Capital Punishment Debate Essay - 756 Words

Capital Punishment Debate The death penalty is a tough debate and an overwhelming argument in this country. We as Americans put Timothy McVeigh to death by lethal injection just three months ago. Arguments can be made for and against the death penalty, but this is not the problem. Capital Punishment is supposed to be a deterrent to crime, but is the death penalty really a deterrent? Capital Punishment is not a deterrent for crime, and the effects of Capital Punishment are actually hurting the American citizens. Capital Punishment affects the American citizens by having those citizens pay millions of dollars for death row inmates, and these criminals affect those same citizens because the†¦show more content†¦Americans could spend so much more money on more important things such as improving the schools around the nation or educating our children about drugs and other important issues, however, the governments of the United States are wasting the tax dollars of hard-working citizens, on a policy that isn’t effective. The Death Penalty is no longer a deterrent to crime, and that is affecting the citizens of the United States. Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno said that she has yet to find any evidence that the death penalty deters crime. I have inquired for most of my adult life about studies that might show that the death penalty is a deterrent. And I have not seen any research that would substantiate that point, said Reno. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that the South repeatedly has the highest murder rate. In 1999, it was the only region with a murder rate above the national rate, and the South accounts for 80% of all executions. The Northeast, which has less than 1% of all executions in the U.S., has the lowest murder rate (DPIC). These facts are undeniable and show that the death penalty does not deter crime. When comparisons are made between states with the death penalty and states without, the majority of death penalty states show murder rate s higher than non-death penalty states. The average murder rates per 100,000 populations in 1999 among death penalty states was 5.5, whereas the average of murderShow MoreRelatedThe Debate On Capital Punishment1673 Words   |  7 Pagessocieties in history at least at one point of time or another. Capital punishment could have been considered a tradition of sorts, considering how often it was and still is made to be an intriguing, perhaps morbidly entertaining, spectacle. When the reality behind the contentious punishment is revealed, so is the true ugliness of this custom. Throughout the world in modern times, including the United States in particular, the controversial debate on whether to retain or abolish the death penalty is extremelyRead MoreThe Debate Of Capital Punishment1313 Words   |  6 PagesCapital Punishment Introduction The state of California has carried out 13 executions since the enactment of capital punishment in 1992 (NAACP, 2016, 10). According to the NAACP winter quarterly report, there are currently 743 prisoners on death row (NAACP, 2016, 39). Since the enactment, there has been a wide range of political debate. The largest concern is in regards to the number of wrongful convictions and its philosophical underpinnings. The citizens in California are as diverse as theirRead MoreThe Capital Punishment Debate Essay1396 Words   |  6 PagesCapital Punishment, also known as the death penalty is a legal sentence for a criminal to be put to death. The Punishment is rising to a controversial topic and has led to a lot of heated debates. As of 2014, over 150 countries have abolished the death penalty and 40 others have not used it in recent years, although it is still legal. The death Penalty is mostly used in extreme cases of crime like rape or murder. The convicted criminals are mostly put to death in inhuman ways such as lethal injectionsRead MoreThe Debate Over Capital Punishment1183 Words   |  5 Pagesmorally just and constitutional. Those thinking it is cruel want capital punishment abolished. The others want to see it revised and maintained. Capital punishment is being sentenced to death and executed for committing various crimes. Usually, it is reserved for convicted murder cases, but had been used for others such as: armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, and treason. Only about sixty countries still use capital punishment – the United States included. Canada, Australia, and most EuropeanRead MoreEssay on Capital Punishment Debate1527 Words   |  7 PagesCapital Punishment Debate Is Capital Punishment, otherwise known as the Death Penalty, a disgraceful and unjust way to kill a fellow Human being? Or is it a justifiable way to punish someone in a modern day society? Some nations use the Death Penalty as their most severe punishment. Capital Punishment is one of the most debated issues in current day life. Is it acceptable or not? Many politicians have put their arguments across highlighting both their benefits andRead MoreThe Debate Over Capital Punishment1599 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The Capital Punishment is a sure punishment. Sure punishment in the sense that the convicted never commits another crime, namely a homicide, again. People that oppose it support the argument that as human beings we shouldn’t take the responsibility of judging who should and shouldn’t die. That argument is backed by moral reasons, whether they are religious or simply ethical beliefs. Another argument against it is the fact that an offender facing the death penalty does not deter themRead MoreAmerica s Debate On Capital Punishment760 Words   |  4 PagesAmerica’s Debate: Should the Capital Punishment be abolished in the United States? Violent crimes such a murder, rape, sexual assault, and robbery are perpetrated by criminals once every few minutes in this country. Lawmakers spend countless hours enacting laws to prevent these crimes. The introduction of the death penalty is an effort to deter criminals from committing heinous crimes. What exactly does the death penalty accomplish? The best description of the term death penalty is the legal executionRead MoreThe Debate Over Capital Punishment936 Words   |  4 Pages The debate over capital punishment is in regards to whether the death penalty contradicts the Eighth Amendment. If the death penalty does contradict the Eight Amendment, then the State should not have the power to sentence criminals to death for capital crimes. However, if capital punishment is not against the Eighth Amendment, then the State has the right to sentence criminals to death. In this essay I will first summarize Justice Brennan’s argument on why the death penalty is beyond the powerRead MoreThe Capital Punishment Debate Essay2269 Words   |  10 PagesCapital Punishment Try to imagine a relative sitting in a dark, cold, and tight prison cell and knowing minutes later that death would come for them through lethal injection. What if their case wasnt handled correctly, what if evidence was mishandled, and possibly an innocent person is going to die. Imagine the family who has been waiting years for justice to be served by the means of lethal injection. There is two sides to every story either way both families will grieve or already is. Read MoreEssay about The Debate Over Capital Punishment1141 Words   |  5 Pages The debate over capital punishment has been raging on for countless number of years. Capital punishment has been used for thousands of years due to the physiological fear it inflicts on the people who witness and learn about the death penalty. The use of this punishment has helped to reduce crime and alter the minds of future criminals to deter them against committing heinous crimes such as murder, treason, espionage, terrorism and i n some cases aggravated kidnapping. Advocates say it deters crime