Capital Punishment 14 Essay, Research Paper
Capital Punishment
“It is by exacting the highest penalty for the taking of human life” (Edward Kach). As a supporter of the death penalty, I believe that capital punishment is a good thing for each state and its’ citizens. It is a very big issue. Putting people to death was a form of punishment that many states have practiced in past years. The United States today, capital punishment has been practiced, abolished, then reinstated. I believe capital punishment is necessary and not an option. Our society today is full of violence. Capital punishment may not, sound good, but it is necessary to put crime and violence away forever. It cannot be questioned that a killer who has been imprisoned and then released, can be a killer. There is no way a prisoner will escape or kill someone if they have executed. If a prisoner a chance to escape or kill someone if they have been executed. If a prisoner was sentenced to life or to be paroled, wouldn’t it give the prisoner a chance to escape? Wouldn’t they have a chance to repeat the same crime? People of all ages and all over the world have expressed their view on the issue of capital punishment and many of them want to be safe, living where they are. Also, people who commit crimes, I believe that most of them were not mentally ill, shouldn’t be cared for, but instead be punished. Murderers know what they were doing their act. “Capital punishment ought not to be abolished solely because it is repulsive, if infinitely less repulsive than the acts which invoke it If we are to preserve a humane society we will have to retain sufficient strength of character and will to do the unpleasant in order that tranquility and civility may rule comprehensively. It seems very likely that capital punishment is necessary, if limited, factor in that maintenance of social tranquility and ought to be retained on this ground.” (Donald Atwell Zoll, Professor of political science at Arizona State University.)
Some people fear capital punishment. One argument says that states that have the death penalty have higher crime rates than the states that don’t have the death penalty. The more punishment given, the more crime will increase. In my opinion, it is the other way around. The higher the crime, the more punishment should be given. My response is that every state is different. Some have the death penalty and some don’t. They all have different populations, number of cities, and the crime rates. To support my opinion, statistics show that strong urbanized states are more likely to have more likely to have higher crime rates than other states. So it is not that the death penalty contributes to crime, but that urbanized cities create an enviornment that contributes to the crime rate. It is best if we evaluate each state. For example, in 1976 in Utah, there have been 5 executions. One was Gary Gilmore, who went to prison in 1977. There had been about 55 murders in that state since 1976. When Gary Gilmore was executed, the murders dropped to 44. Another example would be Arthur Gary Biship who killed a lot of young boys. In 1988, during that time, there were about 47 murders. When he was executed, the rate dropped to 26 murders. I believe without execution, the rate of murders will increase. “While some [death penalty] abolitionists try to face down the results of their disastrous experiment and still argue to the contray, the [data] concludes that a substantial deterrent effect has been observed in six months, more Americans are murdered than have been killed by execution in the entire century Until be began to fight crime in earnest [by using the death penalty], every person who dies at a criminals hands is a victim of inaction.” (Research Karl Spence of Texas A&M University).
Some people belive that capital punishment is the same as life without parole. One argument states that are alternatives to the death penalty. They say that life in prison without parole serves just as well . in my opinion, capital punishment is different from life without parole. If a murderer is put away for life, I think it is not enough. If a murderer gets a chance to live, there is a chance he or she will commit the crime again. In prison or out of prison, justice is not served here. I believe the Justice system is not doing its job. People being na ve and careless and let murderers get a second chance on committing the crime again. In 1934, a man named Leroy Keith killed a man, shot him in the head, and took his car. He was caught and was sentenced to the death penalty, but he had an appeal trial and then sentenced to death. But then he had a retrial resulting in life prison. After 3 days he was gone. He killed another man, dumped the body in the street, and drove the stolen car off. This is what happens when instead he should have been sentenced to the death, with no trial options, choices and chances.
There are people who say that capital punishment is unfair to people of other races, classes, and mental abilities. “If and when discrimination occurs it should be corrected. Not, however, by letting the guilty whites do, but by making sure that the guilty white offenders by abolishing discrimination-not by abolishing penalties.” (Ernest van den Haag). In my opinion, I believe capital punishment is not racism. There is no hard evidence about capital punishment being racist. Studies have show that more white murderers receive the death penalty. Many crimes are done not because the color of their skin but because of premeditated violence. Many crimes are committed by prisoners who I believe are not called “racist.” For capital punishment to be fair and equal to every crime, rich or poor, black or white, it most be mandatory for all cases.
Capital punishment is necessary for all mandatory cases, it is not an option. Its better to look at execution to answers of decrease of crimes. Give it a try to find a great deal of good results in reducing high levels of crime. If it was given a try there will be a dramatic change in decreasing crime. Don’t think capital punishment is the same as life without parole, because you do not want to give chances to a criminal, who will only try to do it again. We should say to that murderer: “Guilty for killing a victim, you should be killed.” You took their life so you will give up your life. Racism is not really an issue. If you are a murderer. To let U.S. citizens be safe, with no worries, potential murderers, then execution is the solution.