Imagine one person killing another person and being sentenced to death. Should the United States use this system or not? Capital Punishment is one of the most controversial topics today because of the morality that goes along with it. As of July 1, 2015, thirty-one states including; 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 have made capital punishment legal leaving the other eighteen states where capital punishment is not legal in (States With and Without the Death Penalty
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Another problem is that even though people think the fear of capital punishment will deter crime, capital punishment has not shown that it has an affect on the crime rate. Capital punishment becomes an even bigger problem when an individual is actually innocent but is thought to be guilty. How would it weigh on your conscience knowing you are innocent but still getting executed? Another thing to consider is the cost of capital punishment versus the cost of putting a criminal in prison for life. The cost of capital punishment is much more expensive than putting an individual in prison for life. Lastly, the death penalty is inhumane and very cruel. This brings in the question: should the United States legalize capital …show more content…
This is important because it seems like legalizing capital punishment would defuse crime due to fear but that is not the case. In disagreement, Jeffrey Fagan from Columbia Law School states, “We 're very hard pressed to find really strong evidence of deterrence”("There’s Still No Evidence That Executions Deter Criminals 1). This means they are trying to find evidence that 's out there that is strong enough and shows that the death penalty actually does affect the crime rates. It is an important piece of information because it states that capital punishment does not deter crime like most people think. Studies have proven that states without the death penalty have lower crime and murder rates. For example, most of the executions have taken place in the southern United States and they also have the highest murder rates per capita (Death Penalty Focus : Deterrence 1). Capital punishment does not deter crime so it should not be legal. Executing people is not doing anything for the country except make it look like violence is always the answer. Capital punishment does not reduce crime and it can possibly lead to the murdering of innocent
Another problem is that even though people think the fear of capital punishment will deter crime, capital punishment has not shown that it has an affect on the crime rate. Capital punishment becomes an even bigger problem when an individual is actually innocent but is thought to be guilty. How would it weigh on your conscience knowing you are innocent but still getting executed? Another thing to consider is the cost of capital punishment versus the cost of putting a criminal in prison for life. The cost of capital punishment is much more expensive than putting an individual in prison for life. Lastly, the death penalty is inhumane and very cruel. This brings in the question: should the United States legalize capital …show more content…
This is important because it seems like legalizing capital punishment would defuse crime due to fear but that is not the case. In disagreement, Jeffrey Fagan from Columbia Law School states, “We 're very hard pressed to find really strong evidence of deterrence”("There’s Still No Evidence That Executions Deter Criminals 1). This means they are trying to find evidence that 's out there that is strong enough and shows that the death penalty actually does affect the crime rates. It is an important piece of information because it states that capital punishment does not deter crime like most people think. Studies have proven that states without the death penalty have lower crime and murder rates. For example, most of the executions have taken place in the southern United States and they also have the highest murder rates per capita (Death Penalty Focus : Deterrence 1). Capital punishment does not deter crime so it should not be legal. Executing people is not doing anything for the country except make it look like violence is always the answer. Capital punishment does not reduce crime and it can possibly lead to the murdering of innocent