Is The Death Penalty An Effective Punishment

? Essay, Research Paper

Is the Death Penalty an Effective Punishment? Yes. In at least one

important respect, it is. It simply cannot be argued that a

killer, once executed, can ever kill again. The Death Penalty does

not stop people from killing others. The only thing it does stop is

killers from killing people again. Some statistics indicate that Capital

Punishment has killed more blacks then whites and more poor then rich.

There is nothing wrong with the Death Penalty. If someone kills another

they should be punished. This process cost over 400,000 of dollars.

I would say my that money is well spent. If it is going to stop a crazy

man from killing again then so be it. I don’t know if it is immoral

or cruel. I do know that no human should be able to play the part of God

or the Devil. People are suppose to live and die, we can’t make someone

live if there no life. We can stop someone from dying when there alive.

Were not suppose to kill others. I do not think that a child the age of

12 and older should get away with murder just because there so young.

Adults think they wouldn’t understand death. I knew what death was when

I was in 5th grade I was nine and my Grandfather died. I knew what that

ment. I don’t think it is right for a man that is 18 to be punished to

the Death Penalty for killing a man. When a twelve year old boy who was

playing with his daddy’s gun and kills his best friend doesn’t get but

more then a few years in jail. Kids have a lot of power now days and

some think they can get away with murder. I don’t think it is right

for some states to not have the Death Penalty and some to have it.

It ruins the purpose. It does not mean that people are going to stop

in California just because there is one. No matter where you are there

is going to be death. It is how the death was caused that you should be

so worried about. Thirty-eight states currently have the death penalty.

More then 350 people have been executed in the USA since 1990. More then

3,300 others are on death row. The application of the death penalty is

racist. Black and white people are the victims of violent crime, 82 % of

people executed since 1977 have been convicted of killing white victims.

In 1989 the US Supreme Court ruled that it was not unconstitutional to

execute mentally retarded people. Since then some 30 mental people

have been executed. However, some positive steps have been taken.

In 1998 Nebraska became the 12th state to adopt the band the executed

of mental prisoners. Weather someone is sentenced to life or death can

depend more on their lawyer than on the crime. A defendant who cannot

afford an experienced and competent lawyer is more likely to be sentenced

to death than someone who can.

“An eye for an eye” some feel that execution is the only way to

satisfy the public as well as themselves. Who doesn’t enjoy it when ,

for example, some steals ten dollars from you and then the person who

stole your money has the same thing happen the them? The criminal brought

his punishment upon himself; they deserve what they get. This code claims

that an eye for and eye and a life for a life, is justice. If someone is

lined up for execution then they more then likely deserve it. They have

caused a great deal of grief to the family and friend of the victim or

victims and it seems like the only way justice could be served is for

the criminal to die. For the person to simply go to jail seems unfair.

When there they will eat three meals a day, get to watch TV, and befriend

other in-mates. They live a pretty decent life in prison and they don’t

deserve it.

Is the Death Penalty an Effective Punishment? NO.

“An evil deed is not redeemed by and evil deed of retaliation.

Justice is never advanced in the taking of a human life. Morality is

never upheld be legalized murder”

-Coretta Scott King

One execution is one too many because, no matter how it’s carried out,

the death penalty is cruel, inhuman and degrading. It’s an assault on

the human dignity and a violation of human rights. Capital Punishment

should protect the innocent and serve justice. People question if

it even does this anymore. There is plenty of evidence that it does

exactly the opposite, and plenty that says it does not do any good at all.

The danger of executing innocent people should make anyone think twice

about speeding up. the process; indeed, a disturbing number of the

innocent people sit on death row for more then four years.

Only about 0.02% of homicide perpetrators get sentenced to death.

Canada has a murder rates less then one third as great as Americans.

Estimates of the cost of Capital Punishment are huge. It is around

400,000 to 900,000 a year. There is no real way to replace one life

with the death on another. Yet when Capital Punishment is the choice

of the courts, that is what has to be decided.

Each year there are about 250 people are added to death row and 35 are

executed. The death penalty is the harshest form of punishment enforced

in the US today. Lethal injection is the most common form used today.

From 1972 to 1977 capital punishment was ruled unconstitutional by the

Supreme Court. It was said that it the Death penalty was cruel and

unusual under the eighth amendment. I myself feel that the death penalty

is wrong morally because it is the cruel and inhumane taking a human life.

However after a supreme court decision in 1977 `Gregg v. Georgia’,

which stated Capital punishment did not violate the Eighth Amendment,

executions were once started again under the states supervision.

“Electrocution had occasion caused extensive burns and needed more

than one application of electric current to kill the condemned”

- Amnesty

Capital Punishment is immoral in principle, and unfair.

It assures the execution of some innocent people. As a remedy

for crime, it has no purpose and no effect. Both Greeks and the Romans

invoked the death penalty for a wide variety of offenses.

The possibility of an innocent person being put to death is another factor

some people have against the Death Penalty. According to the 1986

Stanford University Survey at least 23 Americans have been wrongly

executed in the 20th century.

Throughout history people have been put to death for various forms of

wrongdoing. Methods of execution have included such practices as

crucifixion, stoning, drowning, burning at the stake, impaling,

and beheading. Today Capital Punishment is typically accomplished

by lethal gas or injection, electrocution, hanging, or shooting.

Other harsh, physical forms of this punishment were referred to as

corporal punishment they have all been eliminated in modern times as

uncivilized and unnecessary. About 80 nations have abolished the Death

Penalty and an almost equal number of nations retain it. (Most are

developing countries.)

Most of the US states provide the Death Penalty and 50 to 75

executions occur each year throughout the US. Personally I think that

no state should have this punishment. If I killed someone I would want

to die. I think by killing a murder your giving them just what they want.

These people are sick and there SCREAMING for you to kill them.

In the US, we experience the tragedy of over 20,000 homicides each

year. Those on death row are the poorest of poor. They are “people of

color”: African American (40.7%), Hispanic(5.72%), Native American 1.49

%), and Asian (0.61%). This means 50 % of death row inmates are people

of color. It is estimated that over one-third of all death row inmates

are mentally retarded (with IQ’s less the 70), and that nearly have are

functionally illiterate.

More than 3,000 people were executed since 1930, nearly half were

people of color. Eighty-five percent of those executed since 1977 were

punished for killing white victims.

If we were to talk about a state like ….Ohio where 842 people have

been executed since 1884. Of this number, only one white mad was executed

for killing a black man.

The moral issue here is: Do we have the right to kill, or is that the right

of God only? This does not excuse one who takes the life of another.

People who favor the death penalty often believe it helps reduce the

number of violent crimes.

Could it be that as long as the state is killing, we are sending a message

that killing is a way to solve problems? I would personally say no.

I think that in no way it would ever be ok for anyone to die unless it is

just there time to go. People have to die sooner or later. It is just

like saying that we should put all people that smoke in jail because

that is attempt of murder to themselves. Smoking kills just not as

quickly as a gun.