Firstly, the death penalty is a punishment that strikes fear into potential murderers. Before committing a crime, the fear of being punished with death is likely a factor that makes them reconsider what they are going to do. The Washington Post author Robert Tanner reports, “[e]ach execution deters an average of 18 murders” (Par. 10). One execution to stop eighteen murders from occurring is an astounding number of innocent lives being saved. Since the 1976 Supreme Court case, 1,436 executions could have saved 25,848 more lives from being lost (“Executions by Year”). Second, capital punishment cannot be considered a cruel and unusual punishment. In movies and television, when a prisoner is sentenced to death, they are often executed with
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Lethal injection is carried out using a process of three drugs, one to render the inmate unconscious, a second to induce paralysis which in turn stops his breathing, and finally a third which stops the heart from beating (“Description of Execution”). During each step of the injection process the prisoner’s consciousness is monitored to ensure that he is feeling no pain. Lethal injection is humane as opposed to methods such as the electric chair where the inmate is conscious and exposed to 500 to 2000 volts of electricity until the heart stops beating. In addition to this, the Supreme Court has decided that the lethal injection process for executing inmates is not a cruel and unusual punishment. While lethal injection is the primary form of execution, in March 2015 Utah reauthorized the use of firing squad to execute inmates (“Description of Execution”). In addition, in states where multiple methods of execution are available, the inmate is given the choice of how to be executed whether it be lethal injection, electrocution, and even hanging. Although most people may see the use of these methods as a cruel and unusual punishment, it is saved only for situations where it is …show more content…
Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, there has so far been no evidence of an innocent person being executed because of the death penalty (“Executed But Innocent”). When an inmate is executed, by that point there has been a countless amount of people who have evaluated his innocence. The list includes the jury during his original trial, as well as the various judges who read and decide on his appeals. If all these people believe without a reasonable doubt that this person is the killer, I do not believe that an innocent person would be able to get through this process without someone realizing he is innocent. Some may argue that keeping an inmate on death row is more expensive than giving him life in prison, which is true. An LA Times article states a “death penalty case costs up to 20 times as much as a life-without-parole case” (Williams). Although the monetary value for a life sentence may be cheaper, when putting someone in prison for life, they are in the general prison population. When you put a murderer in the general population, there is always the chance that he could kill again. If he was able to kill outside of prison, it is likely that he is capable of killing in prison as well. Endangering the lives of other inmates by placing a murderer within their ranks is not what we intend when giving murderers life sentences, but it is a risk that is
Lethal injection is carried out using a process of three drugs, one to render the inmate unconscious, a second to induce paralysis which in turn stops his breathing, and finally a third which stops the heart from beating (“Description of Execution”). During each step of the injection process the prisoner’s consciousness is monitored to ensure that he is feeling no pain. Lethal injection is humane as opposed to methods such as the electric chair where the inmate is conscious and exposed to 500 to 2000 volts of electricity until the heart stops beating. In addition to this, the Supreme Court has decided that the lethal injection process for executing inmates is not a cruel and unusual punishment. While lethal injection is the primary form of execution, in March 2015 Utah reauthorized the use of firing squad to execute inmates (“Description of Execution”). In addition, in states where multiple methods of execution are available, the inmate is given the choice of how to be executed whether it be lethal injection, electrocution, and even hanging. Although most people may see the use of these methods as a cruel and unusual punishment, it is saved only for situations where it is …show more content…
Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, there has so far been no evidence of an innocent person being executed because of the death penalty (“Executed But Innocent”). When an inmate is executed, by that point there has been a countless amount of people who have evaluated his innocence. The list includes the jury during his original trial, as well as the various judges who read and decide on his appeals. If all these people believe without a reasonable doubt that this person is the killer, I do not believe that an innocent person would be able to get through this process without someone realizing he is innocent. Some may argue that keeping an inmate on death row is more expensive than giving him life in prison, which is true. An LA Times article states a “death penalty case costs up to 20 times as much as a life-without-parole case” (Williams). Although the monetary value for a life sentence may be cheaper, when putting someone in prison for life, they are in the general prison population. When you put a murderer in the general population, there is always the chance that he could kill again. If he was able to kill outside of prison, it is likely that he is capable of killing in prison as well. Endangering the lives of other inmates by placing a murderer within their ranks is not what we intend when giving murderers life sentences, but it is a risk that is