Rogerian Argument: Capital Punishment Essay
Capital Punishment : The Death Penalty Essay
Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime? Essay
Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment And The Death Penalty Essay
The Death Penalty And Capital Punishment Essay
Argumentative Essay On The Death Penalty
Capital Punishment And The Death Penalty
Capital Punishment Essay
Capital Punishment And The Death Penalty Essay
Capital Punishment And The Death Penalty Essay
Outline On Death Penalty
A Debate of the Death Penalty Essay
Essay on Capital Punishment
IGNOU MSCCFT and PGDCFT Exam Question Pattern: MCFT003 Counselling and Family...
Essay About Capital Punishment Death Penalty
1. Rogerian Argument: Capital Punishment Essay
For years, politicians have been passionately debating the subject of the capital punishment, which
has only served to create more divisions within our society. It is an extremely sensitive subject, and
one that inspires strong emotions in both directions. Like abortion, gun laws, and the war on
terrorism, capital punishment is an issue on which everyone is never likely to agree.
If we examine some arguments presented from both sides, opponents of the capital punishment
claim that executing someone is nothing more than an immoral, state–authorized killing which
undervalues the human life and destroys our respect for our government which itself says that killing
is wrong. But the supporters of the death penalty think that certain murderers...show more content...
As we can see arguments from both sides hold some truth in them. So is it really hard to find a
solution which would keep both sides happy? I personally believe that one such solution would be
to have everyone's DNA profile data–based at birth, which is in the reach of our modern technology,
and use such database to catch criminals. I am sure that it would greatly reduce the risk of
punishing innocent people. And I think that the high risk of being caught is much better deterrent
for criminals than any other ones. For instance, if we look at peoples driving habits, as soon as
they see speed camera signs they slow down and then again go over the speed limit as they pass the
risk of being caught.
Another possible solution might be to start introducing stricter disciplines from the bottom up, i.e.
start with disobedient children at schools through teenage and adult hooligans. And only then we
might be able to bring up a generation or two of disciplined people who might not need the threat of
execution to deter them from committing violent crimes.
Works Cited
"Facts About the Death Penalty." www.deathpenaltyinfo.org. 01 May 2008. 02 May 2008<http:/
/www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/FactSheet.pdf>.
"Why Abolish the Death Penalty?" Amnesty International. Sept. 2007. 10 May 2008
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2. Opponents may say that the death penalty is not constitutional or fair, but that information is
inaccurate. It is proven that the death penalty is constitutional and does not violate the law. The
Fourteenth Amendment states, " Life, Liberty or property without due process of law." (Primary
documents in American History). That means that a life can be taken away with the grant from the
law, therefore the death penalty is proven to be constitutional. As mentioned before the death penalty
also does not violate the Eighth Amendment because with the use of more humane ways of
execution we can say that the system is constitutional. Many categories follow under the topic of
fairness, including race and mentally retarded. Opposers may say the capital punishment is not fair to
either of these topics but they would be incorrect. Sharp summarizes that white murders are two
times more likely to be executed that black men (Parks 56). Many other expertise such as John
McAdams also touched upon the topic of race and mentions that there...show more content...
My opponents may believe the death penalty is a very expensive type of penalty, but that
information is not true. Recently NBC news explains that most sources on the cost of the death
penalty are very biased. The states calculate the amount of the death penalty depending on if the
inmates will spend their lives on death row, meaning that it would cost around 3.1 billion dollars.
If the process of the death penalty was a lot faster than the price of the death penalty would also
be a lot less (To execute or not to execute). Tax money is what is really costing the most out of the
imprisonments. 25% of our taxes goes towards prisons and prisoners. Infact the average amount of
tax money collected for one prisoner is about $31,286, therefore the average yearly price for all the
prisoners is about 39 billion dollars (Costa). Meaning that life imprisonment is a lot more money
than the death
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3. Capital Punishment : The Death Penalty Essay
When one thinks about the death penalty, they usually think of capital punishment, which is
punishment by death as well as a practice by the government of killing people as punishment for
serious crimes. Capital punishment has been used in the United States since 1775 when all thirteen
colonies were at the outbreak of the American Revolution. It was not until 1787 that the founding
fathers allowed the death penalty when writing the constitution. In 1790 United States Congress
established a Federal Death Penalty, which was also called the Crimes Act of 1790, that created
six capital offenses, treason, counterfeiting, three variations of piracy or felonies on the high seas,
and aiding the escape of a capital prisoner, also in that same year the first person was executed
under the United States Federal Death Penalty for committing "murder on the high seas". The end of
the 1700s, brought reform for the death penalty laws, like in 1793 the concept of varying degrees of
murder was introduced, which softens the death penalty laws.
With the Federal Death Penalty in place, the United States found ways to cope with the different and
varying laws which needed capital punishment. In the late 1800s new reforms began once again,
between 1833 and 1835 public hanging executions, were considered cruel and many states changed
to private hangings. Ten years after in 1845, the first National Death Penalty Abolition Society was
formed, which is still going strong today in 2016. Following that
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4. Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime? Essay
Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime?
Ahmed Salman
Argosy University
July, 10, 2015
Introduction Capital punishment or death penalty is punishing by death. Crimes that can attract
capital punishment are called capital crimes or offenses. In most countries, capital crimes include
murder, robbery with violence, and treason (Doyle 2007). At the moment, there are thirty six
countries in the world that practice the death penalty. More than 100 countries have abolished the
dead penalty while 6 have prohibited the punishment for normal crimes but still practice it for
offenses like war crimes. It is important to establish evidence for the death penalty as a form of
deterrent punishment because policies must always be supported by evidence (Doyle 2007).
Purpose of Study
The Purpose of this research is to survey and determine the evidence of capital punishment as a
deterrent. The research will emphasize on all the aspects of the death penalty as administered
recently and in the past. The study will also provide evidence for or against death penalty as a
deterrent.
Overarching Research Question
The research will solely focus on the deterrence factor of capital punishment and not an assessment
of whether the death penalty is just or not. Raymond T. Bye details the root of the deterrence factor
in capital punishment. Bye says life is the most sacred thing to an individual, and if one is
threatened with death, he or she cannot ignore. Not everybody is willing to
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5. Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment
Murder, a common occurrence in American society, is thought of as a horrible, reprehensible
atrocity. Why then, is it thought of differently when the state government arranges and executes a
human being, the very definition of premeditated murder? Capital punishment has been reviewed
and studied for many years, exposing several inequities and weaknesses, showing the need for the
death penalty to be abolished.
Upon examination, one finds capital punishment to be economically weak and deficient. A common
misconception of the death penalty is that the cost to execute a convicted criminal is cheaper than to
place a convict in prison for life without parole. Due to the United States judicial system, the process
of appeals,...show more content...
Whatever they need, they can get (Cummings).
In addition to being racially prejudiced, capital punishment places innocent lives at risk. Recently
in Chicago, a black man was released from death row after nearly sixteen years in prison. This
man, Anthony Porter, came within two days of receiving a lethal injection, until the courts finally
agreed hearing on his mental capacity. Porter was very lucky to receive an excellent attorney
who managed to prove that Porter was innocent and led the police to a prisoner in Milwaukee
who confessed (Kile). This shows the importance of the appeal process found in the courts, which
serve to protect the lives of innocent citizens of the United States of America. A writer for The
Christian Century writes, "Porter's case brings to light the very real danger that overzealous
prosecutors, sloppy legal work and poor legal defense teams will send people to their deaths for
crimes they didn't commit," (Kile). If Porter had an equipped defense attorney from the start,
he would never have been to prison and nearly killed. Ryan Cummings of The Economist observed
that more crimes are punishable by execution, more states have adopted the death penalty and the
appeals process has been shortened. The overall expansion of capital punishment endangers innocent
lives. Cumulatively, there is now less time and fewer tools to save innocent men and women
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6. Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the toughest form of punishment enforced
today in the United States. According to the online Webster dictionary, capital punishment is defined
as "the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime, often called a
capital offence or a capital crime" (1). In those jurisdictions that practice capital punishment, its use
is usually restricted to a small number of criminal offences, principally, treason and premeditated
murder. In the 38 U.S. states and within the federal government currently upholding and enforcing
death penalty statutes, this method of punishment varies quite differently amongst them. It is a
controversial issue...show more content...
The crime rate is lower in the states that do not invoke capital punishment, but as Walter Burns stated
"the number of murders tend to rise with the crime rate in general–and not only in America (4).
Capital punishment is maintained to hopefully show criminals that when they kill they will
eventually meet the same fate. By enforcing the death penalty, the government could be trying to
scare criminals from their crimes, and in some cases it has worked. When the death penalty was
restored in Kansas, for example, the homicide rate dropped considerably (7). According to research
done by Bedau, the crime rate continued to soar between 1960–1969, when capital punishment was
rarely being used in most states (7). As a whole, capital punishment has worked to lower homicidal
crimes and deter criminals from illegal actions. Capital punishment could help to keep repeat
offenders off the streets. In some states the common belief is that imprisoning the murders of
society in penitentiaries will keep them from killing again, but this is not true. Even when criminals
are imprisoned, their killing can still continue. Bedau did a survey of all the male inmates in state
penitentiaries during the year of 1973. He came to the conclusion that after the men were
imprisoned for one year, at least sixteen homicides were reported (7). In effect, the
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7. My chosen ethical issue is the death penalty.
The death penalty, also called capital punishment, is a sentence or punishment of death by execution.
The government or state usually executes a person because they have committed a serious crime.
Executions can be done by:
Electrocution – Person is put on an electric chair that sends out a strong source of electricity to their
head and legs.
Lethal injection – The person is poisoned with a mix of chemicals that are injected into their body
while they are unconscious.
Firing squad – A small group of people shoot the prisoner with rifles.
Hanging – The person has a rope tied around their neck and they are dropped from a height.
Stoning – Stones are thrown at the person until they die.
Decapitation/Beheading – Person has their head cut off with a sharp blade such as a sword or
guillotine....show more content...
Cyanide or nitrogen gas is produced in the chamber to cut off oxygen to their brain.
Capital punishment has been used in almost every part of the world, but many countries have since
abolished it. Out of the 195 independent states that have links to the UN, as of July 2015 102 have
abolished it, 7 have abolished it but retain it for exceptional circumstances, 50 retain it but have not
used it for at least 10 years, and 36 retain it both in law and practice.
The death penalty is very much an ethical issue. Ethical can be defined as 'of, relation to, or dealing
with ethics' and ethics can be defined as 'moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the
conductions of an activity.' Capital punishment is an ethical issue because of the general moral
issues of punishment in conjunction with the problem of whether it is ever morally right to deprive
a human of life.
In this report I am going to analyse the Catholic response to the ethical issue of the death penalty.
Pros of The Death
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8. Capital Punishment And The Death Penalty Essay
Capital punishment, or the death penalty, "is the lawful infliction of death as a punishment."
(thefreedictionary.com). The topic is quite controversial, as its merits and effectiveness as a
deterrent for crime have been argued many times over. However, the death penalty is perfectly
within reason, as it rids the streets of criminals that have committed serious crimes and is also
cheaper for the government versus giving life sentences. Even so, there are many who are against
the death penalty. One such argument that has been made is that the death penalty is barbaric
because many innocents have been sent to their deaths. Although this would be true if these
opposers lived before 1986, that is not the case in today's world because there is access to DNA tests
and profiling. According to www.interpol.int, "Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules contain the
information all living cells in the human body need to function. They also control the inheritance of
characteristics from parents to offspring." (interpol.int). DNA profiling play important roles in
crimes as it has the potential to link a series of crimes and to place a suspect at the scene of a crime.
Not only that, but also DNA can help to prove a suspect's innocence. With DNA testing, no innocent
person will die from the death penalty simply because DNA tests can be used as concrete evidence
to prove the suspect's innocence.
To start off, one should know what exactly DNA profiling is and its use for prosecution.
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9. The Death Penalty And Capital Punishment Essay
The death penalty also known as capital punishment is a government issued practice by the state
where person is put to death as a result of their crime(s). Before a person gets executed they have
to carry out a sentences which can sometimes take decades. A person would have to commit a
crime classified as a "capital crime" in order to be given the death penalty. There are 41 capital
offenses listed under the U.S. federal government which are punishable by death (41 Federal
Capital Offenses). Nonetheless, there are certain certain circumstances that can spare a person
from the death penalty even if the are said to have committed a capital offense. For example, if a
person was under the age of 18 before the commission of the crime or if the person is recognized
to have a mental illness. With this being said, there are countless faults with death penalty in
America. Whether a person gets the death penalty or not sometimes is not determined by the
atrocity of the crime but instead by the quality of the defense lawyer, the race of the victim and the
county and state in which the crime was committed. Since 1976 a total of 1440 execution took place
in the U.S. There are currently 31 states which allows for the death penalty and 19 states which
abolished it. In a report done by the National Research Council it stated that the claim that the death
penalty has a deterrent effect on murder rates are "fundamentally flawed" and should not be used in
policy making decisions (FactSheet).
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10. Capital Punishment: A Question of Life and Death Introduction: The debate about capital
punishment, commonly referred to as "the death penalty", is as old as the death penalty itself. It is
caused by different controversial opinions about the propriety and legitimacy of the death penalty.
It's not surprising that since the start of this debate the philosophical or ethical arguments against or
in favour of the death penalty has remained notably unchanged. Thesis statement: The public concern
about the death penalty has reasonably resulted from perceived risk that errors in the legal system
and potential political and personal bias; could result in the execution of innocent people. Paragraph
1: According to Amnesty International, "The death penalty legitimizes an irreversible act of
violence by the state and will inevitably claim innocent victims. As long as human justice remains
fallible, the risk of executing the innocent can never be eliminated ." International attention has
started focusing on the frequent discovery of innocent people convicted as the failure of law
enforcement systems. Over the past twenty years there have been many well publicized cases in the
United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States as well as Canada of wrongfully
convicted persons. Thus, public confidence has been eroded as unjust conviction represents a triple
failure of the criminal justice systems; innocent has been put in jail; a true criminal is privileged to
enjoy
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11. Argumentative Essay On The Death Penalty
Capital punishment or death penalty is a form of punishment mostly used for people that murder
somebody. It is a very complex issue in today's world. There are very strong opinions on both
sides of the argument. Some believe that every state should have it, and others believe that none
should. It is so controversial because both sides believe that they are right and because death is so
permanent. If you make a mistake, once the death penalty is imposed, there is no taking it back.
Here are some of the views held by people about the death penalty.
Some people strongly believe that the death penalty should be imposed on, at the very least, every
murderer. Many believe that even lesser crimes warrant this punishment. They believe either that
...show more content...
Capital punishment deters crime by causing world be murderers to fear arrest and conviction and
by preventing convicted murderers from killing again. In recent years, violent crime in newyork
has dropped dramatically, due in part to the restitution of the death penalty.since I took office in
1995 violent crime has dropped 23 per cent,assautlts are down 22 per cent and murders have dropped
by nearly one–third. ... I believe this has occurred in part because of the strong signal that the death
and our other tough new laws have sent to violent criminals and murderers. You will be punished
with the full force of the law.
No:capital punishment actually makes the fight against crime more difficult. Executions waste
valuable resources that could be applied to more promising efforts to protect the public. Additionally
, innocent people are sometimes executed and the brutalizing effect executions have on society may
result in more murders. In 1994, 6100 criminals were sentenced to the state prison in manhattan
(New York) and 9000 more were sent to city jail. In 1975, when I became district attorney, there were
648 homicides inmanhattan; in 1994, there were 330. The number has been cut vitually in half
without executions_ proof to me that they are not needed to continue that trend. ( George E.Pataki
,1995
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12. Capital Punishment And The Death Penalty
Capital punishment, which can also be referred to as the death penalty, has been around for
hundreds of years. Ever since it began, there has been discussions as to whether it is morally
correct, and as to whether it actually influences criminals. Some believe that the possibility of
being put to death often stops criminals from committing violent crimes. Others believe the
reciprocal, stating that those that partake in violent crimes are driven to do so for various reasons,
and whether they have the chance of being put to death or not will not stop them from doing what
they feel they must do. Some serial killers and other violent individuals think that they will never
be caught. Others believe that they are doing God 's work, or they proclaim other 'important '
reasons for the killings and violence that they partake in. Sometimes this is due to mental disorders,
but there are other reasons that people partake in acts of this nature. Regardless of these reasons,
violent acts can and do happen and whether these people should be put to death for their crimes
remains a widely discussed issue.
Those that argue for the death penalty swear by the statement that, not only does it keep the person
in worry from committing any more violent acts, but it also works as a lesson for those that are
pre–meditating these types of acts in the future. It is not only the U.S. that has this problem, as many
other nations are also worried about crime rates. In some other countries there are
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13. Capital Punishment Essay
Should the Death Penalty be Abolished?
Everyone has different beliefs about the death penalty. Some people believe it is barbaric and
inhumane to put someone to death who has been convicted, while others feel that the death penalty
gives resolution to the victim's family and friends. The death penalty is used to punish criminals for
the wrong they have done. However, I believe that killing a person to "punish" them is not enough.
People cannot suffer and think about the anguish they have caused people if they are put to death.
Keeping the criminals alive and doing manual labor for the rest of their lives, without parole, is a
better method of punishment.
The way the government is now, many criminals are sentenced to...show more content...
For example, many people think the death penalty is a racial situation. Studies have shown this
perception to be true as one study concluded that "over the past century, black offenders, as
compared with white offenders, were often executed for crimes less often receiving the death
penalty, such as rape and burglary" (Death Penalty). Another example is that the death penalty can be
seen as sex discriminating and socio–economically discriminating. "During the 1980's and aerially
1990's only about one percent of all those on death row were women, even though women commit
about 15% of all criminal homicides"(Death Penalty). Discrimination of social classes is also an
issue. "A defendant's poverty, lack of firm social roots in the community, inadequate legal
representation at trial or on appeal"(Death Penalty) affects the ruling immensely. Killing someone
with malicious intent is the same for all people no matter what their sex or race. No one person
should go without severe punishment because of their race or sex.
Life is a gift and no one wants to have their life taken away. Many lives are taken each day by cruel,
cold–hearted criminals who get a joy in seeing others suffer. However, certain points that people
fail to realize is that some criminals would rather be put to death than be sentenced to prison for the
rest of their lives. Other criminals believe they will only be sentenced to prison with the availability
to apply for
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14. The Death Penalty is Good for the Economy
Crimes are committed everyday. Many people are caught, while many are not. In the United States
of America, when a person kills another person s/he is considered a murderer. The instant that
murder takes place all rights should automatically be revoked. Murderers should not be allowed to
walk the streets. Once a person has killed there is a good change that it could happen again.
Convicted murderers should be given the death penalty and have it carried out at once. The death
penalty is a controversial sentence. Not everyone feels the same way, but I believe that, in America,
the death penalty for murderers is beneficial to the economy and it's a punishment that fits the crime.
...show more content...
State and Federal prisons are overcrowded. What do these prisons have to do with the American
economy? American tax money is used to support hard core criminals like murderers, rapists, etc.
that are serving their sentence.
At the end of 1992 State and Federal prisons reached a record high of 883,593 prisoners. This
record means that approximately 1,143 prison bed spaces are needed per week due to
overcrowding. To put this in an economic prospective, on the average each prisoner cost $22,000
per year, and the cost of new construction averages almost $54,000 per bed (AAE "Prison"). The
883,593 prisoners are costing the American taxpayers approximately $19.4 billion plus another
$61.7 million for the construction of the 1,143 spaces needed. Why should we, the tax payers/the
victims, support these criminals? It's true that not all the prisoners are hard core, but in 1992, 2,575
prisoners –– all murderers –– were sentenced to death (BJS 5–93). 31 (one female) of the 2,575 (36
female) murderers had been executed during 1992. This is the largest number of people executed
for any year since 1976 (BJS 12–92). By executing these murders, the American tax money could be
used for something more useful. Thus the economy benefits from the death penalty. Plus, it helps
lower the prison population by the number executed.
The average time a death row prisoner has to spend in jail until the death sentence is carried out is
about nine years
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15. One week, one month, one year or maybe even more, This is how long the wait could be for a death
row inmate to receive the most positive profound or extreme punishment that can be given to him or
her.The death penalty is often debated on the moral grounds, however it is significant that the
process of putting an inmate to death happens within a system paid for by taxpayers. Stressing this
system is important because wasteful use of tax dollars has driven the political landscape in the US
in modern times. A consideration of the government cost to execute a prisoner is needed. Due to the
16th amendment of the constitution the government can tax americans. That tax can be used to
build prisons for criminals.As stated by Mass Incarceration:...show more content...
It's more costly, makes psychological torment acceptable, or having human right violated. Whether
the Death Penalty is taken down economically or the use of a more logical system, the death
penalty should be abolished. With that being done, projects could be explored from the economic
boost. Or quite possibly save a human life.
Beasley, David. "The Case Against The Death Penalty" American Civil Liberties Union, 12 Jan.
2001. Accessed 8 Mar.
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16. Capital Punishment And The Death Penalty Essay
Capital punishment also known as the "death penalty" is one of the many sanctions used for violent
criminal whom are convicted of heinous crimes. It is a government sanction in which criminals are
put to death by the state government. There's an on–going debate regarding the pros and cons of the
death penalty. There are some individuals whom support the penalty and also a large number of
individuals whom are totally against the death penalty. There is no clear decision whether the death
penalty is effective and provides a sense of deterrence or whether it's simply a costly mistake. But is
the death penalty influencing others not to commit crime or is just a sanction that cost a lot and no
one pays attention to?
The criminal justice system has always focused on punishment rather than rehabilitation. They use
the punishment sanctions to "prevent" future crime. Society sees punishment as the most acceptable
way to hold criminals liable for their actions and to prove that there is social order. Capital
punishment is one used when offenders commit more than likely heinous violent criminal acts such
as murder. Some of the capital offenses that are punishable by death include first degree murder, rape
with bodily harm, and federal treason. Although the death penalty will stop those individuals from
committing a future crime, unfortunately it won't deter other individuals from committing crime.
Capital punishment isn't something the criminal justice takes lightly meaning; we don't
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17. Capital Punishment And The Death Penalty Essay
Literature Review
Capital punishment is defined as "a form of sentencing where the convicted person is ordered to
death by the court system (Dotson and Carter, 2012, p.1). Capital punishment also known as the
death penalty is one of the most controversial issues in today's society. Many supporters and
opponents of the death penalty debate over whether it is constitutional, whether it is inhumane, and
whether it deters crime. Some abolitionists view the death penalty as immoral because it violates an
individual's right to life. Other opponents of the death penalty feel that the state should not be
allowed to take the life of an individual. Supporters of capital punishment believe it is necessary in
society. They assert that it serves as a more appropriate form of punishment as opposed to life in
prison. Many people also favor the death penalty because they believe executing an individual will
not allow them to commit crimes in the future. Research provides many different arguments in favor
of and against the death penalty.
General knowledge about the history of capital punishment is vital in understanding the views of
supporters and opponents of capital punishment. Iuliano (2015, p.1379) found that more than thirteen
thousand people in the United States were sentenced to death between 1775 and 1974. During this
time, the methods of capital punishment were examined and viewed as constitutional. According to
Bailey (2003, p.37), no executions were carried out between 1967 and
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18. Outline On Death Penalty
Controversial Topic Summaries I decided to choose the topic of the Death Penalty and forms of
Capital Punishment. My first article talks about what exactly the Death Penalty is. The background
of the death penalty has been around since ancient times, but in the year 2004, most countries have
exiled the idea of the death penalty. As of now, 36 states have reinstated the idea ofcapital
punishment and the death penalty. Most capital sentences in the United States have been cause from
murder cases. The death penalty can only be given through the decision of the jury on the case and
not the judge. According to the article, there hasn't been an execution in years due to lack of
resources or the jury decides on a life sentence. The Death Penalty
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19. A Debate of the Death Penalty Essay
The death penalty raises important questions about the right to life, who has a right to life, and
under what circumstances a right to life can be taken away. I believe there are no circumstances
under which capital punishment is justified. I will proceed to defend my claim that capital
punishment is unjustified by arguing a position that killing is wrong because it deprives individuals
of valuable futures. To support my thesis that capital punishment is not justified, I will expand upon
an argument made my Don Marquis in his essay "Why Abortion is Immoral" in which he argues that
killing is immoral on the grounds that it deprives human beings of a valuable future. My argument
is as follows:
1.Killing is wrong because it deprives the...show more content...
The outside factors and conditions are irrelevant. Rather, the value is determined by how that
person perceives his or her own life and these future experiences. Thus, when someone is killed, he
or she is deprived of all the things that were of value and will be of value to him or her in the
future. Causing this loss of a valuable future is ultimately what makes killing wrong and immoral
because that individual has permanently lost the opportunity to enjoy his or her future experiences
which are valuable to him or her. My second premise states that death row criminals are in the same
moral category as other human beings with respect to the moral value of their lives. The only factor
which differentiates a criminal from a non–criminal is the fact that the criminal, usually irrefutably,
violated community standards and the law to commit a crime. In the case of a criminal on death row,
he or she would have had to have committed a serious capital crime to receive the death sentence.
Since committing a capital offense is the only reason death row criminals are different from other
human beings, death row criminals are the same as other human beings in every other respect,
including with respect to the value of their futures. Furthermore, the future of a criminal on death
row is just as valuable as the future of a human being not on death row. Any form of capital
punishment is a form of killing. It does not matter who is actually doing the
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20. Essay on Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment
The definition of capital punishment is the legal punishment of death for violating criminal law. The
person who gets capital punishment is the ones who committed serious crimes. Methods of capital
punishment throughout the world are by stoning, beheading, hanging, electrocution, lethal injection
and shooting. The two most common methods capital punishment use in the United States are lethal
injection and electrocution.
The lethal injection is the most used form of capital punishment. It's an intravenous shot that kills the
criminal quick and painless. When capital punishment is done by electrocution the criminal is
strapped to a chair that a volts of electricity is pass through.
In America if all people agree...show more content...
The first pros of capital punishment are that it works as deterrence against major crimes. The death
penalty is a punishment that creates fear in the mind of any sane person. Most criminals would think
twice if they knew their own lives were at stake. Although there is no statistical evidence that death
penalty deters crime, we have to agree that most of us fear death.
The most conclusive evidence that criminals fear the death penalty more than life without parole is
provided by convicted capital murderers and their attorneys. 99.9% of all convicted capital murderers
and their attorneys argue for life, not death, in the punishment phase of their trial. (prodeathpenalty)
A Second pro is that a criminal that is executed can't another crime or escape. A dead criminal can
no longer commit a crime, and therefore the danger to the public is permanently removed.
A third pro of capital punishment is that it's more economical. Why should money be spent on a
criminal when it could be spent on education, the sick, or the needy? The only reason why it is so
expensive to execute an individual, is because of the numerous appeal processes. (~ab2166)
Another pro is that the retribution to the family and loves ones of the victims is payed. Endless
stress and anxiety plague the families of the victims and executions puts all those stresses to rest
better than life–long imprisonment or
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