America has always had a history of capital punishment, even in its infancy as a colony,
starting with the execution of Captain George Kendall in 1608. Kendall, a council member in the
Jamestown colony, was accused of treason by a blacksmith who had been sentenced to hang. The
blacksmith was pardoned, but Kendall was arrested, and after being held on a prison ship for a
year he was executed by firing squad. At the beginning and every year since, there has been a
continuing debate over capital punishment and its legality, morality, functionality, and economic
practicality.
While some support the death penalty, citing it as a source of justice for the families of
victims and a sure way to stop murderers, others cite multiple factors …show more content…
As a world power and promoter of peace, the US faces criticism from the international
community for its place as fourth in the world for highest number of executions, following
behind China, Iran, and Vietnam (Issitt, Newton). Most often, nations with unstable economies
and volatile dictator-led governments support capital punishment, while nations with secure
governments and solid economies have abolished it. America, however, is the ironic exception.
In the Supreme Court case Trop v. Dulles, it was ruled that the eighth amendment upheld an
“evolving standard of decency that marked the progress of a maturing society,” a standard that
the US fails to meet as a first-world power while supporting capital punishment (“Part I”).
Froonjian 2
Capital punishment is not solely a political or moral dilemma, nor is it solely of foreign
or domestic concern. For many who oppose the death penalty, religion is at the crossroads of
those sectors of debate. Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism all discourage
violence and revenge, and many institutions of these religions, which influence millions
worldwide, are actively anti-capital punishment. The Dalai Lama, speaking for the …show more content…
By turning people into examples, it discourages others from
making their mistakes. That, however, is not what happens. In reality, for those states that
abolished the death penalty, the murder rate was on average 1.66 (per hundred thousand) lower
than those who retained it in 2008-2012 (“Murder Rates”). There is a simple explanation for that
phenomenon- consequences are the last thing on the mind of a killer. Most murderers end up
being caught, yet that does not deter them from murdering. For those intent on taking the life of
another, the “ultimate punishment” has no influence on their thought process. Thus, the death
penalty results in the opposite effect intended, making it a moot and “inefficient way to prevent
criminal activity”, as well as costly for the tax payer (Ballaro).
Recently, the cost of death became more than an abstract metaphor when applied to the
death penalty. Previously, sodium thiopental was the drug of choice for lethal
starting with the execution of Captain George Kendall in 1608. Kendall, a council member in the
Jamestown colony, was accused of treason by a blacksmith who had been sentenced to hang. The
blacksmith was pardoned, but Kendall was arrested, and after being held on a prison ship for a
year he was executed by firing squad. At the beginning and every year since, there has been a
continuing debate over capital punishment and its legality, morality, functionality, and economic
practicality.
While some support the death penalty, citing it as a source of justice for the families of
victims and a sure way to stop murderers, others cite multiple factors …show more content…
As a world power and promoter of peace, the US faces criticism from the international
community for its place as fourth in the world for highest number of executions, following
behind China, Iran, and Vietnam (Issitt, Newton). Most often, nations with unstable economies
and volatile dictator-led governments support capital punishment, while nations with secure
governments and solid economies have abolished it. America, however, is the ironic exception.
In the Supreme Court case Trop v. Dulles, it was ruled that the eighth amendment upheld an
“evolving standard of decency that marked the progress of a maturing society,” a standard that
the US fails to meet as a first-world power while supporting capital punishment (“Part I”).
Froonjian 2
Capital punishment is not solely a political or moral dilemma, nor is it solely of foreign
or domestic concern. For many who oppose the death penalty, religion is at the crossroads of
those sectors of debate. Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism all discourage
violence and revenge, and many institutions of these religions, which influence millions
worldwide, are actively anti-capital punishment. The Dalai Lama, speaking for the …show more content…
By turning people into examples, it discourages others from
making their mistakes. That, however, is not what happens. In reality, for those states that
abolished the death penalty, the murder rate was on average 1.66 (per hundred thousand) lower
than those who retained it in 2008-2012 (“Murder Rates”). There is a simple explanation for that
phenomenon- consequences are the last thing on the mind of a killer. Most murderers end up
being caught, yet that does not deter them from murdering. For those intent on taking the life of
another, the “ultimate punishment” has no influence on their thought process. Thus, the death
penalty results in the opposite effect intended, making it a moot and “inefficient way to prevent
criminal activity”, as well as costly for the tax payer (Ballaro).
Recently, the cost of death became more than an abstract metaphor when applied to the
death penalty. Previously, sodium thiopental was the drug of choice for lethal