Outline the moral arguments against capital punishment. 1. The death penalty has been distributed in a discriminatory manner because African American or poorer defendants are more likely to be executed than equally guilty others, especially when the victim is white (Russell ). 2. Miscarriages of justice occur and the innocent are executed Capital Punishment: Arguments For and Against Introduction. The death penalty is a keen issue in society. The public is concerned about the expediency and the ethical Arguments for capital punishment. The first argument for capital punishment boils down to the simple fact that all Arguments Arguments against Capital Punishment Some people think that reason of the death penalty is to send a right message to the society. Such harsh punishment means that no serious crime will be tolerated and the responsible must be punished for his or her act
Argumentative Essay About Against Capital Punishment | WOW Essays
Punishment for crimes that are deemed cruel and unusual is forbidden by the Eighth Amendment to the U. This amendment is often invoked when discussing the legal merits of the death penalty. The use of the death penalty is considered by some to be the most obvious and heinous example of cruel and unusual punishment. Those opposed to capital punishment do not believe that the government should be vested with the power to put any of its citizens to death. Opponents also maintain that the practice is racially biased, overtly costly and does not achieve the intended outcome. Proponents believe it to be neither cruel nor unusual, on the contrary, they think it just and fair.
The discussion will conclude with an opinion regarding the future of Capital punishment in the U. By definition, capital punishment is not unusual, legally speaking, unless one considers and acknowledges the racial bias that exists in the justice system. Whether or not it is cruel is not definable by law. It can only be defined by the collective social consciousness of a culture. Most legal experts agree that punishments including bodily dismemberment or torture are undoubtedly classified as cruel. Again, terminologies are open to interpretation as evidenced by the current debate at the highest level of government involving the definition of torture.
A life term in prison is an acceptable form of punishment but if it were imposed for jaywalking, this would be an unacceptable sentence because it would be considered excessive given the severity of the offense. Excessive is also open to wide interpretation in both the public and legal realm. The Supreme Court has on several occasions dealt with judging the merits of the death penalty and whether or not it is interpreted by the Constitution as punishment which is cruel and unusual. The Court has always ruled the terminology of the Eighth Amendment does not exclude the implementation of death as punishment. The Constitution is a malleable document, however.
The interpretation of the Eighth Amendment has evolved somewhat throughout the years and the Court could possibly reverse this point of view sometime in the future as a result of changing societal values. For example, arguments against capital punishment essay, the whipping of offenders was commonplace until the late Eighteenth Century. In the Furman v. until it was again resumed in Historically speaking, the rationale for punishing criminals has been to avenge the crime, to protect society by imprisoning the arguments against capital punishment essay, to deter that person and other potential offenders from the commission of crimes and to obtain reparations from the offender Wolfgang, Throughout the history of civilization, this rationale has not changed substantially.
The four fundamental reasons society punishes can be classified into two areas. One is to obtain desired consequences which include protecting society, arguments against capital punishment essay, seeking compensation and deterrence. The other, retribution, or vengeance, involves punishment for a wrong perpetrated on society. Those that hold this view are certainly correct when they say that the death penalty ensures that arguments against capital punishment essay criminal will not commit another crime against society. Those that oppose capital punishment believe that every life should be valued and that imprisoning a person for life without the possibility for parole is adequate punishment.
Opponents also think that revenge is wrong and ultimately more destructive to the value system and very fabric arguments against capital punishment essay society than is the crime itself. Some oppose it based on religious grounds citing morality as the fundamental issue; however, differing religions and people within those religions have differing opinions. Christians who live in Europe, arguments against capital punishment essay, for example, tend to oppose capital punishment but in America, they tend to support it.
Capital punishment opponents claim that wealthy, white criminals are less likely to be executed than underprivileged minority members of society and if the victim is white or wealthy, arguments against capital punishment essay, it is more likely to be imposed. The statistics provide evidence for their claim. Since43 percent of executions in the U. have been black or Hispanic. This group accounts for 55 percent of those currently on death row. About half of those murdered in the U. are white but 80 percent of all murder cases involve white victims. Opponents also believe a justice system that disproportionately executes its citizens cannot be considered anything but corrupt which devalues the entire system.
Opponents of the death penalty argue that the penalty is unjust but proponents disagree with this position because they believe what is arguments against capital punishment essay unjust is the deliberate act of taking another life, murder, arguments against capital punishment essay. If someone steals a car, for example, and was allowed to keep and drive it around town without fear of retribution, no arguments against capital punishment essay would think that fair. It is neither fair to allow anyone that steals a life to keep their own. By allowing people who have been convicted of acting as self-appointed executioners to keep their own life devalues human life on the whole.
Protestant and Catholic philosophy has consistently confirmed the right of a fair government to end the life of convicted murderers. The only law repeated in all five books of the Torah is the condemnation of murderers to death Prager, Death penalty laws have been known to change and probably will again. In addition, people tend to forget the past and parole boards constantly evolve their personnel so there is always a chance, no matter how small, that the murderer will strike again if he is allowed to remain alive. A life sentence imprisonment tends to depreciate with the passage of time as these examples illustrate. InJames Moore raped and strangled year-old Pamela Moss in New York State. Her parents were opposed to the death penalty and asked that he be given life imprisonment arguments against capital punishment essay the possibility of parole.
Moore has been eligible for parole every two years since because of a change in sentencing laws. InKenneth McDuff was convicted in the fatal arguments against capital punishment essay of two boys in the face and the brutal rape and strangulation of their year-old female friend. A Texas jury sentenced McDuff to die in the electric chair but in this was commuted to life in prison after the U. Supreme Court ruling. Inhe was released only to commit at least six more murders which included a pregnant mother of two. He was finally executed in Lowe, Although the U, arguments against capital punishment essay. court system is at least among the most equitable in the world, no system of justice can expect to provide perfect results percent of the time.
Mistakes are inherent within all systems that rely on the human element for proof and for judgment. The justice system correctly demands that a higher standard be imposed for determinations of guilt in death penalty cases. With the extraordinary due process that is applied in all death penalty cases, the risk of making a mistake is minute, arguments against capital punishment essay. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty inthere has been no credible evidence provided that confirms any innocent persons have been executed. The actual figure of innocent death row inmates is nearer 40 which should be considered in context with the 7,plus death—row inmates added to the roles since Mistakes within the system, though few and unavoidable, should not serve as justification to eradicate the death penalty.
We should never disregard the dangers of permitting murderers to kill again Arguments against capital punishment essay, Many proponents of the death penalty believe that it is an option of last resort for arguments against capital punishment essay that cannot be rehabilitated. They also argue that every murderer executed is one less person that the taxpayers are not feeding and housing. An execution is less costly to taxpayers than the alternative, long imprisonment. Additionally, a lengthy appeals process is a costly process that ties up the court system. This cost is considered by opponents to be an insignificant argument because the value of human life cannot possibly be broken down into columns on a profit and loss ledger.
Department of Justice statistics clearly illustrates that the death penalty contains many constitutional flaws. Between andalmost half forty-two percent of inmates awaiting the death sentence had their sentences commuted or reversed. Capital punishment opponents argue that the practice does not deter crime, which statistics reprove. This would allow for the violent offenders to serve their entire sentence without having to be paroled early because of overcrowding. Thus, society would be properly protected. Opponents also deny that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime because of the nature of the reasons people commit homicide. Arguments against capital punishment essay cannot conceive their own demise, therefore, arguments against capital punishment essay, cannot contemplate or appreciate the consequences.
In addition, these crimes are usually committed as a result of impulsive actions and are not carefully considered beforehand. Many studies have been performed to determine if the death penalty is indeed deterrence. These studies have unanimously demonstrated that the death penalty does not deter crime, arguments against capital punishment essay. Interestingly, states that have the death penalty generally have higher murder rates. Data gathered from the Federal Bureau of Investigation indicates of those 12 states without the death penalty, 10 of them saw their murder rates drop below the national average since that time.
Conversely, half of the states that kept the death penalty had their murder rates rise above the national average. Since those states with the death penalty averaged murder rates from about 50 to percent higher than states without it according to an analysis by the NY Times. Additionally, this study found murder rates rose and fell proportionately in those states that did or did not have the death penalty. This data indicates the death penalty rarely if ever, deters crime. In fact, arguments against capital punishment essay, the opposite may be suggested. As evidence, it is generally and widely known the U. incarcerates many more of its citizens by percentage than does any other industrialized nation. The issue is a societal problem.
One day, it will be a compassionate society that does not use the emotion of revenge to decide its laws and the death penalty will go the way of the Salem witch trials, a barbaric punishment of the distant past. What is needed, as in almost every issue, is education. Americans do not seem to challenge their own beliefs long enough to research their justifications on a given subject. Most European citizens enjoy cradle to grave health care and are much less likely to be incarcerated than those in the U. Though there is much evidence to the contrary, American society is growing more compassionate through time. The Civil Rights Act is but one example of this.
We, as a society is in a constant state of evolution. Because we still cling to outdated and cruel forms of punishment, hundreds of years from now will schoolchildren think of us as being an extension of the medieval period? Many of us today certainly do and want us to act, think and make decisions as adults should and not as an impulsive child would.
IELTS Task 2 Writing. Unit 4. Step 1. The Death Penalty. Consider Both Sides / Opinion Essay.
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Outline the moral arguments against capital punishment. 1. The death penalty has been distributed in a discriminatory manner because African American or poorer defendants are more likely to be executed than equally guilty others, especially when the victim is white (Russell ). 2. Miscarriages of justice occur and the innocent are executed Arguments against Capital Punishment Some people think that reason of the death penalty is to send a right message to the society. Such harsh punishment means that no serious crime will be tolerated and the responsible must be punished for his or her act Aug 06, · Rebuttal to Deterrence: Capital Punishment is Not a Proven Deterrent of Future Crimes. Opponents of capital punishment argue that death penalty has not been statistically proven to deter crimes in the future. They argue that capital punishment and life sentence in prison are not different in deterring crimes
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