The death penalty is a controversial issue that has been debated in the United States for a long period of time. In our own state of Texas, executing convicted criminals has become second nature. This is due to the fact that Texas has executed more people than any other state in the United States since 1976. So why does Texas lead the United States in executions? There are many reasons and factors that has led to this point. It is important to know the reasons to have a better understanding of capital punishment in Texas. Three of the reasons include a weak public defender system, desires of district attorneys and judges, and the governors limited power to grant clemency.
The Effectiveness of the Death Penalty in Texas The death penalty is one of the most controversial topics in America today due to its turbulent nature. Capital punishment is highly debated and it encompasses a plethora of ethical, religious, political, and legal issues. Texas is one of the thirty-eight states in the nation that practices this form of punishment. (Naidoff, Caitlin)
Ever since the outset of the American Constitution, capital punishment has existed as a crime sentence in the United States. However, in recent decades, this topic has become highly controversial, as many states have dictated against the death penalty. Although states with this position on capital punishment are increasing, some states, such as Texas, have continued to edict this practice in their provinces. In the State of Texas, the sentence to death upon a person should not be permitted due to the fact it can wrongly convict a person, its court trial is highly expensive, and it brings forth an unjust treatment.
The death penalty is very expensive. Defense costs were about three times as high in death penalty cases and prosecution costs were as much as four times higher than for non-death penalty cases. according to a report released by the National Bureau of Economic Research, "The Budgetary Repercussions of Capital Convictions," by Katherine Baicker. Counties manage these high costs by decreasing funding for highways and police and by increasing taxes. I believe that the death penalty should be banished.
The death penalty shouldn’t be abolished nationwide. There are several different reasons why we should keep the death penalty. Some of reasons death penalty is still legal in most of the states is because it is viewed as revenge for pain and suffering that the criminal inflicted on the victim. In the same way, some people strongly believe that a person who has taken the life of another person does not have a right to live. The death penalty has proven to decrease the number of murder rates in the United States And some believe that convicts should not be allowed to live their life behind bars, it is better to kill them.
Cost of the Death Penalty When it comes to the topic of the death penalty being cost effective. Most of us will readily agree that the death penalty is the most expensive, that it’s a financially impractical punishment for convicted murders. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of whether capital punishment with one execution is more expensive than life a sentence without the possibility of parole, Others maintain that since many law enforcement officials consider that it is an effective deterrent against homicides and a sufficient use of taxpayer dollars. My own view is that those convicted of capital punishment should be sentenced to life imprisonment without getting any parole because it is more cost effective.
Each death penalty case in Texas costs taxpayers about $2.3 million. That is approximately three times the cost of imprisoning somebody in a single cell at the highest security level for 40 years. That is crazy! The government could actually do something good rather than something flawed and hypocritical. Taxpayers complain about paying taxes.
Research Paper: Capital Punishment Capital punishment is one of the most controversial and talked-about topics in the United States today. It is an issue that is not explicitly mentioned in our constitution, so states have been left to interpret the law. As of April 2017, 32 states in the US legally allow the death penalty. Of the 18 states that have banned it, the most recent was Maryland in 2013. The topic is so controversial that the Supreme Court has gotten involved many times, deciding on more cases that have to do with capital punishment than most other subjects.
The death penalty is a sentence that has no use. The process has become too slow over the years to the point where some people die before they get executed. Similar to the case of Max Soffar who may have been innocent, but died of cancer before he had the chance to fight for the freedom he may have deserved(Houston Press). This also shows that the death penalty has taken and ruined the lives of innocent people. A study shows that 4% of defendants sentenced to death penalty are innocent(The Guardian).The second reason is the high number of botched executions that happen in the USA.
The death penalty is a precedent set centuries ago as a method of punishment for severe crimes. In 1923, the state of Texas declared that those sentenced to death were to suffer through the electric chair by the hands of the state, instead of being hanged by the hands of the counties (TX Executions). Later on, Texas would adopt the lethal injection method. Many see the death penalty as an inhumane violation of the basic rights defined in the Bill of Rights. On the other hand, others may argue that it is unpractical to abolish the death penalty due to the voidance of justice. These arguments can be supported and solidified by the cases of Andre Thomas and Anthony Graves.
Just in my state of Tennessee alone the trial average for a death penalty sentence is 48 percent higher than what it is for the typical life sentence trial (Tennessee Treasury Report, 2004).When you look into going to trial to prosecute someone for the death penalty it just gets more expensive year after year. The fact is that you have to pay more attorneys, more experts to go over the files, and more time is put into making sure that all things are in order (Chammah, 2016). You are paying multiple attorney's, defenders, judges, clerks, and juries to insure that every detail is covered within
The major reason why the death penalty should be abolished is that the cost of the death penalty is too much and the USA is in debt to many other countries. What this means is that the death penalty should be abolished and also the cost death penalty is more than the cost of maximum sentence life in prison. According to J. Marceau and H. Whitson, “The Cost of Colorado’s Death penalty,” 3 Univ. of Denver Criminal Law Review “A new study of the cost of the death penalty in Colorado revealed that capital proceedings require six times more days in court and
Capital murder is one of the most controversial topics in this country. It 's a very two sided argument, many people have their own opinion on the topic. It is a sensitive topic for some people because, personal feelings and emotions really come into play when discussing the death penalty. There are a vast amount of reason that serve great for being against it but, there is also just as many fantastic reasons as of why we should keep using capital murder. There are those who believe that no human being, no matter how much power or jurisdiction they have, should not have the ability and power to take away another persons life. And there are those who believe that anyone who commits crime such as murder, rape, and treason should be automatically sentenced to death without hesitation.
Ronald Carlson wanted nothing more but justice for his sister who had been murdered. Ronald talks about how he would have killed the man with his own hands if he would have gotten the chance but his mind quickly changed after he seen his sister's murder being executed, he has a new view on the situation now. He talks about how watching the execution left him full of horror and emptiness. Ronald asks a question that should be addressed he said, “Our justice system should not be dictated by vengeance.” He asked, “As a society, shouldn’t we be more civilized than the murderers we condemn?” We should be more civilized, we shouldn't have the right to sentence people to death for three reasons, it puts innocent lives at risk, it's extremely costly
Death Penalty According to the 2010 Gallup Poll, 64% of the United State of America are supporting the death penalty, I as an American am part of that 36% that is against it. I do not believe that we as human being should determine whether another person should live or die. A second reason that I am against the death penalty is for the reason that the accused person could be innocent and normally the accused person only has one court presentation and is only judged by the judge not a jury of their peer, and is sent to death row where they pay for a crime that they haven’t done. My final reason that i do not believe that the death penalty should count as a punishment for the American people is because, a person that has done a massive massacre shouldn’t just be able to leave the world just like that without paying and suffering for what they have done, Or should the death punishment continue as it is for it has a great benefit to us as citizens of the United States.