Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment Essay Example for Free

Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment Essay The most severe of all sentences: that of death. Also known as the death penalty, capital punishment is the most severe form of corporal punishment. It has been banned in many countries, in the United States, an earlier move to eliminate capital punishment has now been reversed and more and more states are resorting to capital punishment for serious offenses such as murder. An Eye for and eye, a life for a life, who has never heard of the famous Lex Talionis? The Bible mentions it, and people have been using it regularly for centuries. We use it in reference to burglary, adultery, love and many other situations. However, some people use it on a different level, some people use it in reference to death. One steals from those who have stolen from him, one wrongs those who have wronged him, but do we really have the right to kill those who have killed. Today, there is a big controversy over capital punishment whether or not it works, or if it is morally right. We have a certain privilege on our own lives, but do the lives of others belong to us as well? Do we have the right to decide the kind of lives others can or cannot live? We find someone guilty of murder and sentence him to death, does that not make murderers out of ourselves? Can justice justify our acts? Those who assist in the death penalty are they not partners in crime? Is the death penalty a Cruel and Unusual punishment or is it now a necessary tool in the war on crime? With the increase in crime and violence in our society, how does the death penalty affect a North American family. Use of the death penalty has declined throughout the industrial Western World since the 19th century. In 1972, movement in America to have the death penalty declared unconstitutional during the landmark case of Furman v. Georgia, which declared the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment. However, after a supreme court decision in 1975, Gregg v. Georgia, which stated capital punishment did not violate the eighth Amendment, executions commenced again under state supervision. (Van der Haag, 1975, 3-4). There are seven main types of execution: Hanging, where the prisoner is blindfolded and stands on a trap door, with a rope around his neck. The trap door is opened suddenly. The weight of the prisoner’s body below the neck causes traction separating the spinal cord from the brain. The second most widely used technique is shooting, where a firing quad shoots the prisoner from some meters away. Another method is Guillotine, a device consisting of a heavy blade held aloft between upright guides and dropped to behead the victim below. Then there was garroting, in which a tightened iron collar is used to strangle or break the neck of a condemned person. One of the more recent is Electrocution where the prisoner is fastened to a chair by his chest, groin, arms and legs. Electrodes are placed around a band around the head, then jolts of 4-8 amperes at voltage between 500 and 2000 volts are applied at half a minute at a time. The newest forms of execution are Lethal Injection where a lethal poison is injected into the prisoners arm or the Gas Chamber where the prisoner is placed in a room with Sodium Cyanide crystals and left to die. (Meltser, 1973, 21-26) There are four major issues in the capital punishment debate, the first being deterrence. A major purpose of criminal punishment is to deter future criminal conduct. The deterrence theory suggests that a rational person will avoid criminal behavior if the severity of the punishment outweigh the benefits of the illegal conduct. It is believed that fear of death deters people from committing crimes. Most criminals would think twice before committing murder if they knew their own lives was at stake. That if attached to certain crimes, the penalty of death exerts a positive moral influence by placing a stigma on certain crimes like manslaughter, resulting in attitudes of disgust and horror to such acts. (McCuen, 1985, 11) Studies of the deterrent effect of the death penalty have been conducted for several years, with varying results. Most of these studies have failed to produce evidence that the death penalty deterred murders more effectively then the threat of imprisonment. The reason for this is that few people are executed and so the death penalty is not a satisfactory deterrent. If capital punishment were carried out more it would prove to be the crime deterrent it was partly intended to be. During highly publicized death penalty cases the homicide rate is found to go down but it goes back up when the case is over. (Bailey, 1994, 42) When comparisons are made between states with the death penalty and states without, the majority of death penalty states show murder rates higher than non-death penalty states. The average murder rate per 100,000 population in 1996 among death penalty states was 7.1, the average murder rate among non-death penalty states was only 3.6. A look at neighboring death penalty and non-death penalty states show similar trends. Death penalty states usually have a higher murder rate than their neighboring non- death penalty states. (Death Penalty Information Center) The second issue in the capital punishment debate is retribution. The need for society to express sufficient condemnation for heinous murders. Supporters of the death penalty contend that the only proper response to the most vile murders is the most sever punishment possible. Therefore, society should literally interpret the â€Å"eye for an eye† principle when an individual takes a life, society’s moral balance will remain upset until the killer’s life is also taken. (Block, 1983, 112) Although death penalty opponents disagree society should be able to express its outrage with a vile crime by inflicting capital punishment. They suggest that they are showing outrage for taking a life by talking the life of another. (Bedau, 1982, 88) Use of the death penalty as intended by law could actually reduce the number of violent murders by eliminating some of the repeat offenders thus being used as a system of justice, not just a method of deterrence. Modern supporters of capital punishment no longer view the death penalty as a deterrent, but just as a punishment for the crime, one source said, in recent years the appeal of deterrence has been supplanted by a frank desire for what large majorities see as just vengeance.† (Bailey, 1994, 55) The third major issue is arbitrariness determined by or arising from whim or impulse rather than judgment or reason. â€Å"From the days of slavery in which black people were considered property, through the years of lynching and Jim Crow laws, capital punishment has always been deeply affected by race. Unfortunately, the days of racial bias in the death penalty are not a remnant of the past.† (NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund) Fairness requires that people who break the same law under similar circumstances should meet with the same punishment, however the justice system is not consistent. Statistics show that a black man who kills a white person is 11 times more likely to receive the death penalty than a white man who kills a black person. And blacks who kill blacks have even less to worry about. Its almost like we kind of say, Oh, well, he needed killing anyhow.† (NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund) The fourth debate is the danger of mistake. In the past, there were many people wrongfully executed for crimes that they did not commit all in the name of justice. It has happened that after the execution of the alleged guilty party, the real murderer confessed to elevate his guilty conscience. â€Å"No matter how careful courts are, the possibility of perjured testimony, mistaken honest testimony, and human error remain all too real. We have no way of judging how many innocent persons have been executed, but we can be certain there were some.† J. Marshall (Bailey, 1994, 38) The unique thing about the death penalty is that it is final and irreversible. Since 1970, 77 people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence. Researchers Radelet Bedau found 23 cases since 1900 where innocent people were executed, and the numbers are growing. With stories of people like Rolando Cruz, released after 10 years on Illinoiss death row, despite the fact that another man had confessed to the crime shortly after his conviction; and Ricardo Aldape Guerra, who returned to Mexico after 15 years on Texass death row because of a prosecution that a federal judge called outrageous and designed to simply achieve another notch on the prosecutors guns. (Death Penalty Information Center) There are safeguards guaranteeing protection of those facing the death penalty. These safeguards are : The defendant can not be insane, and the man’s real or criminal intent must be present. Also, minors very rarely receive the death penalty because they are not fully mature and might not know the consequences of their actions. Finally the mentally retarded are very seldom executed. The reason for not executing the retarded is that they often have difficulty defending themselves in court, have problems remembering details, locating witnesses, and testifying credibly on their own behalf. These safeguards are to try to insure that justice will be served without having it suffer. (Bailey, 1994, 147) It costs up to three times the amount to keep a prisoner on death row than it would be to keep them in prison for the rest of their lives. The expense comes from the long drawn out appeals process that we are giving our criminals, and the court appointed attorneys that the poor are receiving. (Death Penalty Information Center) The death penalty costs the state of North Carolina 2.6 million per execution while it costs the whole nation [United States] 700 million since 1976. And it’s the same everywhere, Florida spent an estimated $57 million on the death penalty from 1973 to 1988 to achieve 18 executions that is an average of $3.2 million per execution. (Miami Herald, July 10, 1988). In Texas, a death penalty case costs an average of $2.3 million, about three times the cost of imprisoning someone in a single cell at the highest security level for 40 years. However it is also a form of insurance that the criminal will never commit another crime again. (Death Penalty Information Center) In the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) the death penalty was required for a wide range of offenses, both civil and religious. In the following passages from the King James Version of the Bible, Jehovah required the state to execute a person for murder: Genesis 9:6 states: Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. If sufficient proof were provided that a person had committed a crime, the state imposed the death penalty on the guilty person(s). They were either stoned to death, impaled or burned alive. Witnesses who testified at the trial would often participate in the killing. To their credit, the courts of ancient Israel required very high levels of proof of criminality before they would order the death penalty (Horwitz, 1973, 36) Of course, a person may think it is immoral to kill someone no matter what they have done. When I say it is retributive justice to take the life in turn for the taking of another life, it could be argued that a criminal is not able to learn a lesson since he dies as an immediate result of the punishment. How can this be called punishment if no lesson is taught? In my opinion, the only way for justice to be served is to have the criminal pay with their life, â€Å" an eye for an eye.† Many people believe that capital punishment does not belong in a civilized society. I believe it is needed because we do not live in a civilized society, if we did there would be no crime. We live in a day and age where killing happens everyday, and many get away with it. Those who do get caught, don’t stay in a jail cell for the rest of their live. If we could rig our streets of murderers, it could mean a safer place for everyone. Men and women could feel safer jogging or doing errands at night. Single women could feel safer in their homes. Children could feel safe playing in their yards. No executed murderer has ever killed again. References The Death Penalty in America 256-63 (H. Bedau ed., 3d ed. 1982) E. Van den Haag, Punishment as a Device for Controlling the Crime Rate, 33 Rutgers L, Rev. 706, 719 (1981) H. Gross, A Theory of Criminal Justice 489 (1979) Ehrlich Gibbons, On the Measurement of the Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment and the Theory of Deterrence, 6 J. Legal Stud. 35 (1977). Bedau Radelet, Miscarriages of Justice in Potentially Capital Cases (1st draft, Oct. 1985) E. Van der Haag, Punishing Criminals 196-206 (1975). C.F. Phllips, The Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment: New Evidence on an Old Controversy, 86 Am. J. Soc. 139 (1980). Baumgart, R. A. McCuen, Gary E. Reviving the Death Penalty. Madison, WI: Gary McCuen, 1985: 22. Electrocution. Academic American Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Grolier, 1993: 113. Clark, Lesley. Florida execution of 350-pound inmate turns bloody. Miami Herald. 10 July 1988.

The Civil War :: essays research papers

The Civil War The American Civil War was a grave turning point in the history of North America. It was a conflict that pitted the Northern states of the American union against the Southern states. The war raged for four years, from 1861 to 1865, and was marked by some of the fiercest military campaigns in modern history. In this essay, you will learn the causes of the American Civil war, as well as the after effects of the war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It has been extremely hard for historians to exactly pin-point the causes and effects of the war. The war itself had international impact, not only because of the growing international status of the United States, but also because war threatened world access to the South's cotton. Britain and France were the two main countries that had particular interest in the wars outcome, but other nations were as well effected by it. The civil war was a conflict over way of life. The Southern states depended upon the agriculture of the slaves, including cotton production . When Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860, his opposition of slavery was seen as a threat to the economic interests of the Southern states. The South responded by seceding from the union and founding the Confederate States of America in 1861. The first state to secede was South Carolina, on December 20, 1860. Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana followed in January, 1861. Texas then also separated on February 1st. Three days later on February 4th, 1861, delegates from these states drafted a constitution for the confederacy. Jefferson Davis, was proclaimed president on February 18th. This was before Abraham Lincoln himself even became officially proclaimed President. The war began in 1861, when confederates open fired on Ft. Sumter, gaining control over the Port of Charleston. On April 15th, Lincoln then called out 75,000 volunteers determined to surpress the insurrection. It was the beginning of war. Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas seceded in the Spring of 1861. By now, the Confederacy had 11 states, and were outnumbered by the union who had 23 states. Eleven confederate states would stand against twenty-three states of the union. The south had a population of nine million, and three million of them were slaves. They were up against the north, who had over twenty-two million people. The war was well fought by both the North and South, and ended in 1865, with the North easily overpowering the South. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, 12 days before the final surrender of the confederacy. The war itself costed over $20 billion dollars.

I Love Yous Are For White People

Reading your book brought to surface many of the occurrences in my life that I have found myself hiding from. You told my story seen through your eyes but from a deferent environment, I honestly thought I was alone In this world until I read your book.From moving from your home land, to being bullied and picked on for your accent, losing a friend through tragedy and having to meet new friends In a new world, from being physically and mentally abused by your father to molested by a family member, from ranking to numb the pain to Joining a gang/clack to feel at home and have a real family who cared, and finally occurrences to which I could have lost my life. Every story you told had a deeper meaning to me and my stories, you have helped me shine a light on the past which has held a strong grip on me for so long.Growing up in another country brought to light In my eyes the Importance of family, having respect for your elders, and to speak when spoken to along with not speaking out of tu rn. I grew up Belize with an abusive/ alcoholic father, in a way he was similar o what you described he was strict on me getting good grades and staying out of trouble: in any way I dishonored or disobeyed his orders he would be waiting my arrival home, his glare which literally made me weak in the knees and most of the time made me cry, but the various objects he would hold to give me my beatings never made me budge in a way; I was ready it was a routine.My mother I can say was in a way similar to the mother you described, she was always quiet and never intervened in anything my dad was involved in; she could never defend or protect e, she had to stay quiet, and had to make sure my father was satisfied whenever he was around. The phrase you used on chapter fourteen â€Å"l realized one thing- I am my father† really caught my attention. I found myself in life trying my hardest to run away from the thought of becoming my father not realizing that every action I participated in brought me closer to being him.At the age of eight I started stealing money from my parents and sneaking alcoholic beverages to drink so I could numb myself from my surroundings and the pain I was feeling, then it became worst as mime progressed. I don't usually talk about my best friend because it brings back painful memories and the feeling of hate and revenge, he was my big brother older than me by close to a year but he was too young to lose his life.I was eight when we loaned the family gang which Included friends and family members, at the age of 10 during a drug deal he was gunned down by a rival gang during their Initiation phase. Seeing my only brother lifeless In a coffin drove me to a dark place and I felt I had to do something about it. When I turned 10 years old my mother who feared for my life took me from my father and we left Belize to come to America; she wanted to give me a new start, a better life and a future to live for.In Tampa, Florida the elementary school m y mother enrolled me In I didn't feel alone the children were nice and friendly although I had my heavy Caribbean accent, then It changed when I graduated and went to a different middle school from the little bit of friend I had befriended the bullies and never was I picked on again; instead I was protected. My other received a better Job in a different location and I had to switch schools.The second middle school I was enrolled in became my worst nightmare; I was called names, physically picked on by the students and couldn't make friends, I was an outsider and found myself roaming the school yard alone. I became depressed, found myself eating away my pain, and started stealing drinks from my mother's wine bottles and from her boyfriend's liquor collection. I pleaded with my mom for a new change, as a result we moved to Long Beach, California after I graduated middle school; before arriving I swore to myself I would never stand for getting bullied ever again.In High school I starte d working out and turned all my fat into muscles and I also found myself getting in too much fights, about close to 70 in the first two years, then I switched schools to a predominated white upper-class high school in which I joined the wrestling team and took the varsity position at ass's my first year, ever since I moved to the new environment my life has changed. I am in college now pursuing a career in the Fire Service; I want to help people not cause harm to them.I never wanted to be a violent person, I was driven into it because at the time I felt there were no other possible solutions. Today I strongly believe the person I grew up to be does not shape my future, it's my choice; I can either stay and dwell in the past or move forward and strive for my future. You helped me enforce this idea and that's why I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read your novel â€Å"l Love Hoys Are For White People†.You can change the lives of many individuals Just by being able to elate, a lot of people feel they have to bottle up their emotions because no one out there would be able to relate and understand. I would and will recommend this novel for all my friends and family to read. I have come to witness that am still here in this world for a reason, I believe in the phrase you used and that is â€Å"Eve come across a couple of angels in my days here on earth†. I want to say thank you once again for speaking to me through your story and I really appreciate the words you wrote. Sincerely Clifford Usher

An Investigation Of The Experiences And Meaning Of...

Buthelezi, M. (2009). An investigation of the experiences and meaning of xenophobia at the University of Johannesburg by international students. Unpublished masters thesis. Kwazulu Natal: University of Zululand. Braun, V., Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in Psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3:2, 77-101. Chinomona, E., Maziriri, E.T. (2015). Examining the Phenomenon of Xenophobia as Experienced by African Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Johannesburg, South African: Intensifying the Spirit of ‘Ubuntu’. International Journal of Research in Business Studies and Management, 2:6, 20-31. Creswell, J.W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative and Mixed Methods Approaches. California: Sage Publications. Crush, J. (2001). â€Å"Immigration Xenophobia and Human Rights in South Africa†. SAMP Migration Policy Series no 22. Cape Town: Idasa. Crush, J., Pendleton, W. (2004). Regionalising Xenophobia? Citizen attitudes to immigration and refugee policy in Southern Africa. Canada: SAMP. Crush, J., Ramachandran, S., Pendleton, W., 2013, Soft targets: Xenophobia, public violence and changing attitudes to Migrants in South Africa after May 2008. Viewed 12 November 2015, Available from www.queensu.ca/samp/sampresources/samppublications/.../Acrobat64.pd Denzin, N.K., Lincoln, Y.S. (2008). Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials. 3rd edition. California: Sage Publications. Descombe, M. (2010). The good research guide. New York: Open University Press.Show MoreRelatedThemes Of Xenophobia In District 91333 Words   |  6 Pagesbegins as a documentary style investigation and then as the film continues it becomes more conventional and character driven following Wikus and his transformation into a Prawn. The film focuses on two very important themes, Xenophobia and Segregation. Xenophobia is characterized by a negative attitude towards foreigners, a dislike, a fear, or a hatred. Segregation as most people know is a separation of people or objects from others. To explore the theme of Xenophobia a little more in depth I willRead MoreXenophobia In District 9 Essay1338 Words   |  6 PagesExploring Xenophobia in District 9 Thirty years ago, aliens arrive on Earth, not to conquer or give aid, but to find refuge from their dying planet. Separated from humans in a South African area called District 9, the aliens are managed by Multi-National United, which is not concerned with the aliens welfare but will do anything to master their advanced technology. When a company field agent Wikus contracts a mysterious virus that begins to alter his DNA, there is only one place he can hide: District