Death Penalty Sentence example essay topic

Should the Death Penalty be Abolished? The first capital punishment laws date back as early as the 18th century. However it has existed much earlier than that as executions have been taking place since the beginning of time. As time has gone on society is getting more and more anti-death penalty. It has also become more and more controversial. People's like for the death penalty has steadily decreased as well since the 1970's.

Most states require a murder conviction to be able to execute a death penalty sentence, most require first degree or capital murder. However some states can punish aggravated rape and even treason by the death penalty. It is much cheaper for a life sentence without parole compared to sentencing a prisoner to the death penalty. About 3 times more to be exact.

It fails to deter crime as well. The northeast part of the U.S. accounts for only 1% of U.S. executions and the murder rate has decreased by almost 5%, where as the south accounts for 82% of executions and the murder rate has increased by 2.1%. There is also the idea that it violates "cruel and unusual punishment" in the constitution. However, even with all this evidence I do not believe the death penalty should be abolished. I believe in the saying, "an eye for an eye".

I also disagree with the defense that the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment. If someone is convicted of murder which in itself is beyond cruel and unusual it should be punished by the same. Even with evidence supporting the abolition of the death penalty, I believe in the statement, "an eye for an eye". It may cost much more and it may not deter criminals to commit crimes like murder, rape, and treason. However it is a type of retribution for the families of a murder victim who have seen their loved one die by the hands of this man / woman. That is all it comes down to.

That satisfaction for the individuals related to or fellow loved ones of the victim is enough to keep the death penalty around. Many people also believe that another problem with the death penalty is that there is the probability that innocent people can be put to death. Not only is this very unlikely concerning the circumstances of evidence required to sentence someone to the death penalty, but there have also been 111 inmates exonerated from the death penalty since 1973. There was an average of 2.75 death row inmates exonerated per year from 1973 until 1993 and has increased to an average of 5 per year since the. This number continues to increase as time goes on.

There is the opportunity when an inmate is on death row that evidence can be found that can eliminate his / her death sentence so that innocent people can be discovered. The only problem I see with the death penalty is the cost. But when weighing the pros and cons to keeping the death penalty, the pros outweigh the cons and that is enough to keep the death penalty around even if it does cost this country a lot more money.

Bibliography

D. Baker: "A Descriptive Profile and Socio-Historical Analysis of Female Executions in the United States: 1632-1997";
10 (3) Women and Criminal Justice 57 (1999) R.
Bohm, "Death quest: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Capital Punishment in the United States", Anderson Publishing, 1999.
The Death Penalty in America: Current Controversies", H. Be dau, editor, Oxford University Press, 1997.