capital punishment?!!??!/?

Question

i have to write an argumentative/persuasive essay on capital punishment. which is tought considering i dont know to much about the subject...what are some points i should make, and could you inform me more about capital punishment...thanks so much!

Answer 1

Capital punishment has been under debate for years concerning weather or not it is constitutional vs. finding a punishment fitting the crime.

It is not about being a deterrent as it has been proven to not deter violent crime rather it is a punishment that befits the crime when it is so heinous as to warrant death. Though we are the one of the only countries that supports the death penalty our nation also leads with the number of inmates and in violent crime.

Society has judged that some crimes deserve capital punishment and it has been upheld by jubilation and the people. These individuals that are in question and that have commuted capital crimes are not able to control themselves and are a danger to society even from the cell. In the past there have been abuses of the death penalty where executions have been committed against the innocent and/or have been extremely violent in there own right. The strongest argument against capital punishment is concerning whether or not it is humane and befitting the crime.

This punishment is for only the most heinous of violent crimes, it is not intended for casual crime or for those who meet the criteria of insanity. In my opinion it is just and has served a purpose even if it is only to give closer for the bereaved. Whether you advocate the pro’s or con’s of capital punishment one thing stands true. If we house these individuals they will continue to commit these horrendous acts against there fellow man, there is no cure.

I am a peaceful man and I believe that any loss of life is abhorrent and nobody is born evil, but I do believe that some people are just plan evil and must be dealt with.

Answer 2

Capital punishment or the death penalty is a legal process whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. The judicial decree that someone be punished in this manner is a death sentence, while the actual process of killing the person is an execution. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes orcapital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally "regarding the head" (referring to execution by killing).
Capital punishment has, in the past, been practiced by most societies. Currently 58 nations actively practice it, 97 countries have abolished it de jure for all crimes, 8 have abolished it for ordinary crimes only (maintain it for special circumstances such as war crimes), and 35 have abolished it de facto (have not used it for at least ten years and/or are under moratorium) . Amnesty International considers most countries abolitionist, overall, the organization considers 140 countries to be abolitionist in law or practice. About 90% of all executions in the world take place in Asia.
Capital punishment is a matter of active controversy in various countries and states, and positions can vary within a single political ideology or cultural region. In the European Union member states, Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits the use of capital punishment. The Council of Europe, which has 47 member states, also prohibits the use of the death penalty by its members.
The United Nations General Assembly has adopted, in 2007, 2008 and 2010, non-binding resolutions calling for a global moratorium on executions, with a view to eventual abolition. Although many nations have abolished capital punishment, over 60% of the world's population live in countries where executions take place, such as the People's Republic of China ,India, the United States of America and Indonesia, the four most-populous countries in the world, which continue to apply the death penalty (although in India, Indonesia and in many US states it is rarely employed). Each of these four nations voted against the General Assembly resolutions.

Answer 3

The best resource for students writing about the death penalty is at http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=1917

In the meantime, and in brief (with sources below):

124 people on death rows have been released with proof that they were wrongfully convicted. DNA is available in less than 10% of all homicides and isn’t a guarantee we won’t execute innocent people.

The death penalty doesn't prevent others from committing murder. No reputable study shows the death penalty to be a deterrent. To be a deterrent a punishment must be sure and swift. The death penalty is neither. Homicide rates are higher in states and regions that have it than in states that don’t.

We have a good alternative. Life without parole is now on the books in 48 states. It means what it says. It is sure and swift and rarely appealed. Life without parole is less expensive than the death penalty.

The death penalty costs much more than life in prison, mostly because of the legal process which is supposed to prevent executions of innocent people.

The death penalty isn't reserved for the worst crimes, but for defendants with the worst lawyers. It doesn't apply to people with money. When is the last time a wealthy person was on death row, let alone executed?

The death penalty doesn't necessarily help families of murder victims. Murder victim family members across the country argue that the drawn-out death penalty process is painful for them and that life without parole is an appropriate alternative.

Problems with speeding up the process. Over 50 of the innocent people released from death row had already served over a decade. If the process is speeded up we are sure to execute an innocent person.

Answer 4

Capital punishment is used as both a deterrent and punishment. Those who choose to commit the worst crimes imaginable are given the ultimate punishment. The fact that this punishment is given out gives pause to many whom we never know turned back from doing the deed. Houston Texas and more important Harris County where Houston resides is the capital punishment capital. If you want to commit a murder do it somewhere else because we will send you to Huntsville to await execution.

Answer 5

The best place for information about ALL aspects of capital punishment is here:

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/

Click on "issues" for a list of the critical issues surrounding the debate. You can also then go to any of them listed for more detailed information.

You didn't say which side of the debate you are supposed to take, or if you can decide on your own, but this site has LOTS of solid research on the "against" side. Beware of other sites with less reputable research attempting to support CP.

Answer 6

The Death Penalty: Justice & Saving More Innocents
Dudley Sharp

The death penalty has a foundation in justice and it spares more innocent lives.

The majority populations of all countries, likely, support the death penalty for some crimes (1).

Why? Justice.

Anti death penalty arguments are either false or the pro death penalty arguments are stronger.

THE DEATH PENALTY: SAVING MORE INNOCENT LIVES

The Innocent Frauds: Standard Anti Death Penalty Strategy
and
THE DEATH PENALTY: SAVING MORE INNOCENT LIVES
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-innocent-frauds-standard-anti-death.html

OF COURSE THE DEATH PENALTY DETERS: A review of the debate
and
MURDERERS MUCH PREFER LIFE OVER EXECUTION
99.7% of murderers tell us "Give me life, not execution"
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/03/of-course-death-penalty-deters.html

Saving Costs with The Death Penalty
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/02/death-penalty-cost-saving-money.html

RACE & THE DEATH PENALTY: A REBUTTAL TO THE RACISM CLAIMS
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2012/07/rebuttal-death-penalty-racism-claims.html

The Death Penalty: Not a Human Rights Violation
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2006/03/20/the-death-penalty-not-a-human-rights-violation.aspx

Killing Equals Killing: The Amoral Confusion of Death Penalty Opponents
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2013/02/19/murder-and-execution--very-distinct-moral-differences--new-mexico.aspx

The Death Penalty: Neither Hatred nor Revenge
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/07/20/the-death-penalty-neither-hatred-nor-revenge.aspx

The Death Penalty: Mercy, Expiation, Redemption & Salvation
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-death-penalty-mercy-expiation.html


MORAL FOUNDATIONS

Immanuel Kant: "If an offender has committed murder, he must die. In this case, no possible substitute can satisfy justice. For there is no parallel between death and even the most miserable life, so that there is no equality of crime and retribution unless the perpetrator is judicially put to death.". "A society that is not willing to demand a life of somebody who has taken somebody else's life is simply immoral."

Pope Pius XII; "When it is a question of the execution of a man condemned to death it is then reserved to the public power to deprive the condemned of the benefit of life, in expiation of his fault, when already, by his fault, he has dispossessed himself of the right to live." 9/14/52.

John Murray: "Nothing shows the moral bankruptcy of a people or of a generation more than disregard for the sanctity of human life." "... it is this same atrophy of moral fiber that appears in the plea for the abolition of the death penalty." "It is the sanctity of life that validates the death penalty for the crime of murder. It is the sense of this sanctity that constrains the demand for the infliction of this penalty. The deeper our regard for life the firmer will be our hold upon the penal sanction which the violation of that sanctity merit." (Page 122 of Principles of Conduct).

John Locke: "A criminal who, having renounced reason... hath, by the unjust violence and slaughter he hath committed upon one, declared war against all mankind, and therefore may be destroyed as a lion or tyger, one of those wild savage beasts with whom men can have no society nor security." And upon this is grounded the great law of Nature, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." Second Treatise of Civil Government.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau: "In killing the criminal, we destroy not so much a citizen as an enemy. The trial and judgments are proofs that he has broken the Social Contract, and so is no longer a member of the State." (The Social Contract).

Saint (& Pope) Pius V: "The just use of (executions), far from involving the crime of murder, is an act of paramount obedience to this (Fifth) Commandment which prohibits murder." "The Roman Catechism of the Council of Trent" (1566).

3200 additional pro death penalty quotes
http://prodpquotes.info/


1) 86% Death Penalty Support: Highest Ever - April 2013
World Support Remains High
95% of Murder Victim's Family Members Support Death Penalty
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/11/86-death-penalty-support-highest-ever.html

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Victim's Voices - These are the murder victims
http(COLON)//www.murdervictims.com/Voices/voices.html

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