Capital Punishment Essay: The Death Penalty

Improved Essays
Death Row Penalty “The death penalty is a legal process whereby a person is put to death as a punishment for a crime” according to study mode. Also, there is a lot debate on regarding whether the death penalty is effective or not in terms of punishment and its morality. One half of the side of this debate would argue that the death penalty is an ineffective way to serve justice to even the most horrible criminals because no matter what happens, murder is still murder. The death penalty is immoral, putting a strain on our humanity as humans, providing a deterrent for prisoners serving life sentences; in addition it is unconstitutional as the eighth amendment forbids the infliction of cruel and unusual punishment. And …show more content…
But it’s hard times like these that when victims must ask themselves “Is it worth it?” or “Is this what my loved one would want?” Every time the death penalty is ordered upon somebody, the ones who have to carry the procedure out are also human and one must wonder about the toll its taking on the humanity of that person. Furthermore how humane is this punishment? Who are we as humans to take another person’s life as punishment for their crimes? A life sentence in prison would be the more humane and more intense punishment rather than death since they’ll be isolated from the general public. Also, we should also remember the eighth amendment as it says that cruel and unusual punishment should not be dealt to …show more content…
In addition, the government would save a whole lot more money with executions as opposed to locking criminals up for life. Also, they also argue that because of the absence of the death penalty in some areas, criminals get cocky and are more likely to commit heinous crimes such as murder because they know that the government won’t sentence them to the death row. And lastly, Death penalty is a just punishment for crimes committed against the rights to life, freedom and safety of

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    In fact, not everyone agree to impose the death penalty and there are the rest that are strictly against it. Furthermore, some would be for the death penalty giving that it was created to: deter people from crime, a punishment that fits the crime of murder, as well as to protect the society from individuals that behaves in such manner. On the flip side of that would be the people that are not for the death penalty. They concerns are valid likewise to those whom are for it. In fact some feel as though the death penalty is inhumane, unfair, only makes the murder rate increase (Schmalleger, & Smykla, 2014).…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The death penalty is viewed as a heavy subject with many moral issues tide to it but in reality the death penalty is one of the easiest law out there even with the shackles of moral impute. In the end the punishment should fit the crime no matter the moral ideology. People should not be arguing that the death penalty is below the society that has been created through brutal acts. The death penalty in all forms is made for the protection of others.…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The first death penalty law was adopted around the Eighteenth Century B.C.E. The law was put in place by King Hammurabi of Babylon. Capital punishment came to America during the European colonization in the Seventeenth Century. Since then, the United States was formed. Originally, every state used capital punishment up until 1846 when Michigan banned capital punishment for all crimes except treason.…

    • 1295 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I am writing this letter to convey my thoughts over the issue of the death penalty. The death penalty continues to be a matter of dispute and will be argues in the States for many years. The death penalty is currently used by 27 states and is used by the federal government for punishing federal crimes. However, in Texas, the death penalty should be banned, and instead of executing these criminals, the state of Texas should sentence them to life in prison. By abolishing death penalty, and instead of executing criminals, simply sentencing them for life in prison can help the United States save a significant amount of money.…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hammurabi Punishment

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The death penalty is appropriate in deterrence of that criminal that they will not commit again. The death penalty is also deterrence for those wanting to know the consequences of their actions and if the legal system imposed the death penalty on all murder crimes then murder rates would fall. The death penalty is just that and that’s what it was put in place for is to deter others from committing the same crime. By allowing states to abolish the death penalty then we are allowing for more murders and more crime to be committed because the fear of death is now…

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the article, “Death Penalty: An Overview,” authors Micah L. Issitt and Heather Newton cover the topic of the death penalty, or capital punishment, giving a broad overview of the topic. The article covers the debate on both sides for capital punishment, primarily in America, but references other countries for comparison. The article further helps the readers understand the death penalty as the authors define keywords in the article often used when discussing the death penalty and gives a brief, but an eye-opening history that is not common knowledge. The article further delves into the death penalty as it stands today along with the issues and concerns that arise on both sides mostly covering a non-biased stand throughout the article. This…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    More and more countries are turning away from using this, the most ultimate of punishment. In fact only 24 countries executed people in 2014 compared to 42 in 1995. It’s not merely countries choosing not to use it either, it has been enshrined in international treaties. This would appear to indicate that more and more people are finding the death penalty unacceptable, be it for moral or other reasons. In this essay I am going to argue that in certain situations capital punishment is morally defensible and explain why I think this.…

    • 1971 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    vTrey & Josh Mr. Ruff Government 1 Nov. 2017 Death Penalty "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This passage written by Thomas Jefferson and taken directly from the Declaration of Independence defines the rights the American nation is founded upon. These “unalienable” rights every American has “endowed” upon them are ones that cannot be taken away.…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The death penalty is mainly used in criminal cases when a criminal kills multiple people, he or she is a fugitive of the law, or when someone else has over sixty offenses. There are restrictions on who the penalty can be used against and the reason, for the penalty being put on a person. It is known that there are exceptions to all the rules and for this reason the death penalty should not be allowed in the United States. Imagine being a grieving mother whose child made a mistake because no one saw the warning signs, and no one got him help. It is realized that what they did was wrong but no matter how bad the crime committed was, you cannot force yourself to love your family any less and seeing someone you love punished by death is hard for…

    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Systematic Denial

    • 1252 Words
    • 6 Pages

    It is an offense to human dignity and maintains a cycle of violence that defeats the purpose of the death penalty. Our justice system has valid alternatives to the death penalty, such as life imprisonment without parole, which substitutes as a valid alternative even for the most appalling crimes. The point should not be to judge whose life is more worthwhile, but rather to affirm that all human life must be valued. A process of which ends a human's existence cannot be systematic in a society that is upstanding and just. This practice offends our basic understanding of what is humanly tolerable…

    • 1252 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Even though many countries abolished the death penalty from their law, there is still quite a few that still practices the act of killing a person convicted of a crime. People have numerous different opinions relating to the issue of the death penalty that is given to a convict. While some may think that the death penalty is necessary for those who have committed a terrible crime, there are others who consider it as an immoral act that goes against the values of humanity. According to the author William Wood, in his text “Capital Punishment/Death Penalty,” there are generally two arguments that suggest capital punishment is an effective way to save lives and deter numerous crimes. Also, it plays a major role in giving justice to victims.…

    • 1628 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Executing a ruthless killer sends a message to everyone in society; every life, especially innocent ones are so meaningful and what the murderer did is so wrong that he must be executed for what he did. No person in this world gets to decide who dies and who lives, but when someone murders someone else, why should they have the right to live, get food and get visits from their family while they're in prison and maybe even get to be paroled or finish their sentence and have the chance to live again while their victim is no longer alive. Also, having murderers sentenced to just prison time, send a message to society by making them think murder is not so bad afterall, because they just get prison time like other criminals that steal or people that do not pay their parking tickets. Many people deny that having the death penalty does not lower crime rates, but in states that do have capital punishment, murder rates decrease. Research done by the Federal Communications Commission, SUNY Buffalo, Clemson University, and University of Houston show that executing murderers and people that commit horrible crimes protects innocent lives.…

    • 1345 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    According to article Capital punishment states, “some crimes are so heinous and inherently wrong that they demand strict penalties—up to and including life sentences or even death," (par,8). They believe that the death penalty is effective and preventive to violent crime because criminals will now think twice before committing a murder. " Recent investigations, using a variety of samples and statistical methods, consistently demonstrate a strong link between executions and reduced murder rates," (capital, par.10). They believe having the inmate sit in jail is too expensive because it cost taxpayers “$31,286” per inmate annually (capital, par…

    • 1535 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In conclusion when it comes to the views and thoughts of our judicial system concerning the death penalty, we have work to do. However the three branches of the government have spoken and the verdict is in and it looks like lawmakers are for and against the death penalty. For many, this is music to their ears and for others it’s a battle that deserves a fight. To be honest, I don’t think killing human beings will help bring back any of the lives that was lot but I do believe that justice should be…

    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    People live in a society that is surrounded by violent behavior for that reason the justice uses the death penalty to send out a positive message for those who tend to commit capital offence. Capital punishment is not an act we wish to place on a single soul, but it is the best way to keep the killer out of society and prevent any further murders. There is no concrete evidence of either positive or negative effect, but this does not mean it would not help lower the crime rate. People need to understand that the best way to prevent any possible murders in the future is not let the killer walk free. The death penalty allows us to see the seriousness of a crime and the value of life.…

    • 1630 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays