StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Capital Punishment in the USA - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
This essay “Capital Punishment in the USA” is centered on the argument that theft and fraud are both serious crimes, but they can never be the basis for any type of manslaughter. The main argument against capital punishment states that capital punishment disregards the value of human life…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.4% of users find it useful
Capital Punishment in the USA
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Capital Punishment in the USA"

Capital Punishment in the USA Capital punishment is also referred to as the act of executing an individual as a punishment for committing crime after a due legal process through trial1. It can only be exercised by the state by following the stipulated legal procedure. It was popularly used in the past as a punishment for serious crimes including robbery with violence, rape, murder, treason and adultery. To date, most countries have abolished this form of punishment as it is considered as being retrogressive and against the basic human rights. Recent studies show that over 140 countries have abolished the practice in practice and in law. Additionally, human rights movements, religious bodies and civil rights movements have condemned the practice world over terming it as a violation of basic human rights and the rule of the law. This essay is centered on the argument that theft and fraud are both serious crimes, but they can never be the basis for any type of manslaughter, even if the victim dies. The main argument against capital punishment states that capital punishment disregards the value of human life2. Human value is viewed as being highly valuable and should not be taken away under any circumstances, legal or otherwise. It is believed that not even the worst form of crime should deprive one his life. Those against capital punishment believe that the value of the criminal’s life should not be destroyed by their crime even if they killed someone. They argue that a substitute of this form of punishment can be through life imprisonment which gives the offender a chance to turn over a new leaf and lead a better life. In summary, human life is valuable and no authority should take it a away and no crime warrants for capital punishment. Capital punishment violates the due process of law in several ways. First, the imposition is arbitrary and irrevocable. This denies the offender the opportunity to benefit from reversal of a conviction or discovery of any new evidence which might reverses the verdict. Additionally, the death penalty violates the constitution’s provision of equal protection of its citizens3. It has observed to be imposed randomly and with biasness based on one’s skin color, social status and ethnicity. This shows that the death penalty does not conform to the due process of the law. The death penalty violates the most important universal human right which is the right to live. This right should be respected at all times regardless of the form of crime that an individual has committed. This argument is similar to the one concerning the value of human life. This argument supports the point that a victim could kill their attacker in the process of a murderous attack. In such a case, the victim can be argued to have committed murder in self defense. In conclusion, killing does not correct the act committed by the offender, instead their natural worthiness is taken away. Moreover, it does not bring any form of retributive justice in society. Capital punishment results to the wastage of limited resources that could have been directed to other meaningful activities in fighting crime3. In addition to, it is time consuming and wasted the energy of prosecutors, defense counsel, prosecuting attorneys and the legal enforcement personnel. It burdens the criminal justice system and has negative effects of societal values and morals. It goes ahead to prove that killing is right which is not true. There are higher chances of execution of the innocent as offenders may get killed due to the loop holes in the justice system. Jurors and prosecutors make mistakes and in the event an offender is innocent, they are killed for a crime that they did not commit which is highly regrettable. This together with the mistakes in the legal system can lead to death of innocent people where capital punishment is practicable3 . There is ample evidence for such situations leading to the conclusion that capital punishment should be abolished to avoid the loss of innocent lives. Those against capital punishment believe that the concept of retribution is not only morally flawed but also impractical. In other words, people in society cannot be deterred from committing murder through practicing it through the legal system. Retribution is argued to be vengeance which is immoral and leads to public outburst. Over the years, executions have been followed by episodes of demonstrations further showing the negative impacts of capital punishment. Furthermore, the death penalty is not retribution enough since the offender does not suffer. What would be ideal is life imprisonment since it gives the offender a chance to reflect on their crime and try to become a better person. Religious groups consider the act to a sin and punishable by death4. Capital punishment fails to offer the desired results of deterring individuals against committing serious crimes in society. Other forms of punishment such as imprisonment, fines and community service have proven to be more efficient. In addition to, scientific research has failed to prove that executions have deterrent effects on offenders in society. Additionally, deterrence is immoral and there are many factors that lead to the increase of the rates of crime in society. The death penalty is considered to be cruel and unusual and has been banned in most countries. It is considered to be an outdated practice that has no place in the contemporary society4 .The methods of execution used are painful and they include being electrocuted and the lethal injection. The death penalty causes the offender unnecessary psychological torture and this is highly cruel and inhuman Global human rights organizations such as the UN and UNHCR are working towards the abolition of the death penalty all over the world1. The death penalty has not proven to be a viable method of crime control, in fact; recent studies have revealed that it has been ranked to be among the least effective methods of controlling crime. Opponents of the death penalty claim that it is immoral and it is nothing more than legalized murder if we ignore all outstanding circumstances. It also increases violence in the society by qualifying the notion that killing is right so long as it is administered as a form of punishment for serious crimes. In retrospect, countries that take part in capital punishment are not the most crime free, in fact some have the highest crime rates ever recorded. The human life is precious and should be guarded at all cost and not thrown away to the dogs for any reason whatsoever. More importantly, practicing such inhumane methods of punishment can be taken as ranking of people’s lives and yet all human beings deserve an equal chance at life. There are various other forms of punishment afforded to criminals without going to extremes like capital punishment. As a matter of fact, it should be noted that whereas jail terms and other appropriate forms of punishment correct the wrong doings of a felon and helps them realize the err of their ways, capital punishment only ends their life and hence they will never have the chance to correct themselves. The issue of morality is yet more serious and the countries need to realize that capital punishment is only legalized murder. In fact, by practicing this form of punishment law makers make it seem alright for people to settle disputes through murder. As already mentioned retribution is both impractical and illogical; in this case murdering those who murder. The legal systems that still participate in such barbaric behavior need to go back to the drawing board and evaluate their correction mechanisms. They are advised to seek legal counsel from those who have abolished it and consult with them for optimal results in their judicial system. Bibliography E. Mandery, Capital Punishment in America: A Balanced Examination (Jones & Bartlett Publishers 2011). G. Hanks, Against the Death Penalty: Christian and Secular Arguments against Capital Punishment (Herald Press 1997). J. Yorke, Against the Death Penalty: International Initiatives and Implications, (Ashgate Publishing 2009). L. Siegel, Introduction to Criminal Justice (Cengage Learning 2009). Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Capital Punishment in the USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/law/1479501-theft-and-fraud
(Capital Punishment in the USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words)
https://studentshare.org/law/1479501-theft-and-fraud.
“Capital Punishment in the USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/law/1479501-theft-and-fraud.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Capital Punishment in the USA

Capital Punishment

Since this initial incident, the history of Capital Punishment in the USA has been mixed throughout various states and areas.... Nearly every law regarding capital punishment in the past two millennia regard capital punishment as only appropriate for serious crimes, such as murder, treason or political dissent, although there are some examples where the punishment can be used for military crimes such as desertion or refusing national service.... The first recorded case of capital punishment in the United States was in 1608 on a Mexican immigrant who was accused of spying for the Spanish government (Goldberg, 1974)....
10 Pages (2500 words) Research Paper

The Death Penalty as a Form of a Penalty

Another reason for the public show of the punishment in the early years was the simple method of hanging used for the punishment which in later years was replaced by more sophisticated techniques like electric chairs and gas chambers so as to reduce the suffering of the offender.... hellip; The Death Penalty is also known as “capital punishment”.... The topic of capital punishment or the Death Penalty has been a major issue for years dating back to the olden days....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Death Penalty in the US

Retribution is a complicated punishment psychology (Bohm, 1992) and asserts that criminals must be punished for their crime and the severity of punishment must accord with the gravity of the crime committed.... Death Penalty in the US Introduction The US military, the US federal government, and 37 states in the US authorized the death penalty on 1 April 2008....
8 Pages (2000 words) Term Paper

The Possitive and Negative Effects of the Death Penalty

Ehlich concluded that as many as 7 or 8 murders were prevented through the use of Capital Punishment in the USA, during the period from 1933 to 1967 (Ehlich [b] 15).... The death penalty as a punishment for crime has long been a controversial topic within the usa.... hellip; The death penalty was a universal practice to punish anti-social actions, although in the 21st century, most democratic nations have stopped using it, the usa, Japan and South Korea being the exceptions (Katz, Livett and Shustorovich 318)....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

The Pros of Capital Punishment

More particularly, the paper focuses on the relevance of capital punishment in the present day scenario, which is more complicated with regard to taking into consideration the global institutions and laws such as the UN, Amnesty International, and Human Rights.... At the same time, it is aggressively defended by various domestic laws in the usa, the People's Republic of China and even in many Islamic states (Hodgkinson and Rutherford, 1996).... Going by a general definition of the term, ‘capital punishment' refers to death penalty of a person who is accused judicially of capital crimes....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

Understanding the Death Penalty

Another reason for the public show of the punishment in the early years was the simple method of hanging used for the punishment which in later years was replaced by more sophisticated techniques like electric chairs and gas chambers so as to reduce the suffering of the offender.... hellip; The topic of capital punishment or the Death Penalty has been a major issue for years dating back to the olden days.... nbsp;A death penalty is a form of punishment that has been there even before Christ and has been administered by many civilized societies on wrongdoers for various offenses; however, the first-ever documented capital punishment case was that of George Kendall, in Virginia....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Capital Punishment

hellip; Most states in the United States support capital punishment and since the Furman's legal challenge, which struck down the federal US and states capital punishment laws leading to its revision, the public has witnessed prohibition of death penalty on mentally retarded criminals, and on offenders who were below 18 years of age when the crime was committed.... Both the interpretations of the laws (5th, 8th, and 14th amendments) and the abolitionist movements from colonial times have been common legally challenging entities to the capital punishment and its implementation, not only in the United States but around the world....
9 Pages (2250 words) Research Paper

What Are the Prospects for the Death Penalty in the US Regarding Two-Thirds of Americans Support It

hellip; The death penalty is a controversial legal issue in the usa that has existed for decades.... constitution and federal government support capital punishment, but leaves complete autonomy for individual states to practice or not.... capital punishment has been practised in United States for many centuries now.... While majority of the countries around the world revoked the punishment and replaced it with life imprisonment, usa among other nations like republic of China and Saudi Arabia still retain death penalty....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us