How is capital punishment justified? Why does it still exist?

Question

The movie Dor brings to light the issue of death penalty being served to those who are convicted of murder. How is it justified?

Answer 1

The Death Penalty is a harsh sentence, the harshest that society can give.

If a person killed 15 people then how can his one death pay back that crime? Why don’t we kill him 15 times! You can medically induce a heart attack and then bring them back with a defibrillator. Of course this would be cruel and unusual punishment and it would be illegal according to the 5th amendment. The Death Penalty has been challenged several times in the Supreme Court on the grounds of it being cruel and unusual punishment, it has been upheld each time.

I have mixed feelings about the Death Penalty. People claim that it isn’t a determent to crime; people still murder each other. I also think that that it is used too often, my state is famous for it.

However, the Death Penalty does have some advantages. It is the ultimate determent for the murder. John Wayne Gacy, a serial killer, will never kill anyone again. Even if he was given a life term for each person that we know he killed, he would still be a threat to his guards and other prisoners. What’s to stop him from committing murder in prison? Are you going to give him another life term? That wouldn’t be a determent. And if he should escape then he will go back to murdering people again. However, if the Death Penalty was a possibility then he might think twice about committing another murder. We can’t ask him if this is so, because he is dead, and I think that is a good thing.

Charles Manson is as crazy as ever. He built a “family” and inspired them to go on a killing spree. Charles Manson wants to do nothing more than to incite hate and violence. To that end he has had a tattoo or brand of the Nazi symbol placed on his forehead. If he escapes from prison there is no doubt what he will do. He will start another “family” and send it too off on a killing spree. Manson has even said he will do this. If he were dead, killed by the Death Penalty, then that wouldn’t be a threat. As it is we have to keep him locked up for the rest of his natural life. He is a threat to his guards, other prisoners, and a continuing threat to society itself. We can’t kill him though because he didn’t go on the killing spree himself, he only inspired it. Meanwhile I have to spend my tax money to help support him for the rest of his natural life.

The Death Penalty has its advantages. It is something to hold over prisoners. If they murder another prisoner then they could have to face it. It also prevents us from supporting a prisoner for the rest of his life. That’s a cruel fact, but true. It will also prevent a murderer from ever killing again.

When the Death Penalty is applied it should be done so only as a last resort and under special circumstances.
-- First a higher standard of guilt should be met. The jury must be sure, beyond a SHADOW of doubt that the accused is actually guilty. A murderer can be convicted if beyond a REASONABLE doubt the jury considers him guilty. A higher standard should be held for the application of the death penalty. Just how stringent that standard should be is up to the Judge’s instructions, and the jury. Also our legal system is based on the idea that we would rather not convict 100 people, if that means convicting 1 innocent person.
-- Second the person should be considered a continuing threat to society. A man who finds out his wife is cheating on him and then kills her, may not be a continuing threat to society (unless he gets married again). He may be unstable and should be sentenced to a long prison term, but I don’t think he should be subject to the Death Penalty. The ultimate penalty should only be applied only to people who are likely to murder again; preferable only to people who have committed multiple murders and proved that they will kill again, if given the chance.
In some states there is another condition that can cause the Death Penalty to apply. In New York it is called Special Circumstances. If the crime was especially heinous and awful then New York considers it a crime worthy of the death penalty. The decision to try and apply this penalty is up to the District Attorney’s Office, but the jury should be the ultimate panel to decide if the Death Penalty should be applied or not.

I also think that a death penalty should raise an automatic appeal. This is done in most states, but the appeals process is limited. A case can only be turned over if there was an error committed in the trial. If some rule was broken, or if a procedure was violated. The person cannot be re-tried and new evidence cannot be introduced. I think that the judges should be given more liberal standards. They should be able to weigh new evidence or examine anything that sheds a new light on the case. The case should also be reinvestigated. This doesn’t mean that old evidence has to be recollected, but it should be gone over and checked to make sure it was collected and handled properly. This review should be done by a state official independent of the first investigation.

I don’t like the Death Penalty, and I think that it should only be applied in rare circumstances. However, there are some murderers that warrant this kind of punishment. These people need to have that penalty available to protect society.

Answer 2

Is Capital Punishment Justified

Answer 3

I think capital punishment is justified.. it still exists because the fear of it should not go from the society's mind. and if we ponder on this point we'll realise that it is necessary for the criminals who brutally murder others..
But our system should not be the way it is. as it is, it is given in rarest of rare cases. then also Human Rights Commission is there opposing it..Where are they when these criminals kill someone's son, someone's sister.. When a family loses someone dear..Is the Human Rights Commission with them to help them?? no.. Then why to protect the criminal, when after very hard work and prayers of that family he is finally to be punished..
Only if this fear is there in the minds of the people that the crimes can be reduced..otherwise every person will be free knowing that capital Punishment won't be awarded..
And i think even the death of the criminal won't get the family their dear one back but at least they will have the satisfaction that the person who has taken the life of their son/ daughter is atleast being punished..
Otherwise the day is not far when people will think that this system won't help them get justice.. And capital Punishment should not be abolished otherwise this society which is getting violent day by day will soon be full of wild animals who heartlessly commit crimes..

Answer 4

To your first question; a mans conscience must answer that. As to why it still exists; it is the law, where it is still extant. There is a common misconception about punishment. People think that, perhaps it is to deter; others think it is a legal form of revenge. Punishment does not concern its self with the long or short term effects; it is merely the law keeping it's promise. If the law states that the punishment shall be, perhaps ten lashes with a wet noodle, or a hundred thousand dollars, the promise must be kept. If there is no bluff to call, there will be no bluff. WE are a nation of laws, not of men, so, capital punishment will exists until it is no longer law.

Answer 5

Capital punishment is given in rarest of the rare cases. It is intention of the convict which play important point before pronouncement of punishment by the honourable judges. In most of the cases it is life imprisonment. But if the crime is so cruel it looks threat to the society that if such person exist ,it will be more harm to the society than benefit, capital punishment is justified . Humanitarian ground is another point, but such convicts are not to be consider as human being because what is expected from a human being of a respected society is not found at all in those person.

Answer 6

Death penalty can seem very harsh to a great extent but in my own personal opinion i think that it is right to have such a penalty. Based on the fact that this person has killed someone and is in his right sound of mind ,I'd think it right to say that justice was served. Not to be harsh but no matter what the situation may be that doesn't give you any authority to take away a mothers son, a father, or a uncle from someone. On a more spiritual point of view I'd say that sentencing a person for life with hard labor is enough punishment for any person. I say let God be the judge of a mans sin not us. Because no matter what we'll all someday have to face judgement day. Nonetheless bear in mind that the laws are there for us to respect and also a means of stopping us not only from heinous crimes but from committing sins such as "murder".

Answer 7

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RE:
How is capital punishment justified? Why does it still exist?
The movie Dor brings to light the issue of death penalty being served to those who are convicted of murder. How is it justified?

Answer 8

JUSTIFICATION - First of all nobody can justify the Capital Punishment in first short, you have to check all the situations and circumstances, on which ground he murdered, it is true or not, no emotions involved in this. the justification should be clear not one sided, if the he done this for wrong thing he should be punish, otherwise as per rule.
justification also depend on person's charcter, how he is, what the people think about him,

existence - it is still exist because, it's gives fear in mind, otherwise the crimerate will shoot-up, because of this only people thought about it.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT - WITHOUT MERCY.

Answer 9

Capital punishment is sometimes the only option left to clear the society of antisocial elements. There is no use trying to reform some criminals. They refuse to be reformed. They are a menace to the society and the society will only suffer a loss if we lock them up for life. It is better that these criminals are done away with instead of feeding them and clothing them for life using the tax payers money. Also in our judicial system capital punishment is given to the rarest of the rare cases. So overall I think that capital punishment is justified.

Answer 10

The Capital Punishment is Justified, The reason I say this is because. It provides Justice In its simplest form.
How would you feel if someone you love is murdered, killed in the most inhumane way, And the murderrer is behind the bars but not repenting for what he has done. Doesn't ur blood boil at the thought of that person?????