Shay Dudaie
Professor Moore
Crimin 1100-003
October 25, 2016
Capital Punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, dates back to the beginning of recorded history. It is mentioned in Hammurabi’s code, the Babylonian code of conduct, which is the oldest law scripture in the world. When the death penalty was first introduced to the United States of America in the seventeenth century, it was an acceptable punishment for minor offenses, as well as major ones (Part I: History of the Death Penalty). Since then, the death sentence has been modified so that it is only used for the most serious offenses. Due to the gravity of the consequences it entails it is a highly divided issue, with merit both for and against it. People who oppose the death penalty will attest that the death penalty is a long, tedious, and expensive process, furthermore that capital punishment is immoral since in its essence it is controlled murder; with the added possibility of convicting an innocent person. Supporters would argue that that the death penalty will deter crime, along with both providing the victim’s family with closure and assuring a painless death to the executed. In both Roper vs. Simmons and House vs. Bell, the …show more content…
Capital punishment’s colossal costs, its risk of taking innocent lives, and disregard for morals are plenty of incentives illegalize it. It would be more affordable to send the criminals to jail for life and use the extra money to aid in solving other murders and rapes (Meeker). Terminating the death penalty would also assure the prevention of more innocent lives being taken and could even potentially bring down the murder rates in those states. The state is not some omnipotent being, it too is faulty, and it should not have the power to take a person’s life. Capital punishment should not be a form of punishment in the United States. When it is all said and done is murder is never
Professor Moore
Crimin 1100-003
October 25, 2016
Capital Punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, dates back to the beginning of recorded history. It is mentioned in Hammurabi’s code, the Babylonian code of conduct, which is the oldest law scripture in the world. When the death penalty was first introduced to the United States of America in the seventeenth century, it was an acceptable punishment for minor offenses, as well as major ones (Part I: History of the Death Penalty). Since then, the death sentence has been modified so that it is only used for the most serious offenses. Due to the gravity of the consequences it entails it is a highly divided issue, with merit both for and against it. People who oppose the death penalty will attest that the death penalty is a long, tedious, and expensive process, furthermore that capital punishment is immoral since in its essence it is controlled murder; with the added possibility of convicting an innocent person. Supporters would argue that that the death penalty will deter crime, along with both providing the victim’s family with closure and assuring a painless death to the executed. In both Roper vs. Simmons and House vs. Bell, the …show more content…
Capital punishment’s colossal costs, its risk of taking innocent lives, and disregard for morals are plenty of incentives illegalize it. It would be more affordable to send the criminals to jail for life and use the extra money to aid in solving other murders and rapes (Meeker). Terminating the death penalty would also assure the prevention of more innocent lives being taken and could even potentially bring down the murder rates in those states. The state is not some omnipotent being, it too is faulty, and it should not have the power to take a person’s life. Capital punishment should not be a form of punishment in the United States. When it is all said and done is murder is never