Preview

Pro death penalty

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1597 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Pro death penalty
Let the Punishment Fit the Crime The death penalty is a form of punishment used for convicted criminals who have committed a capital crime. Initially, the first established death penalty laws date as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the city-state of Babylon. The death penalty was used for about 25 different crimes stated in the Hammaurabi Code. By the Tenth Century A.D. Britain adopted this method as a usual punishment for many crimes. Eventually, when the colonies in the Americas were starting to be created, the British brought over many cultural practices including the death penalty. The first recorded execution that took place in the colonies was in 1608, to Captain George Kendall who was a convicted spy for Spain. Yet in the 1960’s all of the sudden the death penalty was to be considered “cruel and unusual” punishment, but if it was, then why has it been used for so many centuries? When in reality, the death penalty should be used and enforced by every country and state for capital crimes, because it is a physiological deterrent and it is justifiable for the crimes committed.
To begin, the death penalty is considered a physiological deterrent. A physiological deterrent is something that prevents actions through fear of punishment. Considering the previous statement, statistics show that during the years of the Moratorium, which was basically the suspension of the death penalty, murder rates went up; but the years following the murder rates go down yearly because the death penalty makes people think twice before committing a capital crime, such as murder. According to professor Sustein, “if people know, if they do something horrible they’re going to lose their lives; the likely hood that they’re going to do something horrible is decreased.” Furthermore, “Those who favor the death penalty argue that its practice keeps dangerous offenders from committing the same crime again” (Capital Punishment);



Cited: Haag, Ernest Van Den, PhD. "Top 10 Pros and Cons - Death Penalty - ProCon.org." Top 10 Pros and Cons - Death Penalty - ProCon.org. N.p.,16 Apr. 2008. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. “Capital Punishment.” Gales Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Student Resources in Context. Web. 10 Feb.1013. “Does Death penalty Deter Crime?” News& Notes 20 Nov. 2007. Gale Student Resources in Context. Web. 10 Feb. 2013 Kim Masters Evans. “Capital Punishment around the world.” Capital Punishment: Cruel and Unusual? 2010 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Information Plus Reference Series. Gale Student Resources in Context. Web. 10 Feb.2013 "Crime Stats: Haiti vs United States." NationMaster.com. NationMaster, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. Control, European Institute for Crime Prevention and. "Murders (per Capita) Statistics - Countries Compared." NationMaster.com. NationMaster, n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. "PRO DEATH." Pro Capital Punishment Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. Kim Masters Evans. “Public Attitudes Toward Captial Punishment.” Capital Pusinshment: Cruel and Unusual?. 2010 ed. Detroit: Gale, 201. Information Plus Reference Series. Gale Student Resources in Context. Web. 10 feb. 2013

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Philosopher Emmanuel Kant made an argument stating that killing someone for deterrence is using them as a tool, and it is unjust within itself (Pojman 70). Many think that by having the death penalty as a consequence for first degree murder, the rates of homicide will drop, because it will “put fear into the hearts of people”(Costanzo 96), but that is not correct. In a survey done by the Death Penalty Information Center, the number of murders in a state implementing the death penalty within the last twenty years have been higher than in a state without the penalty. As recently as 2010, the murder rate of states with the penalty was 25% greater than states without the penalty (“Deterrence”). Those statistics show that although the law may stop a few individuals, it is not a considerable enough number to call it deterrence.…

    • 1980 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “In the early 1970, the top argument in favor of the death penalty was general deterrence” (Radelet & Borg, 2000, page 2). The authors argue that the death penalty does not prevent others from committing the same offense. They describe how deterrence studies have failed to support the hypothesis that the death penalty is more effective at preventing criminal homicides than along imprisonment.…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ron Fridell states, "The basic principles of deterrence are that punishments are necessary to deter crime and encourage law abiding behavior. Punishment must also fit the crime with more serious crimes requiring more serious punishments. (61) I agree with the author because capital punishment serves as a device to discourage certain forms of behavior by making the consequences of these actions unpleasant. Capital punishment is acceptable under those terms and it is necessity to the betterment of society. Micheal Kronwetter said, "No other punishment deters men so effectively…as the punishment of death."(19) As an example, murder peaked in 1990 with 2,200 deaths, when New York did not have the death penalty. In 1997, when capital punishment was reinstated the murders for the year totaled 767. Deterrence obviously worked in relation to these crimes. There seems to be a direct relationship between deterrence and the effects of capital…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Capital Punishment is regarded as one of the United States' hottest topics. Those for and against it constantly debate over the various issues that capital punishment brings forth. This essay explains just a few of these topics and my view on the death penalty.…

    • 1062 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Phil 1112 Death Penalty

    • 1930 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Pojman, Louis. "A Defense of the Death Penalty." Issues in Applied Ethics: n. pag. Contemporary Issues in Applied Ethics ebook. Web. 11 Apr. 2011.…

    • 1930 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Criminal deterrence will continue to be a valuable part of criminological studies. The rational choice perspective has expanded tremendously in the last few decades. It allows criminologist to examine the reasoning process of not only offenders, but the victims as well. The concept of deterrence assumes a much higher degree of rationality. Deterrence doctrine uses the three functions of certainty, severity, and speed of punishment as key elements in the rational decision making process aimed at deciding between criminal and non-criminal paths of conduct (2013). The death penalty does serve as a deterrence from crime. But studies have indicated this might not be the case for every offender. But I would argue that even the deterrence of one individual…

    • 129 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Jacoby, Jeff. "When Murder is Punished with Death, Fewer Criminals Will Murder." Boston Globe, 26 Aug 2016, pp. K.5. SIRS Issues Researcher, http://sks.sirs.com.…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Cost of the Death Penalty

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Costs and Consequences of the Death Penalty, written by Mark Costanzo, neatly lists reasons for opposition, and abolishment of, the death penalty. Costanzo provides a review of the history of the death penalty, a review of how the death penalty process is working today, questions on whether or not if the death penalty is inhumane and cheaper than life imprisonment. He also questions if the death penalty is fairly applied and the impact, if any, that it has on deterrence. He closely examines the public's support of the death penalty and questions the morality of the death penalty. Finally, Costanzo provides his own resolution and alternative to the death penalty. Each of these items allows the reader an easy, and once again, neat view of how the death penalty can work against out society rather than for it.…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Expansion of the Federal Death Penalty.” 2007. Capital Punishment in Context: A Resource for College Courses. .…

    • 1148 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Phillips, S. (2009). Criminology: Legal disparities in the capital of Capital Punishment. Journal Of Criminal Law & Criminology, 99(3), 717-755.…

    • 1545 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Capital punishment has been a topic that has been talked about for ages. It has been an issue in the adjudication process since the first execution took place in the United States of America in 1608 (Schneider & Smykia, 1991). Today, cases are being brought before the courts constantly, and they are forced to decide what exactly is “cruel and unusual punishment” in accordance with the eighth amendment. This paper will be looking at how the death penalty has evolved and developed in the United States. It will also be evaluating the effects of the death penalty and looking at the issues that are being faced today in regards to capital punishment. Also, does the death penalty have a place in the future for America?…

    • 1629 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Death Penalty

    • 1586 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Has anyone asked your views on capital punishment? The words lethal injection, electrocution, and gas chamber are synonymous with the death penalty. Even in today’s society of die-hard liberals, right-winged republicans, and middle of the road democrats the capital punishment argument is still a squeamish topic that incites strong emotional debate from abolitionists and supporters.…

    • 1586 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    This paper will examine the historical foundations, uses and the contemporary issues of the death penalty in America. It will go into where the death penalty came from and how it is used differently throughout the states. Understanding why America uses the death penalty. Outlines many issues caused by America using the death penalty. Discussing the different methods of execution and various laws adopted by various states.…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Death Penalty

    • 2110 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The death penalty is an extremely controversial topic that is developing within our society today. According to Andre and Velasquez in “Capital Punishment: Our Duty or Our Doom,” 2000 people in the United States are currently awaiting capital punishment due to atrocious crimes (Andre and Velasquez 2013). This issue is becoming more controversial as more states are beginning to consider ratifying this concept states Andre and Velasquez (Andre and Velasquez 2013). The reason this issue is becoming more controversial is due to the fact that this punishment is at the peak of severity. Capital punishment is the legal process for a court to deem death upon an individual due to the severity of the crimes committed. These crimes can range anywhere from murder, to treason under certain circumstances. Sociologically, numerous activist groups due to the fact of the extreme controversy of the task at hand are questioning this issue. Does living in a free country necessarily give the courts the right to take a person’s life just due to the crimes, or is another punishment necessarily acceptable in certain circumstances? Does a judge, or any person for that matter, have the rights to sentence a person to death? Andre and Velasquez state that morally, the death penalty is wrong on the basis that society has a moral obligation to save as many lives as possible, not take them (Andre and Velasquez 2013). Andre and Velasquez further state that there is no supporting evidence to say that another punishment has a stronger effect then let’s say death (Andre and Velasquez 2013). The death penalty is an extremely controversial topic due to the severity of the punishment; however, certain measure must be understood to fully implicate the reasons for the establishment of this punishment within our society today.…

    • 2110 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Crime is a part of everyday life and everyone is aware of the threat it possesses, but the question lies in the methods in which it should be dealt with. A major issue in today’s society is whether or not the death penalty is a proper form of punishment. Many people have different opinions on the issue because of its many pros and cons. The arguments against the death penalty show that executions are more expensive than life in prison, the innocent may be wrongly accused, and it is not a deterrent to crime.…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays