Regards To Opposition Of The Death Penalty example essay topic

Controversy over this subject has lingered among human beings for many centuries in some form or another. It has gotten exceptionally controversial since authority has been handed down to state level. Those in opposition have raised such issues against the death penalty as inconsistent application, that it has little or no deterrent, that it has no effect on premeditated crime, that it is no more effective than a life sentence but is more costly, that it encourages violence in society, and that it is simply inhumane. It is after much research and thought that I must disagree. This is especially hard for me as I have a stepbrother who is doing a life sentence and according to the stand I am going to attempt to argue, should have been executed. That is not easy to say but in my opinion it is true.

Though I feel that the death penalty is needed, I must admit I am not totally in opposition with all points expressed from those who disagree with it. My stepbrother is an example that the death penalty is applied inconsistently. Jeffrey Delmer is another. Instead we are asking the victims family to assist the state with feeding them, clothing them, attend to their medical needs, provide legal assistance to them, keep them warm in the winter and cool in the summer! Both of this crimes were premeditated and in accordance with another felony crime. Why then were they not sentenced to death?

Those in opposition are correct on that one. Deterrent is another issue that is in question by those in opposition. Well, how much of a deterrent is it to know that the worst thing that will happen to me if I commit this crime is that I will spend the rest of my life with someone else footing the bill? What is to stop me from killing again just because I am incarcerated? Murderers have and do kill again while incarcerated. What do they have to fear?

What is the deterrent? They are already doing a life sentence. Studies have shown that after the abolishment of the death penalty in the 1960's that murders increased rapidly. (prodeathpenalty. com) The death penalty is so rarely used that it is difficult to measure what effect it has on murderers. Out of the approximate 560,000 murders committed between 1967 and 1996 there have only been 358 executions. (BJS) My solution to this issue would be the enforcement of a quicker and certain death penalty showing criminals that there are repercussions. The mafia is an excellent example.

How many of those ever double cross their leaders? Are they deterred because they are afraid of going to jail? I don't think so! I do not have any statistics to back up my belief that the death penalty has any effect on premeditated murders. I can only argue this point from a common sense viewpoint.

If I knew that I would certainly without a doubt be executed if I carried out the murder that I had planned, I strongly feel that I would weigh out the odds and decide either not to commit the murder or to go ahead and make it a murder / suicide. My solution again would be to have a certain and faster death penalty for first degree murder as well as murder while committing a felony. I do not understand how those in opposition conclude that the death penalty is no more effective than a life sentence. First of all I have never heard of a reincarnated murderer that came back to murder again. Secondly, statistics have proven that that the maintenance for a criminal serving a life sentence is much more expensive. High medical costs for treating inmates, especially those with Hepatitis C, needing geriatric care or have AIDS are contributing factors.

The increased prison costs for upkeep and maintaining judicially set prisoner conditions along with judicial appeals (for plea bargaining to a lesser sentence of life imprisonment) increase the costs for supporting a life sentence inmate as well. Not to mention costs that may occur due to violent acts causing injury or death to another inmate. To me it is apparent that the cost of execution would be less and could be much less, if a faster more certain death penalty was implemented. As for the death penalty encouraging violence in society, I do not agree with that theory either. No deterrent for capital crimes would encourage violence in society. If criminals knew that there was a stiff repercussion for their act, they would be less likely to commit violent crimes.

However, the anticipation that incarceration and the possibility of their privileges being taken away does not provide a strong enough deterrent. Therefore not having the death penalty would encourage violence in society. Again my solution would be the implementation of a swifter and certain death penalty, especially for those who plead guilty to first-degree murder or any murder committed while in the act of committing any other felony crime. Of course the plea of guilty would definitely decrease to some extent, but those who did plea guilty would be executed without delay. There is no need for appeals and other proceedings in such cases. The most common issue I have experienced in regards to opposition of the death penalty is that it is inhumane.

How humanely was the victim murdered? So, GOD was inhumane when he put Noah in the ark and killed the rest? In times past there may have been some incidents that most would view as inhumane but that is no longer the case. The only form of execution allowable is lethal injection. The inmate is placed in a cell alone just prior to execution for several days.

He or she has time to make final amends where they feel necessary, a chance to get their hearts and souls right with GOD and to come to terms with what is about to happen to them. Did their victims have these luxuries? They are fed kept warm and as comfortable as possible until the time they draw their last breathe. They are allowed to se their family members one last time.

How many victims were given that option? At the time of execution they are taken into the execution room and injected with saline lines by trained personnel. Thiopental sodium is then injected putting the inmate into a deep sleep. Potassium chloride is injected which causes the heart to stop followed by a muscle relaxer that will stop the inmate from breathing. (doc. state) They do not fell the blow of an instrument to their body, a shot, or laceration. In fact they do not undergo any suffering at all unlike most of the victims. Could we possibly be any more humane?

It was a hard decision for me to support the death penalty. However, I feel that I am right in doing so. Without it there would be no deterrent at all. Even though the chance of facing death is rare through a judicial system, it is better than no deterrent at all. As I have stated throughout this essay, my solution to the issues associated with our current death penalty would be to implement it more quickly and with absolute certainty that if convicted of a capital offense you will be put to death. There would be no long drawn out series of appeals and procedures as there is now.

Currently an inmate is six times ore likely to get of death row by appeals than by death. Putting an innocent person to death this also is rare, especially with the technology that can be applied to a crime scene today. In prior years there were innocent people put to death. This is a horrible thing to think about, but with the testing for undeniable evidence that we have today the chance of this happening is extremely rare. ( (pro death. com) Studies are now showing that the death penalty is being used more cautiously. (lexisone. com) My last defense for the death penalty is one that I failed to mention earlier. It is against the belief that racism occurs when using the death penalty.

It is strongly implied by those of opposition that blacks are sentenced to death more than whites or other races. Those who believe this should review the statistics on this matter more closely. If that is the case then why have whites made up the majority of inmates on death row since the death penalty was reinstated? (us doj. gov).