The death penalty started its impact here in the United States as early as the first settlers arrived. The English Penal Code at the time carried more than 50 capital offenses, and practicing varied from colony to colony. Some of the crimes that carried the death penalty, for example in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, were Idolatry, Murder, Rape, Adultery, Kidnapping and many others. Arson, treason, and grand larceny were later added. So for more than 150 years, the United States Supreme Court has employed its ability to control capital punishment. Bohm, R., & Haley, K. (2010). Sentencing, Appeals, and the Death Penaly. In Introduction to Criminal Justice (6th ed., p. 358). McGraw-Hill. I believe that the death penalty is not an effective use
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What good does it do to the community to just kill somebody when they won 't even learn their lesson? What good is it to punish somebody when they will be dead? The only reason to kill somebody is if they pose an immediate threat to the society or to the world, such as in war. Research shows that a small percentage of criminals released from prison have ever killed again. If you truly want to keep a person from society, permanently rehabilitate them so that they will no longer pose a threat. Bohm, R., & Haley, K. (2010). Sentencing, Appeals, and the Death Penaly. In Introduction to Criminal Justice (6th ed., p. 372). McGraw-Hill. The death penalty isn 't a fair way of punishment because for the offender never really learns his lesson and isn 't given a fair chance to change his or her ways in …show more content…
One of these reasons is the desire for vindictive revenge, or punishing the offender for the harm he or she has caused. This leads to the question as to whether stating that revenge is a correct way of dealing with our problems increases the acts of violence that occur nationwide in the United States. Vindictive revenge only makes it seem like killing somebody for something they did is a great way of dealing with a problem. Secondly is the incapacitative power of capital punishment, in which once the offender is killed he can no longer kill anymore. This may seem like a good idea to start out with, however only 7% of supporters of capital punishment give this as their reason, Bohm, R., & Haley, K. (2010). Sentencing, Appeals, and the Death Penaly. In Introduction to Criminal Justice (6th ed., p. 372). McGraw-Hill and also this power is wrong because the offender has the alternative to be put in prison and rehabilitative until he or she changes their ways. Lastly is the symbolic value it puts on politicians and law enforcement. Bohm, R., & Haley, K. (2010). Sentencing, Appeals, and the Death Penaly. In Introduction to Criminal Justice (6th ed., p. 372). McGraw-Hill. Somebody 's life shouldn 't just be a way to earn respect, and should be carefully dealt with. It is wrong to just legitimize the killing of people to gain respect, when you can earn respect in the community in various other ways.
What good does it do to the community to just kill somebody when they won 't even learn their lesson? What good is it to punish somebody when they will be dead? The only reason to kill somebody is if they pose an immediate threat to the society or to the world, such as in war. Research shows that a small percentage of criminals released from prison have ever killed again. If you truly want to keep a person from society, permanently rehabilitate them so that they will no longer pose a threat. Bohm, R., & Haley, K. (2010). Sentencing, Appeals, and the Death Penaly. In Introduction to Criminal Justice (6th ed., p. 372). McGraw-Hill. The death penalty isn 't a fair way of punishment because for the offender never really learns his lesson and isn 't given a fair chance to change his or her ways in …show more content…
One of these reasons is the desire for vindictive revenge, or punishing the offender for the harm he or she has caused. This leads to the question as to whether stating that revenge is a correct way of dealing with our problems increases the acts of violence that occur nationwide in the United States. Vindictive revenge only makes it seem like killing somebody for something they did is a great way of dealing with a problem. Secondly is the incapacitative power of capital punishment, in which once the offender is killed he can no longer kill anymore. This may seem like a good idea to start out with, however only 7% of supporters of capital punishment give this as their reason, Bohm, R., & Haley, K. (2010). Sentencing, Appeals, and the Death Penaly. In Introduction to Criminal Justice (6th ed., p. 372). McGraw-Hill and also this power is wrong because the offender has the alternative to be put in prison and rehabilitative until he or she changes their ways. Lastly is the symbolic value it puts on politicians and law enforcement. Bohm, R., & Haley, K. (2010). Sentencing, Appeals, and the Death Penaly. In Introduction to Criminal Justice (6th ed., p. 372). McGraw-Hill. Somebody 's life shouldn 't just be a way to earn respect, and should be carefully dealt with. It is wrong to just legitimize the killing of people to gain respect, when you can earn respect in the community in various other ways.