Is Capital Punishment Ever Justified - 844 Words

Capital punishment, better known as the death penalty, is the act of killing or executing a person who was found guilty of a serious crime, by the government. Capital punishment became widespread during the Middle Ages and was applied throughout Western Europe for more than two thousand years. Although, the call to abolish it started in the 18th century, some of the first countries being Venezuela in 1863, San Marino in 1865, and Costa Rica in 1877. Great Britain abolished the death penalty in 1965 and was permanently outlawed in 1969. By 2004, eighty-one countries had abolished capital punishment, but some countries in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia still use it for ordinary crimes. At present day, China and the United States apply the†¦show more content†¦Thus, public defenders tend to avoid spending the necessary amount of time on a capital case to effectively defend the defendant. Bedau and Cassel concluded â€Å"Death sentences are imposed in a criminal justice system that treats you better if you are rich and guilty than if you are poor and innocent.† Moreover, it is argued that capital punishment may violate Eighth Amendment rights against cruel and unusual punishments. It is cruel because it is a relic of the earliest days of penology, when slavery, branding, and other corporal punishments were commonplace. Like those barbaric practices, it can be argued executions have no place in a civilized society. It is unusual because only the United States of all the western industrialized nations engages in this punishment. It is also unusual because only a random sampling of convicted murderers in the United States receive a sentence of death. There are also a number of moral arguments against the death penalty. Abolitionists believe in the value and respect of human life. Others believe that the state has no right to kill any of its prisoners, as the life of the criminal cannot compensate for the crime committed. Finally, some see the death penalty as an affront to human dignity and a violation of the offender’s right to live. Nevertheless, there are arguments in favor of capital punishment. When answering aShow MoreRelatedIs Violence ever justified1043 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Is violence ever justified? The debate about the use of violence has been on going for the last decade. Violence, the act of causing physical harm to another person willingly, has often been categorized as being an uncivilized, unjustified act. It is mostly known, and commonsensical knowledge that attacking or inflicting harm upon another person is â€Å"wrong†. Most of us frown upon people who resort to such violent acts, and they are punishable by law. However, as we progress into the 21st centuryRead MoreCapital Punishment Essay example710 Words   |  3 PagesCapital Punishment Lets keep society safe and give murderers what they deserve - the death penalty. In this essay I will hope to set out both sides of the argument, for and against Capital Punishment. The advantages and the disadvantages will be considered in conjunction with Christian teachings and belief. The Christian teachings, Old Testament and New Testament will also be compared with human reactions to the subject. From my research and analysis inRead MoreIs The Death Penalty Ever Justified?1099 Words   |  5 PagesLyndze Curry Professor Jennifer Arceo English 1301.1CY 09, June 2015 Is The Death Penalty Ever Justified? In the American society many citizens argue daily, is the death penalty justified? The United States is sharply divided, and equally strong among both supporters and protesters of the death penalty. Arguing against capital punishment, many believe The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights (White).† Some simply believe it to be premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a humanRead MoreThe Capital Punishment Arguments888 Words   |  4 PagesDEATH PENALTY ARGUMENTS Introduction to the Issue Capital punishment is one of the most controversial issues in contemporary American criminal justice administration because it consists of the purposeful taking of the life of another. On one hand, killing for any reason besides the absolute necessity of self-defense violates the moral principles upon which modern society is built. On the other hand, there are criminals whose conduct (including the wanton murder of others) justifies suspensionRead MoreThe Death Penalty: Can It Ever Be Justified? Essay1426 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"The Death Penalty: Can It Ever Be Justified?† Edward I. Koch uses his essay â€Å"The Death Penalty: Can It Ever Be Justified?† to defend capital punishment. He believes that justice for murderous crimes is essential for the success of the nation. The possibility of error is of no concern to Koch and if would-be murderers can be deterred from committing these heinous crimes, he feels the value of human life will be boosted and murder rates will consequently plummet (475-479). Koch makes a valiantRead MoreCapital Punishment : A Prosperous And Amazing Journey For The Development And Advancements Of The Human Race1656 Words   |  7 Pagesnation needed to be pure and as humanely guided as possible. The concept of capital punishment, although highly challenged, has a chronicle of evidence that supports the requirement of the death penalty. Capital punishment is necessary based on the fact that evil does occur in the world, but there is no place for it. When evil actions are committed society must extinguish such evil to reestablish the equilibrium. Capital punishment is a utility to governments of nations that has served to expunge andRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Not Morally Permissible?1231 Words   |  5 Pages  For thousands of years, punishment for crime has been met with several different styles of execution. In 1976, the United States government reinstalled the death penalty four short years after having banned it claiming that it violated the Constitution s ban on cruel and unusual punishment (MacKinnon, Ethics 289). Since 1976, the morality of execution as just punishment has been a highly discussed topic. The death penalty is not morally permissible because dissolving one s basic human rightRead MoreDealth Penalty Is Not a Solution Essay1003 Words   |  5 Pagespurpose of the justice system is to control crime by punishing criminals and protect people by imprisoning them. Compared to the death penalty, life imprisonment not only achieves the same goals but also in many ways it can be more effective than capital p unishment. In the Vincent Brothers’ case of 2004, Brothers murdered five of his family members- his wife, children, and mother in law. During his trial, his only surviving daughter Margaret Kerns-Brothers gave a heart-wrenching testimony about how theRead MoreAn Eye for an Eye: The Death Penalty1553 Words   |  7 Pagesa tooth. However, in light of recent research into ethics, criminology and the justice system, the time has come for us to re-examine our ageless paradigm of revenge. Capital punishment is a custom in which prisoners are executed in accordance with judicial practice when they are convicted of committing a â€Å"capital crime.† Capital crimes are crimes considered so atrocious that they should be punishable by death. This may be done as an act of retribution, to ensure that the individual cannot commitRead MoreCapital Punishment : The Death Penalty Essay1331 Words   |  6 PagesCapital punishment, commonly known as the death penalty, is a legal sanctioned practice where a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime that they have been found guilty of committing. Usually it is only used as a punishment for very serious crimes such as certain types of murder, but in some countries fraud, adultery and rape are capital crimes punished by the death sentence. The death penalty was historically misused, given out for minor crimes, and to triumph over rebellious