Death_Penalty

Capital Punishment Moral for Justice Capital Punishment Moral for Justice Capital punishment which is also known as the death penalty is used today to punish a variety of offenses. When the word death penalty is used it stirs up argument between extremist. On one side the extremist are for the death penalty, because they feel it will deter crime and that the bible also enforced capital punishment when a person takes the life of another. The other side extremist feel that the death penalty should be abolished for moral reasons and the fact that innocent people have been murdered making a miscarriage of justice irrevocable (Knowles, H. J. 2011). Studies that support the claim that capital punishment has been a deterrent to homicide have been inconclusive, but extremist still feel that enforcing Capital punishment will keep prisons more stable, prevent serious offenders from committing more crimes, and will instill fear in the minds of criminal offenders which to this day is still debatable. Death Penalty Claim It has been suggested that the death penalty is a deterrent to homicide, which has helped Americans believe that the death penalty should be enforced. In 1961 Grant McClellan research on the murder rate theory claimed that in 1958 the10 states that had the fewest murders-fewer than two a year per 100,000 population, were New Hampshire Iowa, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Utah, North Dakota and Washington.  Four of these 10 states had abolished the death penalty. The 10 states, which had the most murderers from eight to fourteen killings per 100,000 populations, were Nevada, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, and Virginia, all of them enforce the death penalty.  The fact is that fear of the death penalty has never served to reduce the crime rate (Wilkinson, D. J., & Douglas, T. 2008). In fact the regions with the largest murder rate (the south) are the regions with the most executions. It has been concluded that maintaining and executing capital punishment in the United States is costlier than sentencing an offender to life imprisonment without parole. Capital Punishment Abolishment It has been claimed that capital punishment is immoral and disregards a person’s eight amendment right to (cruel and unusual punishment). Many people feel that once a person has been convicted of a crime all their rights should be removed. Extremist feel that capital punishment should be abolished, because it’s believed that every human being is entitled to receive a second chance at life (Gershowitz, A. M. 2010). Logically they feel putting a convict behind bars instead of killing them can possibly help the offender become a better person. It is also argued that there is always a chance that an innocent individual has been wrongfully charged for a crime they didn’t commit, and once that individual has been sentenced to death, if that person is later proved to be innocent there is no possible way to bring them back to life. In the Furman Vs. Georgia case of 1972, the supreme court declared the death penalty was unconstitutional, because it violated the eighth amendment rights of the convicted and claimed that the administration was arbitrary and capricious (Gershowitz, A. M. (2010). Keeping Capital Punishment Over time it was been believed that a person who commits a crime like killing or rape of another person should be given the death penalty which is a punishment said to be equivalent to the act (Knowles, H. J. 2011). Extremist for capital punishment feel that if a criminal is jailed for a severe crime, he/she may commit the same crime after being released from prison. They also feel that giving a convict life imprisonment is futile, and that’s it’s better to kill them to keep costs of housing prisoners low. Many extremist have argued that without the death penalty if the criminal system was to house so many serial killers and violent criminals that it would make the safety of fellow prison inmates and guards insufficient, because its believed that people who commit horrifying crimes like murder have violent personalities and may in the future attack someone during imprisonment (Knowles, H. J. 2011). These reasons emphasize why capital punishment is important for the betterment of human society. Empirical Data Sociologists have searched for empirical data to provide a definitive answer on deterrence of crime. The information that was provided was inconclusive and showed no real support to back up the claim. Sociologist Thorsten Sellin’s did a careful comparison on the homicide rate in contiguous states which led to doubt if the deterrence effects were caused by the imposition of the death penalty (Wilkinson, D. J., & Douglas, T. 2008). Ehrlich’s method on the deterrence effect of capital punishment was also unpersuasive to the court. Debate’s originated so the question could be answered if capital punishment was actually a deterrent. Information showed that the homicide rate actually went up in southern states that enforced the death penalty. This suggested that criminals weren’t afraid of the effects of the capital punishment in fact the homicide rate showed no real change and in many cases increased. Statistics from Justin Wilfers and John Donnohue showed that the estimates claiming that the death penalty saves numerous lives are simply not credible, in fact study shows that using the same data and proper methodology could lead to the exact opposite conclusion: that is, that the death penalty actually increases the number of murders (BERRY, I. W. 2011). Conclusion In conclusion, after taking all the information I have gathered into consideration I have made the decision to agree with capital punishment for many reasons. Although this topic is very debatable in the criminal system, I feel extremist who are for capital punishment is correct. I base my decision on the financial need in our current economy. It is cheaper to sentence a serial killer or serious offender to murder then to house the offender for years. It also keeps facilities more stable and secure. The constitution clearly believed that Capital punishment was an acceptable way to protect society from “wicked dissolute men” and the punishment they endured was equivalent to the crime they committed ( Adkins, B. 2008). As discussed in the argument, the death penalty helps to curtail murderers, thus, saving more lives in the process since the chances of murdering an innocent man is very minute. The death penalty needs to be enforced in all states. The fact that murders believe they can get out within ten to fifteen years after taking the life of another person, shows that they have no fear of doing it again and again. Other extremist look at Capital punishment from a moral and humane position and are not in favor of cruel and unusual punishment. Do we want a serial killer or serious offender to have the opportunity to be free again after taking the life of a loved one' It has been shown that criminals can also hire hit men or be conspirators to murders while incarcerated that keeps the threat of innocent people open to offenders. The legal system is too lenient with serial killers and serious offenders. Offenders are always finding various ways to manipulate the system so let’s put a stop to the madness and focus on enforcing the death penalty nationwide. References Gershowitz, A. M. (2010). Statewide Capital Punishment: The Case for Eliminating Counties' Role in the Death Penalty. Vanderbilt Law Review, 63(2), 305-359. Knowles, H. J. (2011). A dialogue on death penalty dignity. Criminology & Criminal Justice: An International Journal, 11(2), 115-128. Wilkinson, D. J., & Douglas, T. (2008). Consequentialism and the Death Penalty. American Journal of Bioethics, 8(10), 56-58 Adkins, B. (2008). CONSTITUTIONAL LAW--THE DEATH PENALTY--DEATH PENALTY VIOLATES EIGHTH AMENDMENT WHEN USED AS PUNISHMENT FOR THE RAPE OF A CHILD WHEN DEATH DOES NOT RESULT. Cumberland Law Review, 39(3), 785-799.