Capital Punishment Essay - 1136 Words

A famous expression, â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth† has become the basis for this political debate over the past several decades --- capital punishment. In society today, many people are murdered every day by the hands of another human being. Those who are for capital punishment promote that it is a deterrent for crime, provides closure, and is a moral punishment for those who choose to take a human life. Those not in favor of it argue that it is an ineffective crime deterrent, sends the wrong message, and is more expensive than sentencing a murderer to life in prison. When those who commit these heinous crimes are found guilty in the court of law, the loved ones of the victims often wants the murderer to be sentenced to†¦show more content†¦If the offense that a person committed was not serious, many juries would not convict them due to the severity of the death penalty. â€Å"This lead to reforms of Britains death penalty. From 1823 to 1837, t he death penalty was eliminated for over 100 of the 222 crimes punishable by death.† (Randa, 1997) Capital Punishment was introduced to America when European settlers came to the new world. In 1608, Captain George Kendall was the first execution recorded which was held in the Jamestown colony of Virginia. He was given the death penalty for being a spy for Spain. Four years later, the Divine, Moral and Martial Laws were approved by Virginia’s Governor Sir Thomas Dale. This new set of laws provided the death penalty for even minor offenses such as stealing grapes, killing chickens, and trading with Indians. From colony to colony, laws pertaining to the death penalty differed. Although the Capital Laws of New England did not go into effect until years later, the Massachusetts Bay Colony had its first execution in 1630. The Duke’s Laws of 1665 was established in the New York Colony. These laws made it possible for offenses such as striking one’s mothe r or father, or denying the â€Å"true God,† punishable by death. There have been 13,000 people who have been executed since colonial times. â€Å"By the 1930’s up to 150 people were executed yearly. Lack of public support for capital punishment and various legal challenges reduced theShow MoreRelated Capital Punishment1099 Words   |  5 Pages Capital Punishment Murder, a common occurrence in American society, is thought of as a horrible, reprehensible atrocity. Why then, is it thought of differently when the state government arranges and executes a human being, the very definition of premeditated murder? Capital punishment has been reviewed and studied for many years, exposing several inequities and weaknesses, showing the need for the death penalty to be abolished. Upon examination, one finds capital punishment to be economically weakRead MoreCapital Punishment1137 Words   |  5 Pagescorresponding punishments. Among all penalties, capital punishment is considered to be the most severe and cruelest one which takes away criminal’s most valuable right in the world, that is, right to live. It is a heated debate for centuries whether capital punishment should be completely abolished world widely. The world seems to have mixed opinion regarding this issue. According to Amnesty International (2010), currently, 97 countries in the world have already abolished capital punishment while onlyRead MoreCapital Punishment1786 Words   |  8 PagesCapital Punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the toughest form of punishment enforced today in the United States. According to the online Webster dictionary, capital punishment is defined as â€Å"the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime, often called a capital offence or a capital crime† (1). In those jurisdictions that practice capital punishment, its use is usually restricted to a small number of criminal offences, principallyRead More Capital Punishment1898 Words   |  8 PagesCapital Punishment Imagine your heart suddenly beginning to race as you hear a judge give you a death sentence and then you’re quickly carried away in chains as your family sobs as they realize that they will no longer be able to see you. As you sit in your cell you begin to look back at your life and try to see where you went wrong to end up in jail waiting to carry out a death sentence, and at the same time know that you are an innocent waiting to be heard. This same scenario repeatsRead MoreCapital Punishment1276 Words   |  6 Pagesbroken to get the death penalty, increased murder rates and wrongful accusations. There are many different views of the death penalty. Many different religions have their own views of the death penalty. In Hinduism, if the king does not inflict punishment on those worthy to be punished the stronger would roast the weaker like fish on a spit. In the religion of Jainism, mostly all of their followers are abolitionists of the death penalty which means that they oppose of it. Infact, this religionRead More Capital Punishment Essay: Retain Capital Punishment?696 Words   |  3 PagesCapital Punishment - Retain or Not?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay tangles with the question of whether or not we should retain the death penalty within the American code of penal law.    There is a feeling of frustration and horror that we experience at the senseless and brutal crimes that too frequently disrupt the harmony of society. There is pain which accompanies the heartfelt sympathy that we extend to the victims families who, in their time of suffering, are in need of the support and compassionRead MoreCapital Punishment2506 Words   |  11 PagesCapital Punishment and the Death Penalty Capital punishment exist in today’s society as citizens of the United States should we have the right to take an individual life. As illustrated throughout numerous of studies the death penalty is an unfair process seven out of ten deaths handed down by the state courts from 1973 to 1995 were overturned when appeal and the seven percent were later found to be innocent. Such as the Dobie Williams case which took place July 8, 1984. DobieRead MoreCapital Punishment Is A Legal Punishment1116 Words   |  5 Pageswhat the big deal about Capital Punishment is? According to free dictionary, Capital Punishment is to put to death as a legal punishment (Farlax). Capital Punishment is used worldwide, and is guaranteed to prevent future crime. Capital Punishment is a large controversy in the U.S. but before a personal opinion can be formed, some facts need to be known, such as what it is, where it is used and why it could be good or bad. Well, what is Capital Punishment? Capital Punishment is where a person is executedRead MoreCapital Punishment Is The Ultimate Punishment1704 Words   |  7 Pageswhat would you want from the government if he had killed someone you know? He should receive the capital punishment. The capital punishment is the ultimate punishment given to the precarious crimes. It is the last stage of capital punishment. There are different methods of like hanging, electric chair, lethal injection, firing squad, gas chamber. Murderers and rapist should be given extreme punishment, and they have to pay for their wrongdoing. We can observe crime rates are accelerating day-by-dayRead MoreCapital Punishment And Juvenile Punishment1631 Words   |  7 Pages Capital punishment is the term used when an individual is put to death by the state or government for the commission of a crime. Until recently, juveniles were not exempt from this punishment, however they would generally need to commit a more serious offense compared to their adult counterpart. Then there was the decision ruling the execution of mentally handicapped individuals was unconstitutional, using the 8th amendment as their authority, while taking into account the diminished capacity of