Death Penalty: An Argument Against Capital Punishment

This may because there is a way to believe that it is right, in the Constitution. It does clearly state that no one can be deprived of their life… without due process of law. Although one might think this means you can do anything to a person, without the proper safeguards, this is not the case. This part of the Constitution was written to protect slaves. Meaning the slave owners cannot take away a slaves life (or liberty and property) without the proper precautions taken. Even if the Death Penalty isn’t abolished, there should at least be a section that clarifies this part of the document. Additionally, in this time period in which the Constitution was written, cruel and unusual punishments were common, such examples include public shame and physical chastisement, the act of scolding or punishing someone (Death Penalty Information Center). Times have changed and execution upholds a bad reputation for being so cruel. It is not right and should be

Innocent until proven guilty; this is America's renowned criminal justice principle. It states that a suspect is to be considered innocent until proven guilty with solid evidence; however, this was not the case in Lester Bower's death row sentence. After enduring thirty arduous years on death row upon reasonable doubt and being executed on June 3, 2015, Bower's innocence was confirmed (Executed But Possibly Innocent). Not only does this wrongful conviction contradict what America stands for, but a life that could have been justifiably spared has unpardonably perished. The world wide debate over capital punishment has been a heated topic over the years and is not going to appease any time soon. Capital punishment is not only immoral, but contradicting

Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is a legal process in which a person is put to death as a punishment for a crime by the government of a nation. The United States is in the minority group of nations that uses the death penalty. There are thirty-three states that allow capital punishment and seventeen states that abolished it (Death Penalty Information Center). The morality of the death penalty has been debated for many years. Some people want capital punishment to be abolished due to how it can cost a lot more than life imprisonment without parole, how they think it is immoral to kill, and how innocent people can be put to death. However, the death penalty reduces overcrowding, provides closure for victim’s family, and is true justice.

First, there are innocent people being executed for crimes they didn’t commit. Whether it be from forced confessions, where people have been interrogated too long, yelled at, and threatened to the point of exhaustion, and because of this, they give a false confession. Eyewitnesses that falsely identify a person, perhaps because they looked a lot like the criminal. Furthermore, there are inmates that get a possible reduced sentence for testifying that the inmate or person charged confessed the crime to him/her. We have racial bias, which is, that in the states that do allow the death penalty, the majority of prosecutors and judges are white and the majority of criminals are non-white. Is that fair? Would the outcome be different if there was a more mixed ethnic diversity? More so, the whole legal process and outcome can be doomed, due to the financial inability of the person

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 only one without failed executions is the most intense one which is the firing squad.

Capital punishment treats murders with more mercifulness and pride than the victim the murders has killed. The death penalty is the simplest method to cleanse the nation. Criminals would fear the action of government is willing to do. The act of crimes would decrease profoundly. The most common argument people like to claim is the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment. The article “The Death Penalty Is Not Cruel and Unusual Punishment” acknowledges this statement “How is executing Karla Faye Tucker by lethal injection any [more] cruel than the way she used a pick-ax to viciously butcher two people to death?” People deserve the death sentence for committing a hideous and unethical crime. The government shouldn’t allow a person like Karla Faye Tucker to live. The government needs to purify and purge the nation by allowing more death penalty. The street would be cleaner and safer. The simple-minded fact that the death penalty is an impelling method to mete out punishment for atrocious, vile, monstrous crime. Those who commit barbarous crime should be put to death and not letting them free to society where it would be dangerous for the

Parks says, “Although historians have no way of knowing how long the death penalty has been an issue of controversy, they do know it has been debated for centuries”(Parks). Regarding this matter Amy Marcaccio published findings from polls that show around 70% of Americans support the death penalty (Marcaccio). Often times the death penalty is thought to deter criminals but others think that the death penalty is immoral and that the government has no right to determine whether someone should live or die. Capital punishment has been debated for centuries and will continue to be discussed for many years. While racial bias is considered a large issue, the process of being sentenced is far too extensive for this to be likely. Currently the death penalty is widely accepted and is expected to continue function for many years to

Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. said that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” In today’s criminal justice system, it can be said that justice is not always served and that criminals are not always given a fair chance. Injustice to a criminal is still an injustice and often times these injustices occur because of differences. One of the biggest differences in Martin Luther King Jr.’s time and in today’s justice system is the treatment based on race. Race affects in many ways the treatment of people facing capital punishment, all the small things add up to a bigger issue; race. Cases like those of Walter McMilliam and Duane Buck are examples of the lack of equality in the justice system. There has been evidence, including court

According to Hinman (5), just punishment is the one that happens to those who are proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt. This is important because capital punishment is irreversible and hence only the guilty should be executed. However, there are many cases of innocent people who have been sentenced to death only to have their appeals granted at the last minute, or worse, denied and executed. It is on these grounds that Bedau (2007) argues against the death penalty because it is unjust and unfair. About unfairness, he goes on to add that racial and economic discrimination are also a factor to consider when meting out capital punishment. For example, it is correct to argue that people who kill white people are treated far worse than those who kill other races regardless of the offender’s own race. Between January 1977 and December 1995, 313 people were executed, 249 had murdered a white person. (Bedau, 2). This inability of capital punishment to show equality is one of its limiting factors.

Obviously, the death penalty always ends in the loss of life, but these lives are sometimes innocent and sometimes have the potential for rehabilitation. The jury system rarely convicts people wrongly, so it is said. But, it happens often that criminals claim innocence; how many are telling the truth? The number of discovered false executions does not necessarily mean those are the only ones. Supporters may argue it is worth it, but isn't the loss of innocent life what we are all against? Some victims of violent crimes were in the hands of mentally ill or handicapped people. These mentally ill people that kill, do not usually kill out of a lack of moral grounding or "evil". These people typically either do not understand right from wrong or are unable to comprehend the possible outcomes the murder may have on themselves or others around them. Although most mentally ill people do not end up on death row, receiving instead long sentencing or treatment, the number of people who have been executed that were unknowingly mentally ill or had similar faulty thinking, and a potential for rehabilitation cannot be known. Also, capital punishment may normalize or rationalize murder. The death penalty sends a message to citizens; a message that says murder is not outrageous, unless the state is doing it as a sanction. This message helps to justify civilian killings of people believed to be deserving of death and may possibly even cause an uprise in vigilante style murders. This message also leaves an almost open air on what is wrong and provides no consistent moral ground for society to base their beliefs on. This does not mean that people will suddenly think murder is a favorable deed, but it may cause some to not realize how terrible it is. Joseph Summer wrote this in an article titled “Some Adverse Effects of the Death Penalty in History”: “…people learned 3 lessons from the government’s violent example: to use

I believe that death penalty is considered to be a cruel and unusual punishment. In my opinion, a life is priceless and shouldn 't be taken away without their willingness. All men are created equal- no man was made better than the other and therefore should not bring death on their life. On the other hand, I think that there are more reasons why people would support the death penalty. For example, it is for the public good and safety to put people to sleep if they are a serial murderer, so that they do not hurt any more people. Adding on, popular terrorists have caused many problems and deaths, that nothing could be paid to make the families of the lost ones feel better. The eighth

Juries are the way we make sure trials are fair, but when your jury is biased the result of the trial are often inequitable. Today we do our best to make sure trials have impartial jurors, but this was not always the case. In the 1930’s, and a lot of other decades too, the right for African Americans to have an unbiased jury was not fulfilled. This caused many African Americans to be sentenced to death when they otherwise would not have been. Over the years the death penalty has been used way more than it should, especially with African Americans. Not only were they treated unfairly in court but they were often killed by mobs of white men for ridiculous crimes.

The Death Penalty, loss of life due to previous crimes and actions, is believed by some to be extremely costly, inhumane, and cruel unlike some others whom believe it is just, right, and provides closure. The Death Penalty is not a quick and easy process. Most who get sentenced to deaths row wait years for their ultimate punishment of death. Some believe that it is not right to punish and kill a human for actions they have done because, they believe that the inmate should have another chance. Then others believe that it is right to punish someone for their actions especially if their actions involve killing another or multiple humans.

Many supporters of the death penalty often cite the “eye for an eye argument,” meaning that if someone kills another individual, the murderer should suffer execution. This argument, although not the most peaceful, is undoubtedly the most fair way of going about things, assuming of course there are no outside factors that would make the results biased.