Death Penalty Argumentative Essay

Being on death row often prolongs the pain for the inmate. They spend their time in prison fearing the inevitable which for them is death. Today, we live in a society that is very divided on this issue. There are many in support of the death penalty, suggesting that it acts as a positive deterrent against future crime. There are also many

They will have to live with the mental fact that they took away another person's life, when it is not necessary. Death row is inhumane because it causes mental torment. In the U.S., death row inmates usually spend over ten years waiting for their execution and that time has increasingly gotten longer in recent years (“Time” 1). This emotional distress, commonly referred to as death row syndrome, causes many inmates to lose their mind or even commit suicide. Since these death row inmates know that their time is coming to an end, they slowly lose the ability to function properly.

“‘Death sentences represent less than one-tenth of 1% of prison sentences in the United States…,’” (Von Drehle, 9). Furthermore, death row is just a small fraction of the criminal justice system and can not be based on that alone. For instance, what many don't take into account is the justice systems allows for many states, such as the populous state of New York, to ban the death penalty. (state laws, p1)

The Constitutional statement on the punishment of death states that it treats ‘members of the human race as nonhumans, as objects to be toyed with and discarded. [It is] thus inconsistent with the fundamental premise of the Clause that even the vilest criminal remains a human being possessed of common human dignity’. It states as well, no one can deprive any person of life, liberty, or property. Additionally, the death penalty is institutionalized revenge, emotional disclosure, and monetary cost. Although some would argue that the death penalty is needed for justice to balance out punishment with crime, the death penalty does not apply to even the worst murderers or even those who have never murdered, but has tortured or done great harm.

The prisons and jails are overpopulated “Today in California the numbers are far worse: 750 death row inmates, three executions in the past 10 years” (Von Drehle 32). People who disagree also believe “The doses given to death-row inmates are so high that pain is almost an impossibility” (qtd. in Dershwitz 44). Nonetheless, “Yet after seeming to pass out,

Throughout history the death penalty has been putting a mark on society, not only in the United States, but all around the world. But throughout time, the death penalty has been portrayed differently in different societies, and because of that, there has been drastic changes to how the death penalty is

Death penalty inmates should only be given three appeal trials; after they lose, they will be executed within the month. Capital punishment is reserved for only the most disturbing crimes, meaning there is no chance to rehabilitate the criminal. If this is so, then why should they continue to be kept alive for so long? The death penalty needs to be carried out quicker, and the sentence

Because of this, the United States as a united people must find the best solution to the growing issue of the effectiveness of the death penalty as capital punishment. In “The Republican Party, Conservatives, and the Future of Capital Punishment,” the issue of the death penalty’s effectiveness is expanded on in evaluating how political affiliations determine a criminal’s life or death. The eighth ammendment states, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted” (Constitution). With the few people that survived the lethal injection, all of them said the same thing.

Capital punishment has been a prolonged issue, it has always been an issue greater than conflicting viewpoints, values and ethics, but rather an issue about justice and security. With the rise of controversy shortly after the first execution, debates surrounding this issue had taken a turn to disputes about the fairness of the trials and the reliability of results. With these opposing views came the divide among the Supreme Court, with regards to the countless discrepancies with the system, including inadequate representation for the mentally ill, the poor, etc... Which subsequently prompted discourse and reconsideration on the issue regarding the eligibility for the death penalty, resulting in the release of over “100 wrongly convicted people”(Mahner, 2003). Not only are these American citizens having to suffer for the fallacy in the judicial system, but the killer responsible for the crime is still a danger to society. Demonstrating the veracity of capital punishment and the impact it has not only on one individual life but rather a threat to the whole society.

The Implementation of Capital Punishment George Bush once said: “I support the death penalty because I believe, if administered swiftly and justly, capital punishment is a deterrent against future violence and will save other innocent lives" (GOP Debate. Los Angeles, California. 2000). The history of the death penalty dates back to Eighteenth Century B.C. (History of the Death Penalty). When European settlers first came to the new world they brought over the use of the death penalty, thus causing it to be used in America. The first record of the death penalty was in the year 1608.

A little short history Capital punishment has existed in all times and in almost all cultures. It has probably evolved from the ancient sacrificial rites, where people sacrificed to the gods. In Europe, received the death penalty widespread in the Middle Ages. They wanted to deter people from committing crimes and the death penalty was a very common punishment for most crimes. One could get the death penalty for stealing a piece of bread or said something stupid about the king.

Since the earliest civilizations, people have been executed for an assortment of crimes. The Babylonians wrote the first ever death penalty laws over 3,700 years ago, and to this day several countries such as China and the United States continue to enforce capital punishment against those proven guilty of murder, treason, espionage and other crimes. Despite its extensive history, the implementation of the death penalty in modern societies raises an underlying question: Is the execution of criminals truly justifiable? Proponents of capital punishment claim that it dissuades criminals from committing extreme crimes. Potential murderers will be much less inclined to kill for fear of being executed, while criminals with no intent to kill would

Not only for the criminal, but for the executioner. This has been a long issue over many years. Hanging was the way to execute a criminal starting in the 1800‘s then there was the gas chamber, firing squad, electrocution, and lethal injection. Over the years they keep chaning due to the inhumanity of each of them. The effect they have on the

Argumentative Essay The first established death penalty laws go back to the Eighteenth Century B.C. Britain influenced America’s use of the death penalty more than any other country. Committing a crime such as marrying a Jew, treason, or not confessing to a crime that person was penalized with the death sentence. These sentences were carried out by crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, and impaling the criminal. Hanging criminals became the usual way to carry out this type of sentence, but today the use of lethal injections put the criminals to sleep.

A study has shown that every 1 in 25 people sentenced to death in the US is innocent. You may not consider it to be a lot, but the families of those, such as myself, beg to differ. The worst part, the death penalty is irreversible. Misjudgements can lead to people paying for crimes they did not commit. And why is that?