Capital punishment or the death penalty is killing or executing a person, by the government, who was found guilty of a serious crime. Capital crimes are crimes that can result in being sentenced to the death penalty. Because there is no repeal from death, executions are considered the ultimate punishment for a crime. The clear alternative to capital punishment is life in prison without parole, however multiple nations still perform the death penalty. This is because the debate whether capital punishment is ethically and justifiable is still widely disputed. Prison for life is often believed to be a possible alternative to executing a person. The sentence is cheaper to tax-payers and keeps violent offenders off the streets for good. However,
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“We’re only human, we all make mistakes,” is a commonly used phrase, but it’s tried and true. Some people were being executed based on random choice or personal desire, rather than any reason or system. “The justices of the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, decided that the death penalty was indeed being applied in arbitrary, inconsistent ways, clearly a situation in which racism could prevail unchecked.”(Stewart 59) According to Amnesty International, “The death penalty legitimizes an irreversible act of violence by the state and will inevitably claim innocent victims.” The drastic measure of capital punishment should not be taken. It does not allow the opportunity for the accused to be proven innocent, a violation of the Fifth Amendment which guarantees due process of law. Proponents of the death penalty say it is an important tool for preserving law and order, deters crime, and costs less than life imprisonment. They argue that "an eye for an eye" honors the victim, helps console grieving families, and ensures that the perpetrators never have an opportunity to cause a future tragedy. “350 people were not wrongly executed. Of those 350 cases, only 200 of the alleged wrongful convictions involved first-degree murders for which the death penalty was actually an option. Of those 200, only 139 were actually sentenced to death. Of those 139, only 23 were actually executed.”(Stewart 72-73) The death penalty violates religious beliefs about killing, remains unfair to minorities and is unconstitutional, and is inhumane and barbaric. Some people disagree that the death penalty is the defense to crime and worry that innocent people may be
“We’re only human, we all make mistakes,” is a commonly used phrase, but it’s tried and true. Some people were being executed based on random choice or personal desire, rather than any reason or system. “The justices of the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, decided that the death penalty was indeed being applied in arbitrary, inconsistent ways, clearly a situation in which racism could prevail unchecked.”(Stewart 59) According to Amnesty International, “The death penalty legitimizes an irreversible act of violence by the state and will inevitably claim innocent victims.” The drastic measure of capital punishment should not be taken. It does not allow the opportunity for the accused to be proven innocent, a violation of the Fifth Amendment which guarantees due process of law. Proponents of the death penalty say it is an important tool for preserving law and order, deters crime, and costs less than life imprisonment. They argue that "an eye for an eye" honors the victim, helps console grieving families, and ensures that the perpetrators never have an opportunity to cause a future tragedy. “350 people were not wrongly executed. Of those 350 cases, only 200 of the alleged wrongful convictions involved first-degree murders for which the death penalty was actually an option. Of those 200, only 139 were actually sentenced to death. Of those 139, only 23 were actually executed.”(Stewart 72-73) The death penalty violates religious beliefs about killing, remains unfair to minorities and is unconstitutional, and is inhumane and barbaric. Some people disagree that the death penalty is the defense to crime and worry that innocent people may be