Premium Essay

Abolish the Death Penalty

In:

Submitted By kmariet1975
Words 1781
Pages 8
Since 1973 over 130 people have been released from death row due to wrongful convictions, and that is only the tip of the iceberg. If you take into account; the multiple decades that many innocent people have sat behind bars awaiting their execution and add in the billions of dollars spent above what non-death penalty cases cost, the benefits of abolishing the death penalty outweighs the risk. Most of those, who oppose abolishing the death penalty, also feel there should be much higher standards for those who are eligible for capital punishment, however, there is no way to increase the maximum penalty for someone after they are convicted of a Capital crime. The most plausible way to prevent wrongful death penalty convictions is to abolish the death penalty completely.
If we eliminate capital punishment, then we also eliminate the possibility of potentially taking an innocent life, it will also save millions of dollars every year in almost every state that still uses capital punishment, as well as save the many victims of the death penalty. It doesn't only effect those who are accused of the crime but also their; parents, children, spouses, friends ect.

The cost of the death penalty is a major reason it should be abolished. The cost begins with the original trial. Jury selection alone can take over a month and there is extensive questioning about views on the death penalty to look for any bias that may become a factor in how they vote after the trial. They will not allow someone who is against the death penalty to serve on jury because they are practically guaranteed to say "not guilty" to the charges that could result in a death row sentence. Jury selection normally only takes a couple of days in non-death penalty cases. For every death penalty case, the judge, is required to appoint a second defense attorney which basically means the attorney

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Pros And Cons Of Abolish Death Penalty

...speaker once said, “Death is the wish of some, the relief of many, and the end of all”. Capital punishment is one of the most controversial topics in the world. Punishment is only effective if it is constantly enforced, and capital punishment can't be enforced all the time. People who commit crimes of personal violence may or may not premeditate the crime. Death is irreversible and there is nothing that will make the victim come back to life. Since 1990, in the United States, there has been an average of more than four cases each year in which an entirely innocent person was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Notwithstanding, it can help control crime and in some cases, it can be just. It also gives closure to the families...

Words: 1369 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Should The United States Abolish The Death Penalty?

...Introduction It’s time to execute the death penalty. For those of you that do not know what the death penalty otherwise known as capital punishment is, It is when the government sentences a person to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. The sentence that a criminal is punished in such a manner is known as the death sentence, And when the government goes through with the sentence it is known as a execution. And some people believe that this sentence stops future crimes. Well i'm here to tell you that my opinion is that the death penalty does not stop future crimes. And that we should get rid of the death penalty altogether. For my research I mainly looked at the United States and the states that allow and do not allow the death penalty. And i will be talking about the cost of the penalty altogether. Why We Should Stop The Death Penalty States in the U.S. that allow the death penalty have higher murder rates than the states that do not allow the death penalty. If anything everytime that the government executes a criminal it’s showing us as citizens of this nation that their respect for life is slowing diminishing. And with that there would be more violent crimes and especially more homicides. And most claims that are made that there is proof that the death penalty can be...

Words: 838 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Death Penalty

...Death Penalty Death penalty or capital punishment is the killing person by judicial process as a punishment for an offense. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offenses. People have different opinion about this issue. Some people support death penalty and some people are against death penalty. It is very hard to decide what is right thing with this issue, but both sides have good reasons why should and why we should not have death penalty. In “The Federal Death Penalty as a Safety Valve” the author asserts that “Fifteen states do not have a death penalty, and yet the federal government can federally prosecute capital cases on historically state-prosecuted violent crimes”(Mysliwiec 255). The author thinks that government has to much power when it comes to the death penalty. In U.S. states have power to decide do they want to have death penalty or not. This depends on who is majority in government. Usually republicans are for death penalty and democrats are against death penalty. In “Death penalty views in China, Japan and U.S” the author shows us the study where we can see the level of death penalty support and views on capital punishment among college students from China, Japan and U.S. (Jiang 1). This study is very interesting because we can see how young people from these countries are thinking and what is they opinion about this issue. It was found that Chinese respondents reported the highest level of death penalty support, followed...

Words: 1486 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Death Penalty

...August 18, 2009Death Penalty Filed under: Free Essays — Tags: death penalty essay, death penalty essay examples, death penalty essay topics, death penalty research paper, death penalty term paper, free death penalty essays, sample death penalty essay — admin @ 10:55 am My argument will be for the death penalty because it is not actually justice killing a person but if that person goes out and kills another, than he or she should have the death penalty. “The death penalty is our harshest punishment. It is irrevocable: it ends the existence of those punished, instead of temporarily imprisoning them” (p.440). It is the serious and best punishment for murderers, and therefore we should not abolish the death penalty. If we abolish the death penalty, the murder rate will mostly likely increase because the murderer would be like, ah, all I have to do is go to prison for life and try to get parole. This would not be fair to the victim’s family, whose life was erase by a murderer. Death is more fearful than life imprisonment, so murderers who are sentence to death would rather have life imprisonment. What would be the reason for a murderer to be living in this world after taking the life of another person? There should be no light punishment for a murderer because that person should have thought about the consequences before he or she did it. I not saying punish every person that kills another because there are some situations where people are defending themselves as in self-defense...

Words: 828 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Death Penalty

...Should Thailand abolish the death penalty? As 31 December 2011, 71 Thai male prisoners were executed by Department of Correction. Most of them are drug traffickers. At least 676 people worldwide were under death sentence in 2011. However, the 676 figure does not include the thousands of people who were believed to have been executed in China. Do you think that is right to put someone guilty to death? Personally, I do not agree with this legal process to put a person to death as a punishment for a crime. I strongly believe that Thailand should abolish the capital punishment. I have three reasons to support my opinion. In my view capital punishment is immoral, cruel, and inhumane. First of all, Thailand is a Buddhism country. Lord Buddha teaches us not to kill any animals. How can kill humans who did something illegal. Is it better to give them a chance to feel guilty and improve themselves by giving them a life sentence? By doing these they can make a social distribution, such as cleaning drains or roads, and so on. Moreover, the Christianity and Bible tell us that no man has the right to decide if another man should live or die. All in all, to kill is sin in all religious. Secondly, death penalty is really cruel because the method of execution. For example, beheading in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, electric chair in the US, hanging in Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore. In addition, every body involved can be psychologically affected. Not only the officers who...

Words: 578 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Capital Punishment

...in the U.S. is too costly to the taxpayers, we must plan to abolish it, or we all must pay the price. II. Capital punishment is placing a heavy burden on state budgets confronted with budget shortfalls and are forced to close schools, reduce police workforce, and health care state assistance for the poor and unemployed. A. The appeal process for death penalty cases takes over 15 years adding enormous cost to pre-trials and trials (Jost, 2010). 1. It cost states in excess of $1.5 million more to prosecute for each death penalty case as opposed to prosecuting for a life sentence without parole (Barnes, 2010). 2. The burden of the added cost is shared by the entire country in the form of state bailout money (Barnes, 2010). B. As the results of the added cost to the states, many needed services are being cut or eliminated altogether. 1. Over the next five years, it is estimated that it will cost the state of California over $1 billion on Death Row inmates; meanwhile Governor Brown was forced to drastically reduce the budget for education, health-care, and crime prevention (Clark, 2011). 2. The financially strapped citizens of California paid an additional 10% in 2009 wage taxes to help prop up the state budget shortfall (Goldmacher, & Hennigan, 2009). III. The solution is to plan for the federal government repeals of the death penalty and convert them to life sentences without parole. A. Supporters to abolish capital punishment are lobbying state politicians to introduce...

Words: 452 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Abolishing Capital Punishment In England

...It can be very difficult for a family member that have lost someone to the death penalty to express their loved one’s situation with the death penalty. Death penalty is also known as capital punishment or execution. Communities from all over the world have used this punishment at one point in history, in order to avenge criminals. Most common reasons for being sentenced to death were war crimes, war treason, murder, theft, property damage, practicing magic, and espionage. In America and England, there are still cases where the death penalty occurs. In America, the idea of capital punishment has been proposed to be abolished but was rejected. In England, the idea of capital punishment was abolished first and came back into the people’s lives. The idea of abolishing capital punishment is similar in America and in England because it was thought to be abolished by both countries but was approved in England. In America, proposals were made to abolish capital punishment, but were not successful, while in England capital punishment is abolished, which holds meaning to the people in both countries. The United States has had the death penalty since the eighteenth century. Execution in the United States became the first legal system which continues to enforce the law and its responsibilities. The death...

Words: 1752 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Persuasive Essay Pro Death Penalty

...446 executions (Death Penalty Information Center). 1,446 people have been put to death for committing crimes such as murder and treason. The death penalty is definitely not a new prospect; far from it, first known to be practiced in the 14th century B.C.E. (Death Penalty Information Center). In fact, some describe capital punishment as a barbaric, outdated, or unsophisticated form of justice. America is, after all, one of the only developed countries that still enforces the death penalty. Others argue that it is necessary in keeping law and order and helps to deter crime. The death penalty has an interesting history, and still today there is an argument about whether or not it should continue to be enforced, possibly because of the historically discriminatory nature of the death penalty. In early colonial America, the death penalty was fairly strictly enforced....

Words: 877 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Death Penalty Essay.

...The Death Penalty Can one justify an action of a cold killer? Furthermore, should death penalty be abolish? Lastly, is it possibly to end the debate about death penalty and the abolition of it? William Otis comes with his arguments in “The Death Penalty Saves Lives”, 2006, for why death penalty should not be abolish and his opinion of the abolitionists own arguments for it. The death penalty or capital punishment is a legit system where a person, who has committed a serious crime, it put to death by the state as punishment. The death penalty consist of two parts, the death sentence, which is the judicial decree that the person gets, and the other part is the actual execution. Death penalty has been used for many decades, and are still being used today, but of course not as often. In the past, it was performed by most societies and the most common execution method was beheading, which were most often public. In the United States, death penalty is a legal punishment in 32 states as well as the federal civilian and military legal systems. Since 1976, the most common method used to execute an inmate is lethal injection. Furthermore, in that same year the death penalty was reinstated after a ten-year long moratorium, which is a temporary stopping of a certain activity, thirty-four states have performed executions. A year that is very interesting, as far as death penalty goes, is 2012, because it was the year with the lowest executions in USA and, furthermore, by information...

Words: 1248 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Should the Death Penalty Be Abolished?

...Should the Death Penalty be abolished? The international trend of stopping executing and abolishing the death penalty is obvious. For example, in 2011, there are nearly 200 countries in the world but only 21 countries execute the death penalty. In addition, 140 countries have already abolished the death penalty legally and practically (i.e. stop executing the death penalty). In the US, 17 states abolished the death penalty or sentenced the death penalty unconstitutional, including New Jersey (2007), New York (2007), New Mexico (2009), Illinois (2011) and Connecticut (2012). There are also a numbers of states that have suspended executions for many years. In 2007, United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution for the first time to implore all the members of the United Nations to stop using the death penalty. Since then, the United Nations General Assembly also declared the similar resolutions in 2008 and 2010 respectively and the most recent one was made in December 20, 2012. In 2007, 104 countries voted in favor of the resolution, while 54 voted against it. By 2012, there were 111 countries in favor, 41 countries against. The death penalty has two dimensions: one is the humanity between the individual life, another one is the rights among social communities and social members. The first dimension is a punishment executed by a specific public institution to the murderer once the murder happened between the the social members. In this dimension, the trace of the...

Words: 2041 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Capital Punishment

...the death penalty in the United Sates, which dates back to colonial times. Some people see it as a barbaric means of punishment while others see it as an important tool for fighting pre-meditated murder and other horrific crimes. The death penalty has bee in existence since the Eighteenth Century B.C. At first, it was carried out by horrific means, boiling, beheading, and burning at the steak just to name a few. Later as man became more civilized, more humane methods were invented and used. It was not until the Nineteenth Century that the death penalty finally found opposition. Since then the civilized world has been at odds on whether to abolish the death penalty. In conclusion, the reasons for abolishing it as well as reasons against abolishing the death penalty are argued; however, the victims of the crimes and their families cannot be ignored. . Over 15,269 Americans have been executed since the beginning of the death penalty in the United Sates, which dates back to colonial times. America remains a minority of nations in the world that still uses the death penalty for punishment of certain crimes. Many see this as a barbaric and against human values. Others see it as a very important means to fighting violent crime and pre-meditated murder. The death penalty’s history started as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. during the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon. During that period there were 25 crimes that were considered punishable by death. The...

Words: 2100 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Capital Punishment

...Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is when a person is put to death by the state as a result of a crime. Crimes that can result in the death penalty are known as capital offences. The death penalty is a long debated topic across the world. The word capital comes from the Latin word capitalis, which translates to “of the head.” The word refers to the ancient time when beheading was used to as capital punishment for the crimes. Punishment by death is usually reserved for murder, treason, spying, or military justice. Only the mentally competent adults could receive the capital punishment. The process of capital punishment today is very costly. It takes millions of dollars and only a small amount of people are actually executed. The judicial system is not a hundred percent accurate either, therefore innocent lives could be taken. The increase in cost as well as inconsistent executions results in a flawed capital punishment system which should be abolished. The death penalty began in the ancient times when murder, treason, or killing the ruler of an enemy. In the western culture, death penalty laws were established as early as the Eighteenth Century. Britain had heavy influence on America’s use of the death penalty. Each colony’s laws regarding the death penalty differed. The abolitionist movement started during the colonial times. The northeast was soon influenced by the abolitionist movement in the early to mid Nineteenth Century. In 1846, Michigan was the first state in...

Words: 1352 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Abolishing The Death Penalty In The United States

...society is the use of capital punishment, informally known as the death penalty. There are two main sides to this topic; some people want to abolish the death penalty, while others want to continue or even increase its use. The people that want to abolish the death penalty view it as unconstitutional, as they see it as “cruel and unusual;” while others view the death penalty as an appropriate punishment that fits the horrendous crime of murder. The death penalty has been shown to have a deterrent effect on crime, which is why the U.S.A and other nations worldwide should continue the use of capital punishment (Muhlhausen). HISTORY The death penalty has been around since the start of time. It is...

Words: 1700 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Death Penalty in the Usa

...The death penalty, black point of the American democracy Unfortunately Death penalty still exists and is applied in the U.S.A. According to Amnesty International, 58 countries around the world have maintained the capital punishment. United States included. Who has never heard of this controversial and polemical debate? The death penalty is controversial due to its lack of coherence regarding to basic human rights. First of all, it was shown that the American model has advocated democracy and self- determination in the entire world. Consequently, the presence of death penalty in a democratic and developed country can appear as a strange contradiction. How this singularity can be perceived and explained ? As the sociologist Arnaud Gaillard explains in the newspaper “Le Monde”, several hypotheses are possible. Firstly, the violent environment shown by the legalization of guns or the important criminality would agree that death penalty has been part of the American culture for decades. Another plausible cause proposed by A.Gaillard is the young age of the population influencing the construction of the United States by its excesses. This argument can seem excessive since young people should be in favor of the system’s abolition. The youth are certainly more open-minded than the past generation. It is contradictory to Gaillard’s argument. Then, if we look at the death penalty itself...

Words: 729 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Persusaive Communication

...Presentation: Abolish the Death Penalty India James PHL/458 July 1, 2013 Why Team C chose a poster Our team chose to use a poster to convey ideas in regard to the death penalty. The glogster poster format provides “an interactive visual platform in which users create a “poster or web page” containing multimedia elements, including text, audio, video, images, graphics, drawings, and data” (Glogster EDU, 2013). The ideas presented are easy to read and understand with only the most important points presented. The intended audience will be the American voters, so the poster needs to be easy to understand. Possible Reasons the Audience May Reject Our Idea There are many reasons that the audience may reject our ideas. The death penalty is quite controversial, and it seems as many people supporting the death penalty, twice as many oppose it. Reasons the audience may reject abolishing the death penalty are emotion, lack of facts, and peer pressure. Most often people favor the death penalty over life in prison as an emotional reaction. People are adamant about what they have experienced, seen or heard on television or newspapers and make choices based on their emotional decision. The issue that our team sought to resolve was the incidents of innocent lives lost when those wrongfully convicted were sentenced to death. As a team we believe that the only way to solve this issue is to abolish the death penalty. Anticipated Audience Objections The death penalty gives...

Words: 1032 - Pages: 5