The Issue Of Abolishing The Death Penalty

Fifty eight countries in the world participate in the use of the death penalty, in 2010 the United States ranked fifth in having the most executions even though only thirty five states in the US legalized it. The death penalty is inhumane and you can argue it violates the constitution by using cruel and unusual punishments, that said The death penalty has many flaws with the system and it it should be abolished because it has a risk of discrimination and wrongful execution, it is not effective, and the cost of the system.

The federal government has an obligation to make just laws. Currently, US laws allow for the death penalty for certain heinous crimes. The supporters argue that the 5th Amendment, which guarantees that no one shall be deprived of "life, liberty, or property, without due process of law,” implies that depriving someone of his or her life is permissible under the constitution as long as there is due process. However, there are several reasons why the federal government must abolish the death penalty - it weakens US moral authority over other nations; there have been too many wrongful convictions for death penalty in the US; the death penalty is in conflict with the 8th amendment of the US constitution; and finally, the cost of death penalty

I would like about whether or not the United States should abolish the death penalty. The United States should not abolish this because those who commit a capital felony which is punishable by imprisonment or death, should serve a capital punishment which is the death penalty. Many believe that certain crimes such as rape and murder should punishable by the death penalty. Although many also see it as inhumane, many also view murder and rape as inhumane. One can view this as part of Hammburi’s Code law that states “An eye for an eye.” Capital punishment has ben around for thousands of years; beginning even before the ancient Greeks and Romans. At that time, there were many different ways to carry out capital punishment such as, beheading, stoning and electrocution (PBS).

On September 9, 1993 a seventeen year old boy, Christopher Simmons, and a few of his friends met up to discuss and devise a plan to commit a robbery and possibly even a murder, just for the sake of fun. Simmons’ plan was not complicated: find someone to burglarize, tie up the victim and either leave the victim tied to a tree or push them off a bridge. Simmons and his accomplice climbed through a window and proceeded into the bedroom of the victim, Mrs. Cook. The two teenagers tied the woman up and loaded her into the back of her own minivan. They drove to the state park at the edge of town, where they had planned to dispose of the body and that is exactly what they did. The boys were caught later on that month and put on trial for cold

In 1940, Lawrence Bittaker, an infamous serial killer from the 1970’s, was born to two unloving parents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was adopted but eventually left abandoned by his adoptive parents who could not put up with him anymore (Chojnaki, M. & Danz, E. p. 1). By the age of 17, Bittaker dropped out of high school, never to obtain his GED. From the ages of 21 to 26, Bittaker was diagnosed “borderline psychotic” and “basically paranoid” multiple times by different doctors (Chojnaki, M. & Danz, E. p. 1). Bittaker was in and out of jail before murdering five teenage girls in 1979 with a partner, Roy Norris (Chojnaki, M. & Danz, E. p. 2). In 1981, Bittaker was sentenced to death. As of today, he is 70 years old and is still on death row at San Quentin Prison in California (Chojnaki, M. & Danz, E. p. 3).

If your family was victim to a heinous federal crime, such as murder, rape, or abduction, would you still be opposed to capital punishment? Capital punishment can be defined as the legal authorization for the killing of someone as punishment for a crime. This is a highly controversial topic in the United States of America, debating whether taking a life in the name of the law is considered justice. While the death penalty is necessary in our society, it needs much reform. Debated topics within the subject of the death penalty are wether race and age play a factor, forms of execution and whether they are cruel and unusual, does it deter criminals from committing federal crimes, and does it provide victims and their families closure.

When taking a human life in response to a crime, a state is acting on behalf of all of its citizens. Capital punishment is an expensive procedure with permanent ramifications. It is therefore very important that the matter of capital punishment be seriously reconsidered. In order to protect all of America's citizens, I recommend that congress approve a constitutional amendment that reads:

Should the death penalty be abolished across the nation? Throughout the history of the United States, in a court of law the death penalty would be designated to a criminal whose crime was deemed worthy of a grueling penalty that is based on a verdict which may not be completely accurate in every circumstance. Although many feel as if it is the necessary form of punishment that must be given at times, the death penalty is a punishment that should not be made legal throughout the entire United States because of the fact that it is based on a verdict that may not be one hundred percent accurate. Additionally, this negates the chance of the victim’s innocence to be reinstated furthermore in time and decreases their chance to be given the

The death penalty is a rather controversial topic, people tend to have a very strong opinion of being either for or against it. The reasons vary as to why a person is for or against the death penalty. Often those that oppose the death penalty argue for the sanctity of life, while proponents for the death penalty argue that it deters crime. The most convincing argument for the death penalty is retribution, the punishment must fit the crime.

Charles defended himself with the help of an attorney Irving Kanarek. The jury finds all of the murderers guilty and sentenced to the death penalty. California abolishes the death penalty, therefore they all are sentenced to life in prison. In 2012, denied for parole for the 12th time, Charles gets rejected on the accounts of his 108 serious disciplinary violations in prison since 1971 and not showing any sign of remorse for the murders.

Though personally I believe that the death penalty should be abolished, I found myself indecisive on who was making better points during this debate. The pro position, who argued in favor of abolishing the death penalty, and the con position, who argued in favor to keep the death penalty both shared well developed points that left me confused as well as uncertain as to what I myself believe in, considering the power the panelists persuasion had on me. Whether you personally believe in the abolishment of the death penalty or not, when the panelist talk about innocent lives being taken, you have to admit that your stance on this topic is questioned, even at the slightest. And on the other hand, your stance must also be questioned when the

Lena Baker an African American Women in Georgia was unjustly murdered by the state and country in 1945. Her boss, Earnest Knight, was an abusive man, who made sexual advances on this women. After being scared for her life she acted in self defense in order to save herself. In the possess of fighting for her life she killed Knight. An all white male jury found Lena guilty of murder, and was sentenced to execution by electrocution. After her death in 1945 she was pardoned of all charges in 2003. This tragic tale shows how the justice system can be broken and have perpetual consequences. A society that murders for justice is not a morally just society because of the degradation of ethics and the

Death is a scary thought. Capital punishment, or the death penalty, as we all know is the execution of mass murderers. It is a controversial issue, but is it necessary? Capital punishment all started when the colonists brought it to America from England (Source 5). At that time it was the normal act, and they mainly executed people by firing squad or hangings. "In 1972 the supreme ruled that the death penalty violated guarantees of due process, equal protection and the prohibition of cruel punishment"(source3). Although the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional, each state that felt it was necessary mad new legislation reintroducing capital punishment (Source 3). All of this happening in the 1970’s and 80’s, and it is still in play today. This just shows that the death penalty can live through plenty and will always be around. No matter how many people want it gone each and every state has their own law and each would have to repeal them. The death penalty seems like a ludicrous thing to do, but it is a necessary punishment for some.

The issue of the death penalty is widely disputed. So disputed that maybe I shouldn’t have picked this topic. But nevertheless, the death penalty is an issue that needs to be addressed. Should the death penalty be abolished from our criminal justice system? Well, that depends on whom you ask. If you ask me… no. I personally don’t see anything wrong with the death penalty because there are a lot of criminals that are just too dangerous to society and death is the only punishment they deserve.

The death penalty is the “punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime.” (Google.com) The death penalty has been around for about 400 years now. The death penalty originated in virginia in 1605 by Captain George Kendall. The death penalty itself is a very controversial topic and many people have different [points of view on it. Within this essay will be the main parts ion why the death penalty is the worst thing that has come to the United States.