It is the the duty of the government to provide security for all individuals. Therefore, it is only a necessity, but also an obligation to get rid of those who impose threat or harm to any individual. Capital punishment is not always the most appropriate solution, but given the circumstances, it may be the most effective way to deal with criminals who threaten society.
First of all, capital punishment would reduce taxes and makes prisons a much more effective place to hold criminals. This causes life imprisonment to become practically obsolete and prisons will be capable of functioning as a rehabilitation center. (the purpose of prison is to separate the criminals from the general population and to rehabilitate prisoners.) By
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Another reason why capital punishment should be implemented in today’s society is the fact that it would actually scare/deter people away from crimes. According to Forbes.com, a little less than 7% of prisoners actually prefer prison because prison provides food and shelter. As a result of this, people sometimes even commit crimes just to get into prison. Capital punishment would make people much more scared to commit crimes, especially serious ones. Rate of crime will significantly drop and there will be fewer prisoners. As seen in the statistics provided by bestplace.net, (based on a system of 1-10) California has a much higher crime rate than Texas. Texas, a state that uses capital punishment, clearly has a lower crime than California, who does not use capital punishment, because Texas simply uses capital punishment. There are no other major differences between the two states that would indicate why Texas has a lower crime rate.
Although one might think that capital punishment leads to innocent deaths, this is completely false. People against capital punishment constantly claim that there have been numerous cases in which we have executed an innocent man. But the truth is that we do not have any records of ever executing an innocent man. The idea that innocent people can get executed on accident is highly false and inaccurate. Also, it is perceived that capital punishment takes away freedom
The latter is caused because, for a person, capital punishment is less stressing and tedious than an entire life imprisoned. At least with death, the criminal can avoid the torture of being held in a prison or worse for the rest of his life. In addition to the last statement, capital punishment would prevent many unfair legal loops from being utilized. For instance, when a murderer is condemned to life in prison, and some years later he applies for parole and is set free. In other words, capital punishment would create a relief and an escape for souls condemned to a life in prison and, on the other hand, would prevent justice from being utterly disgraced by letting awful corrupted and evil criminals out of prison in a few
Since the earliest times, man has struggled with the concept of justice. The controversy of capital punishment has weighed on the minds of humans since the beginning. When we are wronged it is our natural instinct to demand compensation. This thirst for revenge can be seen in the earliest civilizations and societies. Ancient Hammurabi code states “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (History of the World). For many people this little axiom seems fair. Others however, think otherwise and warn of a blind and toothless community. What is it about capital punishment that divides so many Americans? Is it the possibility of an innocent man being executed too much of a risk? Should our current
Despite this on going argument, outlawing capital punishment in America could create many unhappy citizens, and cause a division in the U.S. government. By enforcing the death penalty prevention in crime could occur. If death is the punishment for murder then criminals are not gaining from their crimes, but receiving the punishment they have inflicted on others. The crime rate is lower in the states that do not invoke capital punishment, but as Walter Burns stated “the number of murders tend to rise with the crime rate in general - and not only in America,” (105). Capital punishment is maintained to hopefully show criminals that when they kill they will eventually meet the same fate. By enforcing the death penalty the government could be trying to scare criminals from their crimes, and in some cases it has worked. When the death penalty was restored in Kansas, for example, the homicide rate dropped considerably (Bedau 122). According to research done by Bedau the crime rate continued to sore between 1960-1969 when capital punishment was rarely being used in most states (Bedau 127).
An innocent man is wrongly executed whilst a man who raped and murdered a mother and her thirteen year old daughter spends the rest of his life with three meals a day and cable television. Which of these is the bigger injustice? The use of the death penalty to punish serious crimes is a very controversial topic and there is much debate surrounding the issue. This paper will briefly discuss arguments supporting and against the use of the death penalty.
As it is beneficial for society as a whole, provides a strong deterrence against future crime, and because it protects the rights of victims of high crime, capital punishment is a legal and appropriate measure in the United States legal system. Capital punishment is the best way to set an example for would be criminals so they will see the punishment if they commit a capital crime. This is also a way to cut down on the jail population, and is rising, which means that jails are becoming over crowed and
First of all, the death penalty lessens the chance of people committing crimes. According to Tom Streissguth, author of The Death Penalty: Debating Capital Punishment, "The more issues of crime and the death penalty went through changes
Should the government abolish capital punishment? This is a question that has plagued the United States since its birth, as it is a complex social issue not easily resolved. The law, society, and many religious institutions consider life to be precious. Also, because capital punishment is irreversible, an innocent life could potentially be at stake in the pursuit of justice. Groups that are opposed to the death penalty – such as Amnesty International, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the majority of Christian religious institutions (Baptists, Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodist, Presbyterians, and the United Church of Christ)– feel that it is an unnecessary violation of human rights. (“History of the Death
Many argue if capital punishment should or shouldn’t be a law at all. Many sick and dangerous people do deserve this punishment such as rapist, killers, and child abusers. Everyone has a different point of view on the subject and there are many cases that have different circumstances that may or may not make you feel that they deserve that punishment. If anybody became a victim of a heinous crime, they would want harm caused to whomever tried to cross them or anyone they loved. Capital punishment is not excessive punishment for those criminals that intentionally and knowingly take lives of others.
In addition to eliminating overcrowded jails, Capital punishment is also the best way to keep tax payers content. The death penalty satisfies tax payers because it is a very cost
After that it's important to consider prison overpopulation when looking at another reason why capital punishment could be necessary. In Source B, it should a graph of the prison population from the 60’s to 2008. The population has skyrocketed from less than a half million to almost two and half a million people. Many inmates are serving life sentences, and have no chance of parole, according to Source H. “What about people already sentenced to life in prison. What's to stop them from murdering people constantly while in prison? What are they going to do--extend their sentences?” This is really showing how need Capital Punishment is, to ensure not only the safety of innocent people, but the safety of the people that are in prison as well.
Does taking another’s life actually avenge that of another? The disciplinary act of capital punishment, punishment through death, has been a major debate in the United States for years. Those in support of capital punishment believe that it is an end to the reoccurrence of a repeat murderer. The public has, for many years, been in favor of this few and pro-death penalty. Yet as time goes on, records show a decrease in the public and the state’s support of the continuation of capital punishment. Those against capital punishment believe it is an immoral, spends taxpayers’ money improperly, and does not enforce a way to rehabilitate criminals and/or warn off future crimes.
Should one person have the right to end another human's life? It is a question most people have the answer for when it comes to capital punishment. Capital punishment is known to some people one of the cruelest punishment to humanity. Some people believe giving a person the death penalty doe's not solve anything. While other's believe it is payback to the criminal for the crime they have committed. There have been 13,000 people executed since the colonial times, among 1900 and 1985 there were 139 innocent people sentence to death only 23 were executed. In 1967 lack of support and legal challenges cut the execution rate to zero bringing the practice to a complete end by 1972. Although the supreme court authorized its resumption in 1976
Defenders of the death penalty often claim that the execution of criminals will teach others not to do bad, initially decreasing crime rates. This hasty form of generalization statistically proves to be wrong. “When it comes to criminals, Texas has the toughest punishments along with a strict court system. The state of Texas spent four hundred and seventy million dollars in 2001 just for punishing convicts. Despite all that money and stern punishment, the crime rate is still twenty four percent higher than the national average, according to 2003 data” (Gonzales). This supports the fact that tough punishment doesn’t necessarily help crime. Ironically, the harshest state in the U.S continues to house the maximum number of criminal acts. The death penalty, a harsh form of punishment, clearly doesn’t lower crime rate.
Putting people to death for committing murder makes other potential murderers think twice about killing someone. Capital punishment deters many murders every day. If all that had to be done was spend life in jail, getting free meals, having a roof over their head, and place to sleep at night, then killing
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