Capital Punishment Essay Research Paper An issue

Capital Punishment Essay, Research Paper

An issue that has continually created tenseness in our society is capital

penalty. Capital penalty is the legal imposition of the decease punishment. It

is carried out in the United States in the undermentioned rough ways: burning,

hanging, firing squad, deadly injection, and the gas chamber. The decease punishment

has imposed throughout history for many offenses, runing from blasphemy and

lese majesty to petty larceny and slaying. Ancient Roman and Mosaic Law endorsed the

impression of revenge ; they believed in the regulation of “ an oculus for an oculus,

tooth for a tooth. ” Similarly, the antediluvian Egyptians, Assyrians, and Greeks

all executed citizens for a assortment of offenses. The most known people to be

executed were Jesus and Socrates. Common historical methods of executing

included: lapidation, crucifixion, combustion, decapitation, shot, and hanging. These

methods are considered barbarous and unusual penalty today. There are presently

3,269 people on decease row right now. All of these waiting to be put to decease by

a fellow human being. If we use these figures to see what the decease row

population will be in 2061. There will be an alarming sum of 700,000 at this

rate. There were 74 people executed in the United States in 1997.

Thirty of those people still claimed their artlessness at decease. A study

conducted by the decease punishment information centre identifies 69 people

who have been released from decease row since 1973 “ after grounds of their

artlessness emerged. ” The decease punishment is incorrect and besides below the belt

administered. First, females are a really little per centum of decease row, although

they commit over 20 per centum of slayings. Second, there are more nonwhites on

decease row. A black adult male who kills a white individual is eleven times more likely to

be put to decease for that offense than if it where a white adult male. Third, it has been

proven that if you have money you can acquire off with slaying. If you are hapless,

there & # 8217 ; s no manner out. The possibility of an guiltless being convicted of slaying and

put to decease in America is turning. The hazard of put to deathing guiltless people far

outweighs any good that can come from capital penalty. Some argue that

capital penalty is a hindrance of offense. Studies show, nevertheless, that provinces

with the decease punishment have a higher offense and slaying rate than those without.

It is besides sh

ain that those provinces that institutionalized the decease punishment has

non had any lessening or alteration in the offense rate. Finally, there has been no

record of alteration in the rate or figure of homicides in a given metropolis or province

following an executing. Any possibility of discouraging a would be murderer from

killing has small consequence. Others say it cost more to house a felon for life

than to hold them killed. But, the cost of executing has become progressively

expensive while the life sentence becomes progressively more economical. The cost

of executing in Texas is $ 2,316,655. This high cost includes $ 265,640 for test,

$ 294,240 for province entreaties, $ 113,608 for federal entreaties ( over six old ages ) ,

$ 1,135,875 for decease row lodging. In contrast, the cost of lodging a captive in

a Texas maximum-security prison individual cell for 40 old ages is estimated at

$ 750,000. This is besides a big sum of taxpayer & # 8217 ; s money but it is an

investing in the safety and morality of our society. For the past decennaries

capital penalty has been one of the most heatedly contested political issues in

America. This argument is a complicated one. Capital penalty is a legal,

practical, philosophical, societal, political, spiritual, and moral inquiry. The

bible says, “ Whoever sheds adult male & # 8217 ; s blood, by adult male may his blood be shed. ”

But, is this truly up to us? We decide who lives and dies. The Bible besides says,

“ Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord. ” We are non meant to be the

Judgess. We can non do these determinations reasonably. These people who are on decease row

are felons, there & # 8217 ; s no disputing that. They have been tried and convicted. We

are speaking about how they should be punished. It is a far worse penalty to

hold no freedom and all the clip in the universe to believe about why you lost it.

Are we non liquidators ourselves if we condone this? Benjamin Franklin one time sagely

said, “ Making an hurt puts you below your enemy ; avenging one makes you

but even with him ; forgiving one sets you below him. ” We are no better than

the felon as a society by seting them to decease. Besides, wear & # 8217 ; t we teach our

kids it & # 8217 ; s non right to hit person even if they started it? To borrow an old

phrase, “ Two wrongs don & # 8217 ; Ts make a right. ” It doesn & # 8217 ; t work out anything to

foremost put a regulation and so utilize the same thing abolished to bring down penalty.

That does nil but do us slayings ourselves.