Essay on The Death Penalty

Fifty eight countries in the world participate in the use of the death penalty, in 2010 the United States ranked fifth in having the most executions even though only thirty five states in the US legalized it. The death penalty is inhumane and you can argue it violates the constitution by using cruel and unusual punishments, that said The death penalty has many flaws with the system and it it should be abolished because it has a risk of discrimination and wrongful execution, it is not effective, and the cost of the system.

Is 21st century United States still in the dark ages when lawbreakers sentenced to death were executed? The United States still practices capital punishment, even though most western industrialized countries have abolished the death penalty. In 1972, the U.S Supreme Court abolished the death penalty in the United States. However, according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), as of July 1, 2015, the death penalty is legal in 31 states, with Texas leading in the number of executions. Which raises the question: has the death penalty really served its purpose? The death penalty has not only proven to be a financial burden on taxpayers, it has also been confirmed to be ineffective

Why is the death penalty used as a means of punishment for crime? Is this just a way to solve the nations growing problem of overcrowded prisons, or is justice really being served? Why do some view the taking of a life morally correct? These questions are discussed and debated upon in every state and national legislature throughout the country. Advantages and disadvantages for the death penalty exist, and many members of the United States, and individual State governments, have differing opinions. Yet it seems that the stronger arguments, and evidence such as cost effectiveness, should lead the common citizen to the opposition of Capital Punishment.

The United States should make the death penalty illegal because, the death penalty models the behavior it seeks to prevent, it does not deter crime, and the death penalty costs more than life in prison. With these reasons, it is justifiable that the death penalty should no longer be legal in any state of the U.S. No person should have to make everyone else suffer; there needs to be a stop to this manner of justice. Bringing the death penalty to an end would offer a sense of closure to the many people who are involved including the families who have suffered along the

Death penalty is one of the most controversial topic brought up in American politics. Within America, there are 31 states that carry out the death penalty and only 19 states that have abolished the practice. Many people are concerned whether or not the death penalty is beneficial to decreasing the amount of crime rates. Recently, the Supreme Court had a meeting to discuss the death penalty and if it went against the eight amendment. The eighth amendment states that it has banned cruel and unusual punishments but the death penalty is going against the idea. Compared to the late 1990s the number of executions in America has decreased. In 2015, there were only 28 executions with 48 new death sentences. 2015 was the year that had the lowest number

The Death Penalty started in the eighteenth Century B.C. when it was established into the Code of King Hammurabi in Babylon, which codified the the Death Penalty for 25 different crimes.The Eighth Amendment states that the Death Penalty is considered a “cruel and unusual punishment,” which means that the Death Penalty is unfair to the persons getting the Penalty, but is also unconstitutional because it’s a punishment that ends the lives of people. So really you are killing the person that killed another or more, and you are just adding to the death toll. I oppose the Death Penalty because it could put innocent lives to death and costs way too much the country could afford to use.

Death Penalty should be allowed under circumstances also known as capital punishment, where congress or any state legislature recommend the death penalty for murder and other capital crimes. Majority of the states are favor in death penalty, roughly around 32 states are favor and 18 states are against death penalty. In most cases, many argue that death penalty has violated the 8th amendment, where it bans cruel and unusual punishment. Therefore, they would go against death penalty. However, without the sentence to death, the chances of prisoner escaping prison are really high. If they are able to escape prison and get away with it, then they can continue committing crimes. Although some may argue that death penalty is harsh because if you kill someone; and then you take another person’s life, then why should yours be freed? I personally do not agree with death penalty because taking away another person’s life is not going to regain the victim’s life back. However, the victim’s family would want the person to be sentence to death, so the victim can rest in peace. I think that death penalty should be only allowed under circumstances, but then how can you really determined if the case should be ruled with death penalty? And how would the justice system know that they have made the correct decision? Did the decision of sentence to death turn out to be wrong, where the person is later found innocent? There are multiple of questions that people will be more concern about. The

Still today, the death penalty is a major controversy in numerous states all over the United States. It's hard to grasp the idea of putting another human to death. The death penalty is an execution style punishment which is usually used against criminal's who have committed a horrific crime. The are many arguments that the death penalty goes against the eighth amendment, which was struck down by the Supreme Court. I believe that the death penalty should be abolished everywhere in America. I think it should be abolished because it still isn't proven to deterrent future murders, it's used unfairly, and there is a risk of executing the innocent. The death penalty can be replaced with life in prison, suffering in prison for the rest of their

The death penalty is a punishment given to people who commit heinous crimes. Since 1976, there have been over 1,390 executions. But does that make the death penalty, necessarily, a correct and justifiable form of punishment? “The death penalty is our harshest punishment,” states Ernest van den Haag, author of “The Ultimate Punishment: a Defense.” Van den Haag, in his article, argues how the death penalty is effective and should be used. However, Jack Greenberg, James P. Gray, and Jeffery Reiman, all concur that the death penalty should not be used as a punishment for criminals. Jack Greenberg, author of “Against the American System of Capital Punishment,” argues how the death penalty is an

“Executions cost more than life in prison on average $ 2 million per person vs. $ 500.00 to put them on trail.

HE STOOD AT THE THRESHOLD OF THE EXECUTION chamber in Huntsville, Texas,18 minutes from death by lethal injection, when official word finally came that the needle wouldn't be needed that day The rumors of a 30day reprieve were true. Ricky McGinn, a 43-year-old mechanic found guilty of raping and killing his 12-yearold stepdaughter, will get his chance to prove his innocence with advanced DNA testing that hadn't been available at the time of his 1994 conviction. The double cheeseburger, french fries and Dr Pepper he requested for dinner last Thursday night won't be his last meal after all.

Almost all nations in the world either have the death sentence or have had it at one time. It was used in most cases to punish those who broke the laws or standards that were expected of them. Since the death penalty wastes tax money, is inhumane, and is largely unnecessary it should be abolished in every state across the United States. The use of the death penalty puts the United States in the same category as countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia which are two of the world’s worst human rights violators (Friedman 34). Lauri Friedman quotes, “Executions simply inject more violence into an already hostile American society.”

To put in other words, death penalty is a violation of the eighth amendment. The Constitution states, “excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted,” (www.lawcornell.edu/constitution/eight.ammendment). Over 120 years, there has been 276 botched executions, which means that the execution went wrong in several ways, making the inmates suffer, (www.deathpenalty.org). Of the 276, there has been 75 botched lethal injections, the execution rate for botched inmates is 7.12% (deathpenaltyinfo.org).

An Impassioned Debate: An overview of the death penalty in America depicts the facts about the eighth amendment. The eighth amendment is the prohibition on cruel and unusual punishments (Masci 1). There are two significant cases that have inflamed the debate over the capital punishment, The Baze v. Reese case, and the Kennedy v. Louisiana case. The first case reveals the strong debate that the execution by lethal injection is inhuman and in violation of the eight amendment. The second case inflamed the

Overall, capital punishment should not be legal in the United States. The use of the death penalty has decreased in the US over the last few decades, and I think that it is time to take action and end