead of the electric chair. Over the years the death penalty has been a very controversial topic. Some say that this should be illegal and abolished while others state it is more effective than life in prison.