The Controversy Over the Death Penalty Essay - 907 Words

The Controversy Over the Death Penalty Why is the death penalty used as a means of punishment for crime? Is this just a way to solve the nations growing problem of overcrowded prisons, or is justice really being served? Why do some view the taking of a life morally correct? These questions are discussed and debated upon in every state and national legislature throughout the country. Advantages and disadvantages for the death penalty exist, and many members of the United States, and individual State governments, have differing opinions. Yet it seems that the stronger arguments, and evidence such as cost effectiveness, should lead the common citizen to the opposition of Capital Punishment. Those who choose to support†¦show more content†¦Keeping a prisoner in jail for life will be very expensive considering that it costs $80,000 a year; and the bad news is that the money comes from the taxpayers pocket. Thousands of people will attack the death penalty. They will give emotional speeches about the one innocent man who might be executed. However, all of these people are forgetting one crucial element. They are forgetting the thousands of victims who die every year. This may sound awkward, but the death penalty saves lives. It saves lives because it stops those who murder from ever murdering again (Bryant). These opinions represent some of the strongest and most influential views that proponents hold. However, if our prison system could rehabilitate more effectively, perhaps those who murdered once, could change. Texas being one of the states within the U.S. that allows Capital Punishment also has one of the largest death rows. Jim Mattox, former Attorney General of Texas, who supported the death penalty during his term of office, does not believe that murderers in Texas are hindered by the death penalty. Mattox interviewed nearly all the people executed in Texas between 1976 and 1988 and concluded that the death sentence never crossed their minds before they committed their crime. It is my own experience that those executed in Texas were not deterred byShow MoreRelatedControversy Over The Death Penalty2147 Words   |  9 PagesA Controversy over the Death Penalty Over the years criminals were dealt with in many different ways: they were sent to jail, getting little punishment, or in worse cases, death. The death penalty continues to be an issue of controversy, and it is an issue that will be debated in the United States for many years to come. The death penalty is the highest punishment administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. This is the only punishment that leaves room for no mistakes. TheRead MoreThe Controversy over the Death Penalty Essay2481 Words   |  10 PagesThe Controversy over the Death Penalty HE STOOD AT THE THRESHOLD OF THE EXECUTION chamber in Huntsville, Texas,18 minutes from death by lethal injection, when official word finally came that the needle wouldnt be needed that day The rumors of a 30day reprieve were true. Ricky McGinn, a 43-year-old mechanic found guilty of raping and killing his 12-yearold stepdaughter, will get his chance to prove his innocence with advanced DNA testing that hadnt been available at the time of his 1994 convictionRead MoreThe Death Penalty: Multiple Methods of Execution1489 Words   |  6 PagesThe death penalty is one of the nation’s most hotly debated topic. Most Americans are either heavily in favor of execution or heavily opposed to it. In America, there are multiple methods of execution, lethal injection, firing squad, hanging, electrocution, and the gas chamber. 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Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, became extremely popular as a use of â€Å"punishment† for ones illegal actions. The dea th penalty was first established during 1834 for crimes committed such as â€Å"idolatry, witchcraft, blasphemy, murder, manslaughter, poisoning, bestiality, sodomy, adultery, man stealing, and false witness in case rebellion† (Bohm). According to Bohm’s articleRead MoreThe Capital Punishment Debate Essay1396 Words   |  6 PagesCapital Punishment, also known as the death penalty is a legal sentence for a criminal to be put to death. The Punishment is rising to a controversial topic and has led to a lot of heated debates. As of 2014, over 150 countries have abolished the death penalty and 40 others have not used it in recent years, although it is still legal. The death Penalty is mostly used in extreme cases of crime like rape or murder. The convicted criminals are mostly put to death in inhuman ways such as lethal injectionsRead MoreThoughtful Reasoning For The Ultimate Punishment1613 Words   |  7 PagesThoughtful Reasoning for the Ultimate Punishment Only the most dangerous criminals in the world are faced with society’s ultimate penalty, or at least that is the theory. Capital punishment, commonly referred to as the Death Penalty has been debated for many decades regarding if such a method is ethical. While there are large amounts of supporters for the death penalty as a form of retribution, the process is avoidable financially as taxing for all parties involved. The financial expenses may be betterRead More The Case Against Capital Punishment Essays784 Words   |  4 Pagesis murder.   It is as simple as that.   There have been so many different controversies surrounding this debate that often, the issues become clouded in false statistics and slewed arguments.   The basic fact remains that killing is morally and ethically wrong.   This fact does not disappear by simply changing the term murder to capital punishment.   The act is still the taking of a life.   On these grounds, the death penalty should be abo lished. Proponents of capital punishment believe that killingRead MoreThe Death Penalty Of The United States948 Words   |  4 Pages 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 websiteRead MoreDeath Penalty: Morally Wrong? Appropriate Punishment?939 Words   |  4 PagesShelby Dinkel Wagoner English IV 28 November 2012 Death Penalty: Morally Wrong? Appropriate Punishment? Since 1976 when the death penalty was reinstated by the United States Supreme Court there has been approximately 1,317 convicted criminals executed. Out of those executed, 12 were female. These executions have been held in 34 different states with Texas being the highest at 37 percent. The majority of the time lethal injection and the electric chair were used. However, gas chambers, hanging