Essay/Term paper: Death penalty

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Law

In the eighteenth century,England would punish by death for



pickpocketing and petty theft. Ever since the 1650's colonist could be



put to death for denying the true god or cursing their parents advocates.



Capital Punishment have clashed almost continuously in the forum of public



opinion in state legislatures and most recently in courts. In 1972,the



case of furman vs.Georgia reached the supreme court. The court decided



that punishment by death did indeed violate the eighth amendment to



containing that "excessive fines imposed,nor cruel and unusual punishment



inflicted." By this decision death sentences all over the country were set



aside. The three most common death penalties are the gas chamber,lethal



injection,and the electric chair. Capital punishment has become an



increasingly controversial issue over many decades. The problem lies



between, is the death penalty being accepted in murder cases or ruled out



completely. While some people feel that Capital Punishment will not



discourage crime, Capital punishment should be legalized in all states,



because it is morally just and it will deter crime.







The many opponents of capital punishment who are against it feel that



the death penalty is not a deterrent and that it is barbariaertic of the



past. It has no place in a civilized society today. One of the biggest



arguments against capital punishment is people feel that it violates the



eighth amendment which forbids cruel and unusual punishment. People



against Capital Punishment believe the death penalty is absurd and is in



un-christian practice. Further more, they feel society should not"



encourage sentiments of vengenance cater to morbid interest in ritual



execution." Criminologists also built a strong case that the threat of



death failed to deter murder, anymore effectively than prison. Therefore,



to inflict harm to one,it is simply useless.



 



However, the punishment fits the crime therefore, it is morally just.



Capital punishment is an expression of society's moral outrage at



offensive conduct. This may be appealing to many but it is essential in an



ordered society. It asks our citizens to rely on legal procedures rather



than to self-help their wrongs doings. It is morally right to sentence a



person to the death penalty who has commited a serious crime as murder. If



someone has murdered a person it is unethical to let the murderer live when



you have an innocent person who is dead. Capital Punishment has to be



based entirely on consideration of justice and morality.



 



Finally, the death penalty is a deterrent against crimes. Statistics



show that the crime rate is reduced in all states that hold the death



penalty. The point given to these people is that they are less likely to



commit a crime knowing they will receive the ultimate punishment to kill.



"No other punishment deters men so effectively from committing crimes as



the punishment of death". Still, Capital Punishment is supported by many



Americans. They usually rely on deterrence as their main reason to deter



people from committing serious crimes. Hopefully Capital Punishment will



be legalized in many states to eliminate violence from american life.



 



Many people feel Capital Punishment will not discourage crime . It



promotes murder rather than deter it. A desire for suicide is what leads



some murders to their criminal acts. Capital Punishment should remain



legalized in all states. The two main reasons are it is morally just and



it will deter crime. The way our society is today we need to continue on



with the death penalty. It deters other murders and it protects our



society from them. Clearly, the usage of the death penalty will force crime



to be unacceptable in our world and protect our citizens.