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? The? Capital punishment is the infliction of the death penalty on persons convicted of a crime. ? This has been a topic of debate for many years. People who are for: People who are against: ? Why do we kill people to prove killing people is wrong? ?
Unconstitutional The 1 st argument I have against capital punishment is that it? s unconstitutional. Every person has an equal right to? life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. ? This is a quote from American Civil Liberty Union National Office, ?
Capital punishment is a barbaric remnant of an uncivilized society. It is immoral in principle, and unfair and discriminatory in practice. ? Does the government have the right to kill? Maybe in self defense, like a policeman firing on a armed and dangerous criminal. Suppose we apply the same standards to the government that we have for civilians. A civilian has the right to shoot at an intruder as he is entering his home but if the civilian catches the intruder and has him under his control, the shooting him would be considered murder.
That? s what capital punishment is simple murder. Against: I agree that capital punishment is a relic of barbarism but as murder itself is barbaric, death is a fitting punishment for it. It goes along with the? eye for an eye? principle.
For example, someone steals $ 10 from you and then the person who stole your money has the same thing happen to them? Doesn? t that satisfy you? Many feel the same about murders who are sentence to die. The criminal has brought the punishment upon himself, they deserve what they get. Cruel and unusual The 8 th amendment of the us constitution, condemn gruel and unusual punishment is used to protest capital punishment.
For: : When the constitution was drafted, capital punishment was practiced widely in this country, yet it was not specified as wrong or as cruel and unusual. John Locke went as far to say that murder is not intrinsically wrong. How can the constitution be brought into this argument, since it makes no mention of capital punishment? The methods by which executions are carried out can involve physical torture. ? Electrocution has on occasion caused extensive burns and needed more than one application of electric current to kill the condemned. It often takes 10 minutes or more to die in the electric chair.
It is also torture to keep someone locked up when they know they are waiting to be killed. Officials often defend this and say it? s not cruel and unusual, but how can they defend this opinion in the case of John Evans who was executed by electrocution in 1983? According to witnesses at the scene Mr.
Evans was given three charges of electrocution over a period of fourteen minutes. After the first and second charges Mr. Evans was still conscious and smoke was coming from only over his body as a result of his flesh burning. An official there even tried to stop the execution on account of it being cruel and unusual punishment, but was unsuccessful. Witnesses later called th whole incident a? barbaric ritual. ?
NEXT ARGUMENT The death penalty costs more than life in prison. It costs 5 to 6 times more than lifetime imprisonment, according to studies in a number of states. Most costs occur at trial level. Indiana, with smaller death row than Virginia? s estimates it could save $ 5 million per year by abolishing capital punishment. NEXT ARGUMENT Murder rates are lower in states that have abolished the death penalty.
The Supreme court, United Nations, and numerous independent studies have concluded that the death penalty has no effect on the crime rate, on average the murder rate in U. S. which execute is almost double the rate in states without the death penalty. NEXT ARGUMENT possible death of innocent?
In case of a mistake, the executed prisoner cannot be given another chance. Justice can miscarry. In the last hundred years there have been more than 75 documented cases of wrongful conviction of criminal homicide. The death sentence was carried out in eight of these cases? Undoubtedly many other cases of mistaken conviction and execution occurred and remain undocumented. A prisoner discovered to be blameless can be freed; but neither releases nor compensation is possible for a corpse.
NEXT ARGUMENT DOESN? T DETER CRIME Contrary to popular belief, the death penalty does not act as a deterrent to crime. ? Expert after expert and study after study have emphasized and emphasized the lack of correction between the threat of the death penalty and the occurrence of violent crime? Ehrlich?
s study on the deterrent effect of capital punishment in America reveals this. It spans twenty-five years, and show that in the first year the study was conducted there were 8, 060 murders in 1957 and 65 executions. However in the last year of the study, there were 22, 520 murders committed and 1 execution performed. The absence of deterrence is clearly shown.
NEXT ARGUMENT MURDER What is the difference between the state killing and an individual killing? The end result is the someone more dead body, one more set of grieving parents, one more cemetery slot. Every time we execute someone, we are sending the most profound message of the value of human life. Every time we execute someone, we as a society sink to the same level as the common killer. The American people have blood on their hands, and it will stay there until we finally remove this barbaric practice from our nation.
Next argument Why do we kill people to prove that killing people is wrong? It is easy to argue the practical points of opposition to the death penalty. It is obviously not problem to be a deterrent unless my understanding of the word is completely false. It costs more to prosecute capital crimes and ultimately life in prison is more cast effective. The death penalty prolong the cycle of violence and extends the pain of violence to the executed person? s family.
The punishment is irreversible, and one error in the realm of punishment is unthinkable. The death penalty blatantly is an issue of elitism in society. It is logical that those who can afford the best lawyers will fare the best in court while those who simply cannot afford the best legal advice ride the winds of chance. Capital punishment degrades society... Why do we kill people to prove that killing people is wrong?
Free research essays on topics related to: life in prison, unusual punishment, capital punishment, cruel and unusual, death penalty
Research essay sample on Cruel And Unusual Life In Prison
