The Death Penalty Of Capital Punishment

The death penalty is the punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime (law.cornell.edu, 2015). The first Congress of the United States authorized the federal death penalty on June 25, 1790 (deathpenalty.org, 2011). The death penalty can also be referred to as capital punishment, however capital punishment also includes a sentence to life in prison, as opposed to strictly executions. A convict can be sentenced to death by various methods including lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber, firing squad, and hanging. After the death penalty was established, many debates have arisen arguing that these methods violate several of the United States’ Amendments. Select cases have been accused of violating the Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. It is important to note that the judiciary goes through a series of processes prior to deciding a sentence for a capital crime. Many factors influencing the verdict include proportional analysis, individualized sentencing, method of execution, and classes of people not eligible of the death penalty. This paper will discuss brief descriptions of the methods used for executions, economical issues, the Supreme Court’s opinion regarding the death penalty, as well as important factors that make up the proportional analysis, individual sentencing process, method used, and determining classes of people who are not eligible for the death penalty.

Capital punishment, otherwise known as the death penalty, is a controversial subject which has been argued for decades due to the ethical decisions involved. People believe the death penalty is the right thing to do and that it is the perfect example of ‘justice’ while others believe that it is immoral and overly expensive. The death penalty is not a logical sentence for criminals, it doesn’t give them the right type of justice and it is immoral.

The moral and ethical debate on the sentencing and enforcement of capital punishment has long baffled the citizens and governing powers of the United States. Throughout time, the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, and the vast majority beliefs of Americans, have been in a constant state of perplexity. Before the 1960s, the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution were interpreted as permitting the death penalty. However, in the early 1960s, it was suggested that the death penalty was a "cruel and unusual" punishment and therefore unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment. Many argue that capital punishment is an absolute necessity, in order to deter crime, and to ‘make things right’ following a heinous crime of murder. Despite the belief that capital punishment may seem to be the only tangible, permanent solution to ending future capital offenses, the United States should remove this cruel and unnecessary form of punishment from our current judicial systems.

The justice system is filled with opposition. Those who support the use of Supermax, the death penalty and the execution of those who are mentally retarded and juveniles, and those who oppose the above mentioned. The following essay will discuss all mentioned topics.

The death penalty, or capital punishment, has always been a topic of much debate in the United States. There are those who support it and those who oppose it, and each side has their fair share of points being made, backed by supportive evidence. The topics range from the morality of this punishment, including the methods of execution as well as fairness issues in regards to sex and race. The first issue that will be addressed is in regards to the death penalty working to prevent violent crimes.

The use of capital punishment in the U.S. is a growing concern for most American citizens. According to statistics, seventy percent of Americans are in support of the death penalty, while only thirty percent are against it. These statistics show that few people are against capital punishment (“Fact” 1). With the use of the death penalty growing the controversy is becoming more heated. With only twelve states left not enforcing it the resistance is becoming futile (“Fact” 4). Many debates have been made and even clauses have been invoked, such as, the “Cruel and Unusual Clause” that was invoked by the Supreme Court in 1962 (Meltsner 179). The use of death as a punishment has been viewed as “cruel

The death penalty was introduced to The United States by Britain. There have been over 14,000 executions in The United States since 1608. In 2011, 36 states held 3,158 inmates under the death sentence. Hanging, firing squad, the gas chamber, the electric chair, and lethal injections are all methods that are and were used in the history of The United States. Many individuals do not realize what the prisoners go through before getting executed. They also do not know what happens during the execution. The means of execution can be carried out through what types of executions are there, the development of lethal injection, botched execution through the eighth amendment, and the conflict of a trained medical

Werent we taught as little kids that revenge is never the answer? Then why is there such thing as a death penalty? "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted." This is what is stated in the 14th amendment of the Bill of Rights. So why is there still a death penalty in the United States? The first laws created towards the death penalty go as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon, which allowed the death penalty to be carried out for 25 different crimes. In these early times death sentences were done by means of crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, and impalement. Newer ways to go about the death penalty, more nineteenth century, include hanging, electric chair, gas chamber, and lethal injection. What do all these methods have in common? Well, they are all used to execute someone who has committed an extremely wrongful crime when there are better ways to deal with such individuals. Capital punishment is barbaric and goes against what is said in the Bill of Rights. There are numerous reasons why the death penalty should be removed from the 32 states that still allow it.

The use of the death penalty in the United States has always been a controversial topic. The death penalty, also known as Capital Punishment, is a legal process where a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a heinous crime. The judicial decree that someone be punished in this manner is a death sentence, while the actual enforcement is an execution (Bishop 1). Over the years, most of the world has abolished the death penalty. But the United States government, and a majority of its citizens, defend and support its continued use. There is evidence, however, that some attitudes about the death penalty are changing.

The death penalty is a huge controversy in the United States. There are many different feelings regarding the death penalty. Some feel like it is the easy way out for people who have committed heinous acts, and others feel like it is the perfect justice for those individuals. An argument made by the website ListVerse explained, that people teach their children not to steal, or commit crimes because they will be sent to prison and punished (ListVerse). Completing their argument, the same website also explained that if the same child, who was taught not to commit crime, commits murder, and is sentenced to the death penalty they are taught nothing (ListVerse). It is important that the criminal justice system not only serves justice, but also deters people from committing the same offense. On the opposing side of the argument, the website Phil for Humanity explains the importance of the death penalty. Phil for Humanity points out how expensive it is to house inmates, and that these individuals are extremely dangerous to society (Phil for Humanity). This paper will discuss the pros and the cons of the death penalty in greater detail.

The death penalty’s main argument is morality. Is it wrong or is it right to sentence someone to death for a crime. The idea of capital punishment stems back from the world’s earliest known societies (Garland, 2011). In the United States today the death penalty is used as form of punishment in 32 states. America is a country of opinion, Americans have their own outlook on everything and the death penalty is no different. Many Americans feel capital punishment is wrong and unethical; while other Americans feel it is ethical and needed.

This paper explores the machination of death penalty in the American society. The history of the nation and even its political ethos are strictly directed towards freedom. The Declaration of Independence vividly expresses that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are unalienable rights, however, both life and the pursuit of happiness also depend on liberty as a fundamental bedrock of the country. The United States Constitution, many years until the early part of the twentieth century, was devoted to freeing society from the shackles of the death penalty. An agenda which should be embraced by all the Americans. The United States Constitution strictly avows respect for life. The restraints placed on the government in the Constitution by

In America, the death penalty plays a major role in society. The government has the power to dictate people’s lives which can be viewed as a crime and a form of injustice. In this country, there are many states with and without this punishment in which they decide how they would like to perceive this law. As of this day, there are still groups of people that would disagree or agree to this act of punishment. Logically speaking, the death penalty should not be legal in any given circumstances. Studies show that during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries there was a minor if not all, number of executions. “The 1960s brought challenges to the fundamental legality of the death penalty. Before then, the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments were interpreted as permitting the death penalty” (Introduction, Center). Over a period of time, the number of executions that has been given by the government to file a charge and kill the defendant has increasing. This subject shows the effect of the death penalty in America before and after the start of this law being established.

Capital punishment’s validity in the legal system continues to be questioned but has been a huge part in human society and the legal system for centuries to restrain dangerous criminals and crimes. Later on, the death penalty as a punishment became a crime in itself, a crime against humanity thought by many, because killing, is killing no matter what. And it is wrong.To this day the argument continues. First of all, the death penalty seems somewhat barbaric and violates the “cruel and unusual” within the meaning of the eighth Amendment. This kind of punishment also sends the wrong message for what is trying to be accomplished: why kill people who kill people to show killing is wrong. Another kind of punishment for criminals is life

People need to better understand that an “eye for an eye” does not make the world go round but merely denying another human the right to live. Death Penalty is a sentence where the state terminate the life of the convicted as a form of capital punishment. The death penalty is legal as well as long as it is imposed fairly. It is one has been an ongoing battle in the United States that raises some litigation issues regarding the effectiveness of counsel, the use of qualified juries, and the lengthy period in which offenders have to spend on death row while anticipating execution. However, in order to find a possible solution to this issue, it is only right to shed light on what Death Penalty is and the implications it has on society. Exploring other possible solutions apart from stereotypical agendas is essential. Therefore, it is acceptable for criminals to be given an equivalent punishment for the crime committed. Until death penalty is eliminated, discrimination, racism and bigotry will prevail with the ongoing practices of institutionalized systems that limits the progress of minorities and the poor.