Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Death Penalty

Good Essays
370 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Death Penalty
“Why Conservatives Should Oppose the Death Penalty” Roy Brown is a conservative who believes in individual rights and the right to life. He believes there is no deeper violation of a citizen’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness than the government killing them when they’re actually innocent. With the use of the death penalty, mistakes are highly inescapable (Brown 1). More than one hundred and forty death row inmates had been set free after evidence was revealed proving they were wrongfully condemned and this often happened decades after they were sentenced to die. Sometimes the mistake was not caught and a few innocents have been put to death. Brown states that the death penalty is also somewhat bad for the victim’s families. The families are brought along to this drawn out legal process and appear in many court sessions reliving the tragedy as it is impossible to make capital punishment quick (Brown 1). Another negative about the death penalty is its cost. Legal expenses alone make each death penalty case much more expensive than a case where a criminal is sentenced to life without the likelihood of parole (Brown 2). Brown values human life and believes that everyone should die a natural death. The same principles that motivate him to oppose abortion also motivate him to oppose the death penalty. All life is valuable and the only way that the citizens can be sure an innocent person is never executed is by ending the death penalty completely (Brown 2). Roy Brown has a type of bias with his opposition of the death penalty. He is a Catholic so his religious views get in the way of his perspective on the use of capital punishment. Catholics believe that the fundamental respect for human life includes even those guilty of crimes. So Brown, as a Catholic, grew up disliking the death penalty as he has been taught in his religion to love human life. So his view with Catholicism might blur out how he truly views the use of the death penalty without religion involved.

Brown, Roy. "Why Conservatives Should Oppose the Death Penalty." The Daily Caller. The Daily Caller, 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Trayvon Martin Article

    • 1161 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Dr. Brown’s article was well written and provided many sources for the information he presented the reader with. One thing I liked was the fact that he gave the reader an unpopular view of the standard conservative white man, from none other than Mr. Bill O’reilly. I know of Mr. O’reilly because my mom watches the Fox News network to hear the opinions of conservatives compared to liberal networks like MSNBC. But, for some reason whenever I hear her talking back to the television it’s always a disagreement with whatever Bill O’reilly, who’s a commentator on Fox News, has to say. In the article Dr. Brown showed an example of how the majority of America viewed the outcome of the Trayvon Martin trial. He stated that, “Bill O’Reilly aptly captured the dominant rationale used to justify the violation of black Americans, in general, and black males’, in particular, legal and civil rights. That is, Mr. O’Reilly when responding to President Obama’s speech regarding the not guilty verdict in the Trayvon Martin[3] case remarked”:…

    • 1161 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his article, “On Death Row, but Is He Innocent,” Kristof argues that the Justice system is broken and Kevin Cooper was framed because of his race. He supports his opinion with quotes from the judge, William A. Fletcher, along with Fletcher’s dissent of points to Copper’s innocence and quotes from Cooper’s lawyers asking for another DNA testing. Kristof and I share similar opinions. From my point of view, the justice system has always been racially biased. Not all Police Officers are biased but the majority of black people are convicted of felonies they did not commit. Many blacks are even killed for being near the crime scene. For Example, in June a black man named Dylan Noble was killed. Officers were told that someone was walking down…

    • 256 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The article “To Kill or Not to Kill” by Scott Turrow was written to examine the fairness and effectiveness of the capital punishment system. The author believes that it is important to address this issue because the current system is very flawed and cannot be trusted with consistent results, the author looked closely for the arguments of for and against the death penalty . In one of the first arguments that ambivalence in the death penalty is something that people have struggled through throughout the years, he uses statistics and percentages as well as emotional appeal to point people who are both for and against the death penalty in the same direction, As Turrow’s said “Many Americans question the system's over-all fairness and its ability…

    • 145 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Thump… The mouth starts to gurgle, as fluid starts to erupt. This is the sound of death. I believe that the death penalty is nothing but a true reflection of how, even though we think we have revolutionized and developed, the impact is not as profound. We are still blinded by our animal instincts. In addition, ‘an eye for an eye only ends up making the world blind’-Mahatma Ghandi, killing each other is not only inhumane,but rather provokes more killing. Harris’ death penalty was the first in 25 years in the state of California, which logically, resulted in the comfort and aggravation in using the death…

    • 613 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Some cases can lead you to having no sympathy on the inmate at all, in a matter of fact it can leave the victims family members relieved knowing the murderer is going through the death penalty. Jacob Sullum talks about this point, while speaking out about a man by the name of Robert Alton Harris. Robert Harris was known for his technique of tricking the victims, he would tell them that he would not kill them but as soon as they looked relieved he would shoot them. Sullum believes that this man, like many, does not deserve to live and should go through the death penalty (Gottfried 37). A senate on the judiciary also commented on this matter, saying, “people who commit violent crimes have forfeited their own right to life,” (Gottfried 37). A…

    • 324 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    When John Brown was young, he witnessed an attack on a young slave boy, who was beaten with a shovel. The boy died, and Brown never forgot what he had seen. Brown’s father was dedicated to antislavery, and Brown became familiar with the movement. He continued to read about antislavery, and his faith led him to believe that God was going to set the slaves free. It was his faith that deepened his feelings about slavery, and Brown hoped to adopt a black boy and open a black school — neither of those promises came true. After hearing about the brutal murder of Elijah P. Lovejoy, Brown vowed to spend his life trying to eradicate slavery.…

    • 1439 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Deterrence is also a big part of his views on the death penalty. “I believe the death penalty, because of its finality, is more feared than imprisonment, and deters some prospective murders not deterred by the threat of imprisonment.”…

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In his essay Death and Justice, Edward Koch argues in support of capital punishment, he believes it is just and it saves lives. He successfully delivers an argument laced with true and vivid examples of unforgettable murderous events. His intended audience consists of the opposing voters and readers of the New Republic, the political magazine that published his essay. Prior to reading Edward Koch’s essay I was sure that I would disagree but it became clear to me that he is right. There are seven commonly held views against the death penalty that Koch argues against in his essay. In what follows I discuss a few of his arguments and show that the death penalty is the most viable approach to deal with convicted murderers.…

    • 1282 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The death penalty has been an ongoing debate on whether it should be allowed or whether it violates our constitutional right. While most developed Western nations have stopped executing the United States continues to execute offenders (Zimring 2004). From 1977 through 2008 1,136 people have been executed, which consisted of people who committed murder (Procon 2010). Those who are in favor of the death penalty believe it is an important tool to help deter crime and it cost less than life imprisonment (Procon 2010). They believe retribution helps console the grieving family and it also ensures that the offender will never be able to commit another heinous crime (Procon 2010). According to Grant (2004) some people believe that some offenders should face the death penalty because of vengeance and retribution for violent crimes. During the…

    • 1847 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    8th Amendment

    • 1163 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The death penalty is an archaic procedure which operates on a rampant racial bias. Its use is not only tremendously expensive but also ineffective in complying to its purpose : deterring crime and controlling criminal behavior. The courts have struggled to define “ cruel and unusual,” because the term is ultimately vague and the definitions applied to terms like cruel and unusual change over time. Customs also change over time as societies viewpoints and ideologies adapt to into the future. An example of changes in the definition about the 8th amendment is seen in the landmark case of Weems vs United States (1910), where Weems was imprisoned for falsifying a public and official document and as a result was sentenced to 15 years. On top of his…

    • 1163 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Death Penalty

    • 4048 Words
    • 17 Pages

    Thesis: Capital punishment is useless as a deterrent, morally indefensible, discriminatory in practice, and prone to errors that may have led to the execution of wrongfully convicted people. Its continuing legality in the United States is critically undermining American moral stature around the world. The Supreme Court should bring the United States in line with the rest of the civilized world and hold that death is a cruel and unusual punishment prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. Summary: The death penalty process consumes tremendous amounts of money and resources and fails to deter criminal activity. It is not uniformly applied geographically, and where it is allowed, it is used in an often arbitrary and racist manner. As a result, states have been curtailing the use of the death penalty, the Supreme Court has limited its application, and both death sentences and executions are down sharply. This is at odds with the recent efforts of some states to expand the range of capital crimes, and with national polls which still reflect a clear majority of Americans favor capital punishment. Meanwhile, momentum has been accelerating in the international community to abolish the death penalty, and the United States is increasingly criticized for failing to keep in step with other civilized nations in this area. Capital Punishment in the United States Since the 1977 resumption of capital punishment in the United States, nearly 1,100 convicted prisoners have been put to death in the thirty-eight US states where the practice remains legal. As of the beginning of 2007, approximately 3,350 people remain on death row in American prisons. In recent years, the evidence has shown that the death penalty process consumes tremendous amounts of money and resources and fails to deter criminals. FBI Uniform Crime…

    • 4048 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    On the other hand, Royko initially explains that he doesn't really like to "make fun of people who oppose the death penalty because they are so sincere." Nevertheless, he wishes they would come up with new reasons as to why the government should put a stop to the death penalty. The author exemplifies his strong perspective on capital punishment by explaining many individual cases in which people "suffered a terrible loss, and live with terrible memories." He declares that every one of these families share "the knowledge that the killers are alive," and they will not gain vengeance until it is evident that the criminals are not being "cared for by society." Royko demands that the "opponents of the death penalty" should think about what the families of these criminals have had to go through, and then explain to them "just how cruel it is to kill someone."…

    • 713 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Judicial Review

    • 1589 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Brown was initially criticized by many as a severe kind of judicial overreaching, the forging of a constitutional mandate not originally intended by the framers of the Fourteenth Amendment. That view still exists in some quarters. But for many, Brown has become exhibit A in the case for a more activist judiciary, an argument that the courts, because of their relative insulation from political pressures, might in fact be better vehicles to resolve knotty social problems.…

    • 1589 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    It is important to know that, “this duty is not based off of what one deems as beneficial, or pleasant, but rather on the nature of the obligation itself” (Waller, Bruce). This leads to his rather assertive view on capital punishment that if an offender has committed murder that he must…

    • 368 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Feminism misunderstood

    • 336 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “I hate it when people say ‘poor boys, their lives are ruined’,” Brown said. “ How wrong is that? Those kinds of people don’t even deserve to breathe. Rape is the rapists fault.”…

    • 336 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays