Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty

The death penalty is still in use in the united states. The state with the most executions is in Texas with a total of 545 from 2017 to the year 1976 (Number of Executions, 2017). The death penalty is a very big debate. There are many reasons why and why people do and don’t like the death penalty.

In fact, the death penalty is considered immoral for it goes against the Constitution and ethnic code. The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution states that the use of “cruel and unusual punishment” is considered unconstitutional. However, majority of the capital punishments are filled with discrimination and injustice. The fact that the majority of prisoners who are sentenced with the death penalty are African Americans, reflect the cons of our society. Aside from racial discrimination, socio-economic discrimination also contribute to the flaws within our justice system. One of the top reasons why innocents are being executed or accused, allowing the guilty to get away with their crimes is that criminals who are exceptionally

Racism is often an excuse people use to say how unfair the death penalty is against African Americans. This excuse has been proven false in a few studies. More white murderers have been put to death since 1976 then black murderers, showing that the death penalty is not unjust to African Americans and minorities (Fisanick 26).In contrast, almost half of the criminals, on death row are black. Even though that is the case, blacks commit more murders than whites making it proportional (deathpenaltycurriculum.org). Criminals should not be given a lighter or harsher sentence due to their race, but due to the crimes that they committed and the severity of them.

Death is something that a lot of people think about, but do people think about the Death Penalty? Having been given the death penalty means that someone is going to be put to death by a lethal injection or an electric chair; There are more ways, but the injection and the electric chair are the most used. There are many different opinions surrounding the idea of death penalties; which some people think the death penalty should be used more and some believe the complete opposite.

The death penalty is just one of many faults in the justice system. It is legal in 31 states such as Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. It is illegal in 19 other states such as Alaska, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and D.C. The biggest percentage of the inmates facing death row are in the south, the greatest number found in Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. There are both goods and bads about this form of punishment, some cons about the death penalty is that it gives out the wrong idea, why kill someone to show everyone else that taking a life is the wrong thing to do. It is not going to bring the victim back to life and the criminal’s family is going to be

There are many controversial points of view on the death penalty in America’s society. Is the death penalty socially correct? Is it just? The death penalty is an execution sentence that a person convicted of a capital crime must face. A person can only be sentenced to death in 33 states (deathpenatly.org). There have been as of April 1, 2012, 3,170 death row inmates in the Unites States history, with an exception of the two inmates in New Mexico and eleven in Connecticut that remain on the death row due to the law not being made retrospective to these inmates. The controversy whether the death penalty is just or unjust has been a debate in America for many years. There have

Many times the major question is do those convicted of a crime deserve to die or whether the state deserve to kill them. In other words what purpose would it serve by killing the person? What rehabilitation could they do if they are dead? This is one of the questions facing the justice system. Although the answer is not an easy one, it requires some thought and negotiation between the justice system and the state in order to determine the answer for each state. Each state must look hard and long at its financial situation as well as what is legally, morally and sometimes politically right.

Still, many people are wrongfully executed and put into a death sentence row because an error of judgements and stereotypes based on a race especially for African Americans. “New research found that almost four percent of U.S. capital punishment sentences are wrongful convictions, almost double the number of people set free, meaning around 120 of the roughly 3,000 inmates on death row in America are not guilty” . It is ironic though, killing innocent people can be attributed to murder and the government is doing the same thing as other convicted criminals who were put into a death row. Example for a wrongful conviction, “Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in Texas in 2004 for murdering his three young daughters by setting his house on fire”. But, after his execution multiple fire science experts reviewed the case and “released a report admitting that Willingham’s conviction was based on flawed science” . Willingham was b wrongfully convicted by the government because of their mistake. Wrongful execution was common before technology was developed. It was hard to find the evidence and people made mistakes during the investigation. If there was no Death Penalty, Willingham might have been still alive claiming for his

The United States has a long history with the death penalty. The “first recorded execution was in Jamestown in 1608” (“Death Penalty in America” 259). Since then, thirty five states have continued to use the death penalty. Now it can be considered a normal punishment and many people feel strongly about it, but maybe we should forget what we have done in the past and take a second look. The death penalty should not be used in the United States because it is too expensive, affects the poor and minorities more than others, and (even though many people think it is true) the death penalty does not deter crime.

“…Over 600 people were falsely convicted and 35 faced death for crimes that they did not commit…”(Johnson). The death penalty is an ineffective and expensive way of dealing justice to the American people. It is easier and cheaper to send someone to prison for life than to have them face the death penalty and be executed. Capital punishment is an unnecessary punishment because criminals are already managed at prisons.

First of all, the death penalty puts innocent lives at risk. When people go up for the death penalty a lot of factors can determine if a person will receive death row or not. Race plays a major role in these kind of decisions. Most jurors will sentence a person that is a minority to death row with little to no evidence, before they will sentence someone who is not a minority. Which have happened in some cases, even if they have committed the same crime. One hundred and thirty-eight men and women have been acquitted from death row, and some of these individuals were days or even hours away from getting executed (30 Facts about Death Row, 2016.) Another thing that can play a role is a bad defense attorney (United States Death Penalty Facts, 2016,) A lot of death row cases have been overturned, because the defense did not do a lot of research about the incident when they were going through their trial. At least when the jury sentence someone to life

     Why should the death penalty be abolished? The death penalty should be abolished because of many reasons. Many people believe the saying, 'an eye for an eye'. But when will people realize that just because someone may have killed a loved one that the best thing for that person is to die also. People don't realize that they are putting the blood of another person life on their hands. This makes them just as guilty as the person who committed the crime: the only difference is that they didn't use weapon except their mouth to kill them. The death penalty should be abolished because it is racist, punishes the poor, condemns those who are innocent to death, and is a cruel punishment.

If the death penalty only occurs to civilians shouldn’t this evenly handed and fair form of punishment entail all of the victims including those of the government such as politicians who carry out air strikes. One could argue that politicians kill the most people and therefore are the most at risk of this offence. Shouldn’t politicians deserve to die as well? It seems to me as if the death penalty or capital punishment or the justice system is enforced by the government for the government instead of its citizens. Shouldn’t it be the same standards for all?Justice for all? Including politicians who are in charge of this sick and twisted form of justice that only works against others and is entirely hypocritical and completely juxtaposes everything that justice stands for.This system is made entirely for governments no doubt.

As of today there are 33 out of the 50 states of America that allow the death penalty although there are numerous debates on this law. The death penalty usually is issued when a man/women commits a crime that is so horrific that the only way to be able to punish the criminal is to have them sentenced to the death penalty. Most states definition of a death penalty is by lethal injection. Although some states offer other ways of death. Some states include death by lethal gas, hanging, electric chair, hanging, and firing squad each one being able to do same thing in the end. But is the death penalty an understandable way of convicting a criminal? Some may say it is inhumane to take the life of another criminal. Others may say if the criminal commits a crime so cruel such as murder and rape deserve not be alive in this world anymore. Which is what I believe is the correct way to sentence a criminal of that manner. If a person were to go out of their own way to murder another person they should also have their life also taken away.

The death penalty is a highly questionable use of punishment in our criminal justice system in the United States of America. Certain states view this harsh punishment for criminals as deplorable, while on the other hand certain states are not for the death penalty. The death penalty is the harshest punishment any criminal can receive in our criminal justice system. Plenty of criminals have their “death day” delayed due to new evidence being released in their case. Lawyers work their hardest during these rough times for their subjects so they will not be killed. Studies have shown that on multiple occasions, innocents have been put to death, while on the other hand, the harshest criminals in the world have been put to death for their unimaginable crimes to this great country of ours. Should all states get rid of the death penalty or keep it? Why get rid of it if civilians are still committing unimaginable crimes and terrorist attacks?