Abolishing The Death Penalty Is Justified - 910 Words

Eliminating the Death Penalty According to the Webster’s Dictionary, death means the end of life (Dictionary, 80) and penalty means punishment for any crime or offense (Dictionary, 223). Therefore, by definition the death penalty means the end of a life due to punishment for a crime or offense. The death penalty is started with the Code of King Hammurabi’s in the eighteenth century B.C. This code consisted of 282 laws that stressed justice as clearly stated in the opening of the code, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.† A few methods used at this time were beheading, boiling in oil, burying alive, burning, and crucifixion. Today the death penalty is used in 31 states as of 2015. Previous methods used consist of hanging, firing squad, gas chambers, and electrocution. Instead of using the previous listed painful methods the modern world has come up with a way to kill a person â€Å"peacefully† by lethal injection. Although the death penalty has adva nced tremendously since the eighteenth century, it is still seen as an inhumane, cruel, and unusual punishment by many and it should be permanently abolished. To begin with, the death penalty is seen by many, including government officials, as a righteous punishment but it is undoubtedly, morally wrong. These same government officials that stand by the death penalty are also contradicting the U.S. Constitution. The 8th amendment states that the federal government is prohibited from inflicting cruel and unusual punishmentShow MoreRelatedAbolishing The Death Penalty Is Justified Essay1180 Words   |  5 Pages Abolishing The Death Penalty The death penalty has been a controversial topic around the United States of America for the last century. Some believe in Lex talionis which means â€Å"eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, an arm for an arm, a life for a life† (Wacks, 311) while others believe that there is no statistical evidence that proves the death penalty deters one from crime which is punishable by death. â€Å"87% of the expert criminologists believe that abolition of the death penaltyRead More Capital Punishment Is Necessary1130 Words   |  5 PagesAmerica today† (Death Penalty 55). Keeping the death penalty upheld and established in all states would greatly decrease that number. Something must be done to keep citizens safe and to keep the murder rates low. Capital Punishment is a rightly justified penalty because it is moral retribution, constitutional, and it deters crime. One reason that Capital Punishment is just is the idea that it is moral retribution to the murderer. According to David Gelernter, the death penalty supporter’s viewRead MoreThe Death Penalty Should Be Abolished1403 Words   |  6 Pagesreason why abolishing the death penalty is still a controversial debate. The legal system is there to defend the cries of the innocent, yet it cannot seem to determine who the innocents are. Until the voice of its people can be defended, the death penalty should be abolished. It is administering its punishments hoping they have the right perpetrator. It’s basically a guessing game and that should not be the case when it comes to who will end up getting deprived of their life. The death penalty is a raciallyRead MoreEssay about Capital Punishment1022 Words   |  5 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Not only should every state in America use the death penalty, it should also be done in a much quicker process. Following through with the p unishments at a faster pace will cut down on the costs. Today, it costs approx. $34,400 per year for 50 years, at a 2% annual cost increase, plus $75,000 for trials and appeals to house a criminal with life in prison. This all adds up to about $3.01 million. The cost for a death penalty is $60,000 per year for 6 years, at 2% annual cost increaseRead MoreThe Death Penalty Should Not Be Legal1573 Words   |  7 PagesThere are many legal issues that come along with the death penalty. Ratified on December 15, 1791, The United States Bill of Rights states in its eight amendment, â€Å"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.† (8th Amendment to the Constitution). The Supreme Court stated during the 1958 case of Trop v. Dulles, that the 8th amendment must draw its meaning from the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturingRead MoreDeath Penalty Essay Outline1443 Words   |  6 Pageswo rld, however some are overlooked in todays society. One of these acts is the Death Penalty. The Death Penalty, or Capital punishment has been around for centuries first appearing in Hamarabis code. In modern society the death penalty is often overlooked because normally it is a criminal receiving the punishment and not your everyday good citizen. Which is where the main argument lies for most people. The Death Penalty can affect all people, directly or indirectly, yet most people dont see it thisRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Justified And Ethical1190 Words   |  5 Pagesthe drugs had been administered. This occurrence expanded the widespread dispute over the death penalty. People began to acknowledge the risks involved with executions. In fact, a poll last year showed that 62% of Americans believed the death penalty was acceptable, but in the past year, the poll dropped to 50%. The government should take notice of these polls and reconsider if the death penalty is justified and ethical. In one year, the percentage of people in support of executions dropped 10%, andRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Not Morally Ambiguous1293 Words   |  6 Pagescontended topics is the death penalty. There are many arguments for and against capital punishment. One proponent for the death penalty is Ernest van den Haag, who in his article, â€Å"The Ultimate Punishment,† argues a case for the death penalty. I believe he successfully counters the arguments against the death penalty leading me to believe it is not something that should be viewed as inhumane and wrong. I will argue that the death penalty is not morally ambiguous, but a justified sentence some deserveRead More The Death Penalty As a Form of Justice Around the World Essay1473 Words   |  6 PagesThe Death Penalty As a Form of Justice Around the World Introduction: The death penalty is a subject that has become very big in the 21st century. Many centuries ago the death penalty is something that was widely practiced in almost all cultures. This revenge sort of action was the only way some old civilizations felt could really prevent criminals from breaking the law. The USA today is almost left alone among nations when it comes to the death penalty and the U.S. government does not haveRead MorePros And Cons Of Capital Punishment1608 Words   |  7 PagesThe death penalty is quickly becoming one of the more controversial topics in the United States. Currently, there are 31 states where capital punishment is legal. As of April 2016, there have been 1,431 executions in the United States, but the number of executions in recent years has been steadily decreasing (Timmons 2017). The death penalty can be put up for moral debate, and one can ask oneself whether the death penalty is ever morally permissible. There are some pros and cons to having capital