StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Death Penalty in the US - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
From the paper "Death Penalty in the US" it is clear that capital punishment is a barbarian act that needs to be prohibited under any circumstances. Like many other segments of human life, the United States is leading in this sector also by keeping the competitors yards behind. …
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95% of users find it useful
Death Penalty in the US
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Death Penalty in the US"

Death Penalty in the US Introduction “The death penalty is the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights” (Death Penalty) and hence it is one of the widely debated topics in the world. There are different opinions about the advocacy of death penalty to criminals. Critiques of death penalty believe that humans don’t have the moral or legal right to take the life of another person even if he has committed serious crimes. They believe that nobody has so far succeeded in giving life to a dead person and hence they don’t have the right to take the life of a living person. On the other hand proponents believe that criminals who is a liability to the society or those who do not live based on the rules of the society needs to be punished and in extreme cases they must be executed if no other options succeeded in correcting the criminal. “Around 137 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Despite international human rights standards, some nations still execute people.” (Death Penalty) “In US, as of April 1, 2008, the Death Penalty was authorized by 37 states, the Federal Government, and the U.S. Military”. (The death penalty in the US) In fact United States is one of the toughest countries in the world as far as death penalty is concerned even though they speak out loudly against all kind of human right violations around the world. They never accept that the first and most important human right is live and let others live. This paper analyses the different aspects of death penalty system in United States. (History of the Death Penalty & Recent Developments) In 2004 four (China, Iran, Vietnam and the US) accounted for 97 percent of all global executions. On average, every 9-10 days a government in the United States executes a prisoner. Since the 1976 Supreme Court decision that re-instated the death penalty in the United States, the governments of the United States had executed 1,136, as of December 2008(Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty (Capital Punishment)) The statistics clearly reveals that the US attitude towards human life is not so great compared to other countries. In fact it is a failure from the part of the governments that they were not able to control the crimes without capital punishment even in the twenty first century. For a civilized nation like United Sates the above statistics is not a satisfying one. The interesting thing is that even though capital punishment is implemented, the crime rates have not been come down and moreover it is on its upward journey. Most of the American people are actually against capital punishment. But the governments need to convince the public that they are not keeping any soft approach against crime in order to convince the public and also to gain political advantages. “Being tough-on-crime has become one of the favorite ways for the American politicians to demonstrate that they are energetic and resolute” (Fight the death penalty in USA) Capital punishment is an expensive method compared to other type of punishment because of the heavy expenses incurred with it. One of the studies has shown that capital punishment is around 70% expensive compared to non death penalty cases or life imprisonment cases. (Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty (Capital Punishment)) The trial of a criminal which leads towards a capital punishment is expensive because of the heavy fees needed to be given to the advocates, expert witnesses, forensic testing etc. In order to sustain the death penalty California needed to spend $ 1 billion over more over the next five years. (Whats New) It is totally wrong to spend such a huge amount under the current global economic crisis scenario just to sustain an unethical method of punishment. “In the United States, of America death penalty is said to serve two principal social purposes: retribution and deterrence of capital crimes by prospective offenders”. (Delfino & Day, p.1) Most of the countries which have implemented Capital punishment, misused it for killing the political enemies and United States is also not an exception. Many people believe that the recent execution of former Iraq dictator Saddam Husain with the help of United States was not justifiable. If the aim of capital punishment is to reduce or prevent serious crimes, in that respect also US has not succeeded as per the statistics shown in the table given above. “About 52% of death row inmates are Black or other minority, versus 17% in the general population”. (The death Penalty, Capital punishment) These statistics again confirms the misuse of death penalty. In a country like United States, most of the people punished for capital punishment belong to the minority community. This is not because of the excess crime committed by the minority community. In fact the majority public is committing more crimes compared to the minorities, but most of them escape from laws because of their influences upon the criminal judicial system and also the dual standards adopted by the government against the same crime committed by majority and minority public. Thus death sentence is a powerful weapon in the hands of the government to execute their hidden agendas. Even in front of the law, people are discriminated. “It is widely acknowledged that innocent people have most likely been executed in the U.S” (Schlein) As per the basic principles of criminal justice system, no innocent people should be punished even if thousands of criminals escaped from the hands of law. But in practice the above philosophy may not work always. There are cases in which innocent people were punished while many criminals escaped from law using their financial power. Pros and Cons of death penalty “Many people feel that killing convicted murderers will satisfy their need for justice and/or vengeance. They feel that certain crimes are so heinous that executing the criminal is the only reasonable response” (The death penalty Basic reasons: pro and anti) Many people were forced to commit crimes only because of the suitable environment. For example, in most of the rape related killing cases, the culprits engaged in such anti social activities only because of the favorable environment and their physiological characteristics. It is totally wrong to execute such criminals, not giving an opportunity to rectify their habits. As per Edward Koch, It is by exacting the highest penalty for the taking of human life that we affirm the highest value of human life." (The death penalty Basic reasons: pro and anti)The above argument also seems to be illogical since in order to preserve the value of human life taking the life of another one. No science or technology has succeeded so far in unveiling the mysteries behind life. Nobody knows from where they come and where they go. In other words the mysteries surrounding the stage before birth and after death are still unknowns to human being. The force which is responsible for giving life sending the human being to earth has definite plans and it is ethically wrong to act against the will of the creator.“Executing a person kills him before the time of their natural death. The death penalty denies the sacredness of human life” (The death penalty Basic reasons: pro and anti) Conclusions Capital punishment is a barbarian act which needs to be prohibited under any circumstances. Like many other segments of human life, United States is leading in this sector also by keeping the competitors yards behind. Because of the immense value and mystery associated with human life it is not right either legally or ethically to take the life of a person. Most of the capital punishments are intended for silencing the enemies and to convince the public that the governments are stern on keeping the law and order in the state. Statistics from the 30 states which implemented capital punishment has shown that the crime rate has not come down in those states compared to other states which prohibited capital punishment. Most of the criminal activities are happening because of the lack of self control over a particular time because of the suitable environment. Such temporary criminal mentalities may not last long and such people must be rectified or corrected using other means rather than capital punishment. For a civilized generation of the twenty first century capital punishment is a black mark over the immense gains human kind has achieved. Works Cited 1. “The Death penalty in the US”. The Clark county prosecuting authority . 16 June 2009. 2. “Whats New”. 2009. Death Penalty Information Centre . 16 June 2009. 3. “Death Penalty”2009. Amnesty International USA. 16 June 2009. 4. “Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty (Capital Punishment)”. 2009. 16 June 2009. 5. “Fight the death penalty in USA”. 16 June 2009. 6. “The Death Penalty Basic reasons: Pro and Anti”. Religious Tolerance. 16 June 2009. 7. “History of the Death Penalty & Recent Developments”. 2009. University of Alaska Anchorage, Justice Centre. 16 June 2009. 8. Schlein, Lisa. UN Investigator Says US Death Penalty Leads to Miscarriage of Justice.2009. Voanews.com 16 June 2009. 9. “The Death Penalty, Capital Punishment”. 2002. Speakout.com. 16 June 2009. 10. Delfino, Michelangelo Michelangelo Delfino (Author) 11. › Visit Amazons Michelangelo Delfino Page 12. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. 13. See search results for this author 14. Are you an author? Learn about Author Central 15. and Day, Mary E. “Death Penalty USA: 2005 – 2006” Amazon.com. Publisher: Mobeta Publishing (January 3, 2008) Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Death Penalty in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1555771-death-penalty-in-the-us
(Death Penalty in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words - 1)
https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1555771-death-penalty-in-the-us.
“Death Penalty in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words - 1”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1555771-death-penalty-in-the-us.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Death Penalty in the US

Global Demographics and the Death Penalty

hough the Catholic Church officially denounces capital punishment, American Catholics favor the death penalty in greater numbers than the general population (Davis and Smith).... The debate on the death penalty has raged ever since Cleon and Diodotus argued over the efficacy of executing rebels during an insurrection on the island of Mitylene in 427 BC.... However, global patterns can be examined which can help uncover the underlying indicators that are common to countries that have the death penalty....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Writing to Persuade

The overall argument of this report is that although perspectives are mixed about the use of the death penalty in the U.... “After the Court ruled in 1972… some states changed capital punishments statutes to make the death penalty automatic when homicides were committed under specific conditions” (Mossman, 003, 22) Those who want the death penalty continued often make their arguments on the grounds of philosophical or psychological speculation stating, “The fact that a state can be just and apply the death penalty does not, of course, mean that the death penalty cannot be applied in error” (Sorell, 2002, 30)....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Capital Punishment and the US

ConclusionIn accordance with the above discussion, it can be surmised that the Death Penalty in the US should be discontinued for the following reasons; the death penalty does not deter crime, since it was observed that the crime rate in the states where the death penalty was in vogue was higher than in the states where it was absent.... In addition, the US is seemingly unconcerned with the fact that such punishment is barbaric and violative of moral values (Hinton, 2009). Capital punishment is inhumane… Capital punishment leaves much to be desired in the us....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

The Controversies in the Death Penalty in the US

This paper under the headline 'The Controversies in the Death Penalty in the US" focuses on the fact that 'Capital Punishment' is the lawful infliction of death as a punishment of a crime.... nbsp;… Also referred to as the 'death penalty', it is the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime called a 'capital offence' or a 'capital crime.... went on to carry out 59 executions in 2004, 60 in 2005, 53 in 2006 and 11 until March 2007 (death penalty Information Center, 2007)....
14 Pages (3500 words) Case Study

Abortion vs. Driving Cars

Since the 1976 Supreme Court decision that reinstated the death penalty in the United States, the governments of the United States had executed 1,136, as of December 2008(Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty - Capital Punishment)The mysteries behind life and death are still remaining as a secret though science and technology have developed immensely in the current century.... n 2004, four countries (China, Iran, Vietnam, and the us) accounted for 97 percent of all global executions....
6 Pages (1500 words) Case Study

The Significance of Death Penalty

Most of the criminals sentenced to death in the us for example, 65% of them had a record of other counts of crime by the time they were committing the offence and 8.... In "The Significance of the death penalty" paper, the author supports the penalty and his/her arguments show that the death penalty is good for the welfare of the government and society as a whole.... The death penalty is a viable solution for crimes that are of heavy magnitude....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Death Penalty in the U.S

paper examines the current state of the Death Penalty in the US is that it has significantly reduced over the years.... "death penalty in the U.... The very first attempt in the us to reform the death penalty occurred when a bill was introduced by Thomas Jefferson to do a revision on the death penalty laws in Virginia.... Bradford would become the Attorney General of the us later on.... Many citizens believed that the death penalty would be expanded where the president who supported the death penalty was elected....
9 Pages (2250 words) Coursework

What Are the Prospects for the Death Penalty in the US Regarding Two-Thirds of Americans Support It

The paper "What Are the Prospects for the Death Penalty in the US Regarding Two-Thirds of Americans Support It?... and subsequent fifth, eighth and fourteenth amendment all shaped and contemplates of the existence of the penalty in the U.... the us Constitution places limits to the punishment under the 5th, 8th and 14th amendment to prevent cruel and unusual punishment, and execution of the mentally retarded and underage persons when the crime was committed....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us