...have the right to execute people convicted of crimes. I see capital punishment as an immoral practice because capital punishment has failed to prove any benefits. Capital punishment is not cost effective and does not have a deterrence effect. I believe that the influence of media has caused the widespread support for the capital punishment. The public needs to be aware of the reasons why capital punishment cannot be justified. There is a common belief in our society that it is costly to keep a person in prison on a life-sentence. This belief is true—imprisoning a person requires about $20,000 annually. However, studies showed that the cost of capital punishment significantly exceeds the cost of life-long prison terms. When capital punishment is considered, it is mandatory for the case to be heard in the United States Supreme Court. The case goes through multiple appeals and retrials in order to provide “proof beyond reasonable doubt.” By one study, each execution cost $2.16 million more than life imprisonment. Also, the cost of detaining a person on a death-row is higher than detaining those who are serving their terms. This cost mounts to a significant amount considering the fact that an average person on a death row spends close to 8 years in prison. Therefore, it would be wrong to justify capital punishment because of the cost. Deterrence theory is envisioned as people weighing their potential punishments before acting. Many supporters of death penalty argue that by...
Words: 552 - Pages: 3
...Capital Punishment As can be seen on a map produced by “The Economist” in March 2012, there are only a few number of countries in the world which sentence criminals to death, and even fewer which actually execute those criminals. But, also looking at this map, one can see that the distribution of these practices is mostly regional. Along with the regional distribution, how does religion play into the disparity between those countries who kill their felons, and those which do not? (Most information in this discussion, and all quotes within, are from each reference on the particular religion listed on the last page.) [pic] Islam The Muslim religion supports capital punishment. But, in the Qur’an, there are only two particular cases where the death penalty is supported: intentional murder, and spreading mischief in the land. The Islamic religion holds harsh punishment as a deterrent for serious crimes. This is the way that this particular religion balances the sacristy of life and punishment of crimes. Also, there is no support for vigilantes, and the court is the only approved way of meting out the punishment. Only courts of law are supposed to carry out this charge, as the “spirit of the Islamic penal code is to save lives, promote justice, and prevent corruption and tyranny.” One could infer from this that Muslims look down on those who take the law into their own hands. In the case of intentional murder, the family of the victim has the option to forgive...
Words: 1157 - Pages: 5
...The human rights activists are against this type of punishment I believe in second chances. The Disadvantages of Death Penalty * Though there are scientific methods available to investigate the crime, nothing is guaranteed. You cannot remove the chances of punishing innocents completely. * The cost involved on the death penalty prosecution is greater than the expenses occurred in the life imprisonment of the accused. The appeals against such capital punishments take too long to decide, and often it takes years to decide the fate of the death penalty. All these things make the death penalty an expensive option for the governments who spend millions of the dollars of the taxpayer money on death penalty prosecutions. * It is reported that some of the jury members are not completely impartial as they decide the penalty on racial or religious basis. * Some of the accused are mentally ill, and it is ethically wrong to put mentally ill patients to the death. * In most cases people who can afford to hire the expensive lawyers often survived from such kind of capital punishment. People who are poor, and cannot afford to get a quality legal assistance becomes the victim of this penalty. * Some of the experts believe that life prison is a more effective punishment to control crimes as compared to the death penalty. The countries where the death penalty is banned have less capital crime rate as compared to those countries where the death penalty is practiced. ...
Words: 1581 - Pages: 7
...Capital Punishment What is Capital Punishment? Capital Punishment which is also known as the Death Penalty. Death Penalty is the infliction of the death penalty as punishment for certain crimes according toDictionary.com. In the following essay will show why Capital Punishment is implemented to our society. Capital Punishment in any form is acceptable according to the following to the following articles will help justify this concept. To some people Capital Punishment would be considered an act of cruel and unusual punishment; while for others it is a system that should be considered needed in all the States in order to keep the country more safe for the people. Many states within the U.S. have performed executions of convicts since the early 1600’s. Views on capital Punishment vary with people in different ways; there are various organizations within the country that have different opinions on the subject, and organizations such as Religions, Political, or Humanitarian have diverse perspectives on the Death Penalty. “The death penalty is also most commonly argued to be a violation of the right to life or of the "sanctity of life." Many national constitutions and international treaties guarantee the right to life. the right to life demands that a life only be taken in exceptional circumstances, such as in self-defense or as an act of war, and therefore that it violates the right to life of a criminal if she or he is executed, since this is purely murder by the State” according...
Words: 1827 - Pages: 8
...Level 6 Name Teacher Benefits of Capital Punishment In order to understand this topic is important to define ´´Capital punishment´´, which is also called death penalty, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica is ´´the execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense´´ published on Apr. 25, 2008. This type of punishment has been used for many years, in almost all societies and religions. In most countries (Saudi Arabia, Africa, Somalia, and United States) this count of method it is reserved from those who commit murder, treason, but there are other countries where it is applied for those who commit sexual felonies, such as rape, incest, pedophilia, adultery. On the other hand, crimes as drug traffic are considered capital punishment as well. In China, human trafficking, and other corruption cases lead to the death penalty. In this context, there are many people who are against capital punishment, as said by the Abolitionists, death penalty or capital punishment is not only is an act of violence but also a crime, it is considered an inhumane act tolerating the killing of another human being. In fact, it is intricate that the government allows this type of punishment since is taking away the life of a human being as a solution to fight against crime and violence. They argue that violence should never be the answer for the problems that the society is going through. Although, the society that we are living now is full of...
Words: 1260 - Pages: 6
...2011 Capital punishment is the death penalty; it has been in use since ancient times to punish a selection of crimes. The Bible even promotes death for murder and other offenses like kidnapping. Often we hear the Bible quoted as a justification for capital punishment: “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth” (from Leviticus 24:20; also Exodus 21:24). This follows a more direct passage: “Whoever takes the life of any human being shall be put to death” (Leviticus 24:17). When the term death penalty is said, it makes screaming and shouting from both sides of activists. There are numerous arguments that are for and against capital punishment. One side of the argument might say it is justice served, while the other side might say, but you might execute an innocent man. People against the death penalty may believe: the death penalty fails as a deterrent, it does not discourage crime, death penalty fails to rehabilitate, encourages brutality, relative suffering, or that conviction of the innocent may occur. People that are for the death penalty may see it as: decreasing the rate of homicide, when you commit a felony it is a matter of free will, there is no proof of any innocent human being executed, the death penalty saves lives, or they may possibly see it as “An eye for an eye”. Currently, there are several pros and cons to the death penalty issues. However, if individuals evaluate the arguments accurately, and have sympathy for the victims, they will be more inclined to be for capital punishment...
Words: 1734 - Pages: 7
...Christina M. Owens Writing Assignment October 29th, 2012 Capital Punishment by Lethal Injection Capital Punishment is defined as the execution of a convicted criminal by the State as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. Capital Punishment is given when the crime is considered so vast and so horrible that it is over the realm of being forgiven or pardoned. Capital punishment in the United States is officially certified by 38 of the 50 states; the minimum age at time of crime to be subject to the death penalty is 18. Throughout history, statistics have proven that Capital Punishment furthermore known as the death penalty to be a working prevention of major crimes. When the death penalty is carried out, it illustrates to the society that committing a capital crime has deadly consequences, and it seems reasonable that a person is less probable to commit a given act if it results in the persons enduring instant and definite punishment. However, there has been some controversy on rather or not Capital punishment should be used as a way of penalizing criminals. Over the past two decades, there has been a colossal increase in violent crimes. As most Americans come to an understanding, death is the only fitting sentence for these crimes. Even in ancient times' capital punishment was not something that came as a surprise. Even the Bible states, "Who so sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man" (Bible)...
Words: 1453 - Pages: 6
...CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: SHOULD IT BE ABOLISHED? Capital Punishment: Meaning Punishment can be defined as suffering, loss, pain or penalty inflicted upon an individual by a legal authority, as a consequence of certain acts of commission and omission. Punishment has two aspects. First is ‘utilitarian’ in which punishment is used as a tool for increasing happiness of the society by pointing out to the criminal the wrongfulness of his crime as well presenting the punishment as a deterrent to both the criminal and the society for not repeating the crime. Second aspect is ‘retributive’ which serves as a consolation to the aggrieved or his kin that the criminal has been adequately punished. Capital punishment is the ultimate punishment in which life of a criminal is taken away by a legal authority under a process established by the law. International Scenario Although, UN “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” does not say anything explicitly about death penalty, Article 5 of the said declaration prohibits torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Activists have been arguing that death penalty is cruel and inhuman and hence covered under this article. The Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989, provides for the total abolition of the death penalty except in times of war or imminent threat of war. Protocol No. 6 to the European Convention for the Protection of Human...
Words: 1471 - Pages: 6
...Yes, it is true that people do commit horrible crimes but to kill a person for their immoral behavior is not just. Some people may think that capital punishment is justifiable but all it is is revenge. Instead of killing the person we should lock them up behind bars, where they are away from the general population. Offer the person counseling so that they can become a healthier person both mentally and spiritually. To just kill someone for their actions does not solve anything. When we kill for justice, the only thing that separates us from the criminal is the reason why we are killing. A death for a death does not help any situation. The victim will not be brought back to life, the only thing that happens is that two families are greatly affected. Two wrongs do not make a right, the death penalty should be abolished from the laws of our country. In the Old Testament there are many references to capital punishment. The Mosaic Law set numerous offenses that were punishable by death. In Exodus 21, God commanded capital punishment for murderers. The consequences were harsh to prevent people from doing wrong. On the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is calling us to love our enemies and turn the other cheek. The New Testament reverses the old ways of thought. An early Christian writer St. Clement of Rome spoke heavily against capital punishment. He said that "to witness a man's execution, regardless of the justice of his prosecution, is forbidden by the moral law of Christ." A man maybe...
Words: 533 - Pages: 3
...get rid of capital punishment? I believe that it should be kept because it benefits the U.S. Here is my point of view, if you take someone’s life what gives you the right to enjoy the gift of living? I believe that if there is strong evidence, and you are not mentally insane and authorities know for sure that a person has committed murder, there should be a penalty involved. The Bible says that if a person should murder, they should deserve to lose their life also. I believe in the death penalty because it eliminates criminals who commit horrific murders, it gives closure to many who have been affected by those criminals, and it also provides more space in jail and prisons. Today, I strongly believe that our consequences are a joke and that is why killing sprees are getting worse and more violent. It’s some people out here that enjoys killing people like serial killers, which they need to be stopped. A person’s religious matter might prevent them from supporting capital punishment. This is why some judges sentence murderers or serial killers to life in prison or a even lesser punishment with parole. Just giving them a life sentence is overcrowding prisons. I don’t think we should reward murderers by keeping them alive and feeding them. While the family of the victim forever mourns. Another thing that I think is dumb is to let them out for good behavior. They can kill again when they get out. I have seen it happen before. People that are against capital punishment are the ones...
Words: 315 - Pages: 2
...Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is when a person is put to death by the state as a result of a crime. Crimes that can result in the death penalty are known as capital offences. The death penalty is a long debated topic across the world. The word capital comes from the Latin word capitalis, which translates to “of the head.” The word refers to the ancient time when beheading was used to as capital punishment for the crimes. Punishment by death is usually reserved for murder, treason, spying, or military justice. Only the mentally competent adults could receive the capital punishment. The process of capital punishment today is very costly. It takes millions of dollars and only a small amount of people are actually executed. The judicial system is not a hundred percent accurate either, therefore innocent lives could be taken. The increase in cost as well as inconsistent executions results in a flawed capital punishment system which should be abolished. The death penalty began in the ancient times when murder, treason, or killing the ruler of an enemy. In the western culture, death penalty laws were established as early as the Eighteenth Century. Britain had heavy influence on America’s use of the death penalty. Each colony’s laws regarding the death penalty differed. The abolitionist movement started during the colonial times. The northeast was soon influenced by the abolitionist movement in the early to mid Nineteenth Century. In 1846, Michigan was the first state in...
Words: 1352 - Pages: 6
...Why Capital Punishment Should Be Supported Marven Gee CJA/204 April 11, 2011 Royce Decker Abstract This paper speaks about capital punishment and why I feel that capital punishment should be supported. In the Bible, there are scriptures quoted by God and his son Jesus in reference to supporting the death penalty. If the God we serve is not opposed to taking the life of a person that has committed a crime of murder, then we as a people should not be opposed to the death penalty. Many people are opposed to capital punishment for various reasons. The main reason many people are opposed to capital punishment has to do with biblical issues. I support capital punishment because of what bible scriptures say and I honestly believe that god does not have a problem with a criminals life being taken because of a severe crime the criminal committed. All throughout the bible, many of God’s chosen leaders killed many kings, tribes, and soldiers that opposed the people of Israel. Moses, Josuha, Saul, David, Paul, and Sampson were some of God’s greatest men to ever lead his people and yet they killed many men that opposed God. In the bible, it states “an eye for an eye” which means that what you do to a person, should be done to you. So if a person commits a crime of murder, then their life should be taken from them. During biblical times, there were many ways a person was put to death for wrong doing and one of...
Words: 1125 - Pages: 5
...a crime, there should be a punishment. Because of one should be escaped from law. The purpose of punishment to make the society safer for its people. In fact punishing the offenders is a primary function of all civil stales. The way and purpose of punishment may be of different types. But where the matter of the offence is very severe, obviously punishment should be very severe. Death sentence has been used an on effective weapon of retributive Justice for centuries. The Justification advanced is that it is lawful to forfeit the life of a person who takes a way another's life. Death penalty has been a way of punishing people since ages. Although there are some countries that have abolished death penalty from their law, there are still many which still practice the act of killing a person for crime. Death penalty is prevalent in the US, Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Some of the ways of executing criminals are hanging, shooting, electrocution and giving lethal injections. People have different opinions on the issue of death penalty given to a convict. While some think that death penalty is necessary for those who have committed a terrible crime, there are others who consider it as an immoral act that goes against the values of humanity. Capital Punishment Death penalty is considered as capital punishment. Section 54 of the Penal Code, 1860, deals with communication of sentence of death. This is the most severe form of corporal punishment as it requires law enforcement...
Words: 3517 - Pages: 15
...do the crime, then he should be indeed big enough to take the punishment that follows. “Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for a crime.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment) Basically Capital Punishment is the country’s major punishment, for what they consider to be the most major crimes. It is a subject of active disagreement and controversy in various countries and positions in the argument can vary with a single switch in political hierarchy. To count there are about fifty eight countries that still recognizes Capital Punishment. Surprisingly most of the European and Asian Countries are the ones prohibit the use of Capital Punishment. And oddly even though most of the world physical land masses rebukes Capital Punishment, most of the world’s population still resides in countries that still strongly agree with the use of Capital Punishment. But here in The Bahamas, our situation is quite a special one. We are a free independent country, our laws say that we recognizes the use of Capital Punishment in the country, it obvious that a country cries for it, but the dilemma is that it is not being carried out. But the question raised is why? What is the hold up, and how do the Bahamian people feel about the whole situation? Chapter 1 “Capital Punishment in the Bahamas; Gone but not forgotten” Capital Punishment in The Bahamas has been a practice long before the ages, from...
Words: 3338 - Pages: 14
...Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment Capital punishment is a topic that anyone can count on to stir emotional discussions with plenty of opinions. In the world today, people commit horrific crimes daily. There are many who feel that those who carry out these terrible crimes deserve one fate: death. Capital punishment is used in reference to the death penalty that is issued in a judicial manner to execute those found guilty of a capital or hard offense. This according to our text is called legal punishment. Legal punishment is defined as the state-authorized imposition of some form of deprivation-of liberty, resources, or even life-upon a person justly convicted of a violation of the criminal law. (Stohr, pg 3) In this review of the pros and cons of the death penalty we will examine some different aspects of the process and allow the reader to form their own opinion. History The death penalty can be traced back a long time throughout history. The first established death penalty laws date back to the Eighteenth Century B.C. In the code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon, which gave the death penalty for 25 different crimes. This code expressed the well-known concept of lex talionis (the law of equal retaliation), which is further enunciated in the Mosaic code, the ancient law of the Hebrews, as “an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth.” (Stohr, pg. 3) During the 18th century, many philosophers like Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham wrote influential writings on prison...
Words: 1654 - Pages: 7
