...Abolishing the Death Penalty George L Turner III PHI 103 Mr. Russ Tompkins August 31, 2009 Abolishing the Death Penalty The Death Penalty in America today is a highly debated issue and has been for many years. Could you imagine not having a life threatening consequence at all, such as the death penalty when it comes to criminals that commit very severe crimes? There are many people in the United States today with many different opinions on why the Death Penalty should or shouldn’t be abolished in our Country. I’m one who feels that we should not abolish the Death Penalty; however our Capital Punishment system can be much improved. One advantage to keeping the Death Penalty is that it’s suppose to act as a deterrent against those people who might think about committing a serious crime. I believe that it does help as a deterrent for some people, but not to the extent that it should. If we started sentencing more murderers and serious offenders to death, then I believe that more people will fear the consequences in which they may face. Now, if we start convicting the serious criminals to death, then that doesn’t mean continue to let them appeal their sentence and take years before they’re actually put to death. One other thing that I believe that keeps the Death Penalty from being as effective as it should be is T.V. I know it’s only T.V. but that’s what people see and a lot of people believe that is the way it is. Whether or not T.V. is how...
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...Abolishing Capital Punishment The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, has existed as a type of punishment for a long time. Although this has been around for what feels like forever, the question that has also been present for that same amount of time is whether it is right or wrong. Many states use capital punishment for reasons such as justice for the victim and their family and to prevent the likelihood of the same crime. However capital punishment does not assure these results, therefore the United States should eliminate the death penalty. The death penalty dates back to the Eighteenth Century B.C. Death sentences were done by crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, and impalement (DPIC). The Death Penalty Information Center states that “Britain influenced America's use of the death penalty more than any other country. When European settlers came to the new world, they brought the practice of capital punishment. The first recorded execution in the new colonies was that of Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of Virginia in 1608. Kendall was executed for being a spy for Spain.” In the 1930’s death penalty statistics began to be collected on a regular basis. By the end of the 1960’s, all but ten states had laws allowing capital punishment. Due to strong pressure by people against the death penalty there was a suspension on executions that began in 1972 and ended in 1976. Before the suspension there was an average of 130 executions...
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...The death penalty was established centuries ago, as far back as the 18th century. Britain had the biggest influence over the United States use of the death penalty. It has been accepted by society ever since. . The first execution was Captain George Kendall in Jamestown colony in Virginia in 1608. He was accused of being a spy for Spain. As of July 2015, in the United States, there were 31 states with the death penalty. In Texas alone the cost to house an inmate is $47.50 per day, $17,340 per year and $693,500 for 40 years. The public defenders office estimates that the legal costs for a death penalty case from indictment to execution are $1.2 million. More politicians are leaning towards abolishing the death penalty, although 60% of...
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...society is the use of capital punishment, informally known as the death penalty. There are two main sides to this topic; some people want to abolish the death penalty, while others want to continue or even increase its use. The people that want to abolish the death penalty view it as unconstitutional, as they see it as “cruel and unusual;” while others view the death penalty as an appropriate punishment that fits the horrendous crime of murder. The death penalty has been shown to have a deterrent effect on crime, which is why the U.S.A and other nations worldwide should continue the use of capital punishment (Muhlhausen). HISTORY The death penalty has been around since the start of time. It is...
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...and used a wheelchair. He was the last person the state has executed. A decade later, California's death row population has increased by 100 to 746, making it the largest in the nation. The state has executed 13 prisoners in 40 years at an estimated cost of $4 billion, while more than 100 other prisoners have died on death row. Prisoners wait 11-15 years to be appointed counsel, and the entire appeal process routinely takes...
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...to the death penalty to express their loved one’s situation with the death penalty. Death penalty is also known as capital punishment or execution. Communities from all over the world have used this punishment at one point in history, in order to avenge criminals. Most common reasons for being sentenced to death were war crimes, war treason, murder, theft, property damage, practicing magic, and espionage. In America and England, there are still cases where the death penalty occurs. In America, the idea of capital punishment has been proposed to be abolished but was rejected. In England, the idea of capital punishment was abolished first and came back into the people’s lives. The idea of abolishing capital punishment is similar in America and in England because it was thought to be abolished by both countries but was approved in England. In America, proposals were made to abolish capital punishment, but were not successful, while in England capital punishment is abolished, which holds meaning to the people in both countries. The United States has had the death penalty since the eighteenth century. Execution in the United States became the first legal system which continues to enforce the law and its responsibilities. The death...
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...Pros and Cons: the Abolishment of Death Penalty Death penalty, from a legal perspective, is the killing of a person by a state authority through judicial process as a punishment for an offense. The capital punishment has been used by nearly all societies and the use of it extends to the beginning of recorded history. People believe that if we owe one’s money, we must pay back for it, so as one’s life. This kind of idea has deeply carved in many people’s mind for a long time. Compared with Christianity, who are strictly on the side of abolishment of the death penalty, Chinese tend to in favor of the saying of an eye for an eye and teeth for teeth. According to Amnesty International, at least 23 countries were known to had executions in 2010 and at least 17,000 people worldwide were sentenced to death. In addition, there are countries which do not publish information on the use of capital punishment, most significantly China, which is estimated to execute hundreds of people each year. Although there are many execution in China each year in the present day, there was a time in Tang Dynasty when the death penalty was abolished. This was in the year 747, enacted by Emperor Xuanzong. Depending on the severity of the crime, a punishment of severe scourging with the thick rod or of exile to the remote Lingnan region might take the place of capital punishment. However the death penalty was restored only 12 years later in 759 in response to the An Lushan...
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...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 Rights...
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...THE DEATH PENALTY IS CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT PHI 103: INFORMAL LOGIC JUNE 2, 2012 THE DEATH PENALTY IS CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT In the United States there are currently 33 states that have the death penalty as a form of punishment. The legal system in the U.S. is imperfect resulting in many innocent people’s convictions of death. There have been several exonerations of innocent people on death row. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, “From 1973-1999 there was an average of 3 exonerations per year. From 2000-2011, there has been an average of 5 exonerations per year” (Death Penalty Information Organization, pg 2 para 3). Because of the imperfections of the legal system there are thousands of people as well as politicians that believe the death penalty should be abolished in the the United States, I am one of the people that are against the death penalty but for more reasons other than just the imperfections of the legal system. The other reasons the death penalty should be abolished are more based on the ethical issues, people’s rights to life, and the economic issues associated with the death penalty. Because of all the exonerations in the past three or four decades this form of justice should be abolished, it is not applies fairly and just and it makes me wonder how many people were actually put to death that were innocent. Fact is that in the 33 states that use the death penalty as a form of punishment do not all use the same...
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...Statement Body History of Capital Punishment a.k.a. the Death Penalty B. The Catholic Church and the Death Penalty Conclusion Works Cited Christine Boothroyd Professor Doris Neuzil REL 401 - The Catholic Tradition September 24, 2011 The History of the Catholic Church and the Death Penalty The Ten Commandments, principles issued by God for us to live our lives by, includes one that states – “Thou Shall Not Kill.” However, on Wednesday, September 21, 2011, two men in the United States were executed – Mr. Troy Davis in Georgia, and Mr. Lawrence Brewer in Texas. (Jonsson) While the approaching execution of Mr. Brewer was almost unmentioned, the approaching execution of Mr. Davis garnered much public attention with many believing his claims of innocence. According to an article published in The Christian Science Monitor, this public attention included world leaders, a former president and Pope Benedict XVI - the head of the Catholic Church. (Jonsson) Pope Benedict without a doubt was against not only Mr. Davis’ execution but that of Mr. Brewer’s as well. With the Catholic Church against the taking of another life, what exactly is the history of the Catholic Church and the death penalty? The Death Penalty, also known as capital punishment, can be traced back to the Eighteenth Century B.C. in Babylon and the first recorded execution in what eventually would become the United States dates back to 1608. (Death Penalty Information Center) Back in the colonial times, the...
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...Death Penalty Abolishment Jason Martin CJA/394 August 24, 2015 B. Hale Death Penalty Abolishment The issue of the death penalty and its Constitutionality has been an area of debate in the United States for years. When looking at it from a global standpoint it becomes even more controversial, many other countries consider the practice to be barbarian. A US Supreme Court ruling on the subject, declaring it unconstitutional has led to states being required to change their existing laws in order to eliminate it. The main problem seems to be that the population in each state may have a different take on whether it is good or bad for society. The death penalty remains the definitive, unalterable rejection of human rights. By working in the direction of the abolition of the death penalty on a global level, organizations goals to terminate the series of violence generated thru a method riddled with financial and ethnic prejudice and stained by hu20man inaccuracy. The death penalty places innocent people at risk. ("The Facts: 13 Reasons To Oppose The Death Penalty", 2015). Ever since the restoration of the death penalty in the United States in 1976, 138 not guilty males and females have been free from death row, containing individuals who came in moments of execution. In Missouri, Texas and Virginia inquiries have been started to decide if those places executed guiltless males. The unlawful killing of a guiltless individual is a wrong that can under no circumstances be mended...
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... As of July 1, 2015 there are thirty-one states with the death penalty and nineteen have abolished it. The death penalty should be abolished because there is a better alternative in life without parole, innocent lives are put at risk, and we pay millions each year to fund this process. First off, we have a much better way to punish people for the even most inhumane of crimes and we can find that in using life without parole. With death as a option after they commit such a crime, it is an easy way out of having to truly pay for their crimes. Life without parole is easily a better alternative because no one would want to spend the rest of their life in a prison cell until they died. There is also the option of life with the possibility of parole for an option, even then there is no guarantee for parole. The wait would be...
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...Should Death Penalty be abolished in America? Death penalty, or capital punishment, the most severe punishment for criminals, has been in the punishment system in countries all over the world for thousands of years. The history of death penalty is almost as long as the history of human beings. Death penalty was once considered as natural as life itself. It was usually applied to those criminals who had conducted grave crimes and no one would feel pity for the criminals in the past. However, with the development of human beings, different voices about death penalty appear more and more often. Some people argue that in modern society where life is highly valued, death penalty that deprives of a person’s life would be too cruel. Therefore, campaigns are launched for the purpose of abolishing death penalty. However, there are still some other people who firmly support death penalty. As a result, in today’s society, death penalty has become an extremely controversial issue, both sides of which have its own supporters and reasons. This paper explores to the different sides of death penalty, to find whether death penalty is necessary or not in today’s world. In the coin of death penalty, side A stands the firmly supporters of death penalty, claiming that death penalty is a cruel necessity in today’s world. A latest Gallup poll shows that 64% of the Americans support death penalty and 29% oppose it. For especially atrocious crimes, the support rate rises to 80% (Jones, Jeffrey M)....
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...for a specifically crime, and also an issue of in between controversial and dissenting in public nowadays. Capital punishment stated as death penalty, there is various form of death penalty which includes the gassing, hanging, shooting, electrocution, stoning, beheading, gas chamber, firing squad, and also comes with lethal injection. In the simplest way to define what capital punishment is, someone deprive his or her life. In my opinion, I think that capital punishment is considered as inhuman, cruel, an unfair cold blooded way of punishment, because it against the most basic of human rights. Well, to define what is basic of human rights, it can be explains that every people have the basic rights to be freedom and live, we have the rights to do the right things with the regardless of consequences in nationality or other more status. Nevertheless, although death penalty is executed for murders, but it is not the reason for government approval in use as legality, due the capital punishment destruction and also breaks the rules in order to protect the human rights. Therefore, I strongly agreed that capital punishment is brutal and it should be abolished. First and foremost, there are several arguments to put forward. Results in a system show that the necessity of legal and moral belief errors that must be kill some innocent victims. Death penalty deterrent people ineffectively especially when those innocent lives get destroyed. Based on the research which conducted by Bell (2011)...
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...determine probable cause. Video evidence along with testimony Montanez gave police was enough for the jury to make a decision On August 6, 1993 Montanez, then 17, was convicted of two first degree murder charges by a Cook County Court jury. Under the law of accountability Montanez was not only responsible for her actions but for Mulero’s actions as well, thus the two counts of first degree murder. Montanez was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Since Montanez was 15 when the murders took place the death penalty was out of the question. Despite the fact that she was tried as an adult the death penalty could not be applied due to the Supreme Court case of Thompson v. Oklahoma (1988): which prohibited offenders of 15 years of age or else from receiving the death penalty. A year later in the case of Stanford vs. Kentucky (1989) the Supreme Court ruled that offenders of at least 16 years of age could receive the death penalty. These two cases are fairly significant with regard to Jacqueline Montanez case because she committed the crime shortly before her 16th birthday. Had she been 16...
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