The Death Penalty Should Be Illegal - 1485 Words

Capital punishment is the punishment of a heinous crime like murder. It is being used now in some states and has also been used in the ancient times. Thirteen states right now don’t have the death penalty: Alaska, District of Colombia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. But all states should ban it because the American Civil Liberties Union believes the death penalty inherently violates the constitutional ban against cruel and unusual punishment and the guarantees of due process of law and of equal protection under the law. Capital punishment is an intolerable denial of civil liberties and is inconsistent with the fundamental values of our democratic†¦show more content†¦Life in prison costs are spread over many decades. â€Å"The death penalty is a waste of taxpayers’ money and has no public safety benefit. The vast majority of law enforcement professionals surveyed agree that capital punishment does not deter violent crime; a survey of police chiefs nationwide found they rank the death penalty lowest among ways to reduce violent crime. They ranked increasing the number of police officers, reducing drug abuse, and creating a better economy with more jobs higher than the death penalty as the best ways to reduce violence. The FBI has found the states with the death penalty have the highest murder rates.† (The Case Against the Death Penalty) Death penalty cases are clearly more expensive at every stage of the judicial process than similar non-death cases. Everything that is needed for an ordinary trial is needed for a death penalty case, only more so: †¢ more pre-trial time will be needed to prepare: cases typically take a year to come to trial †¢ more pre-trial motions will be filed and answered †¢ more experts will be hired †¢ twice as many attorneys will be appointed for the defense, and a comparable team for the prosecution †¢ jurors will have to be individually quizzed on their views about the death penalty, and they are more likely to be sequestered †¢ two trials instead of one will be conducted: one for guilt and one for punishment †¢ the trial will be longer: a costShow MoreRelatedThe Death Penalty Should Be Illegal1560 Words   |  7 Pagesinclude the death penalty, which began in 1608 at the time of the Jamestown executions. The death penalty, a topic discussed since it began, includes death by electric shock, gas chamber, hanging, firing squad, and, most commonly used, lethal injection. In 2014, it took an Arizona man two hours and fifteen times the normal amount of medicine to die with lethal injection. Knowing that the outcome of the death penalty may cause immense pain, the use of the death penalty should be illegal in all statesRead MoreThe Juvenile Death Penalty Should Not Be Illegal1777 Words   |  8 Pagesjuvenile death penalty. Since the Roper v. Simmons case in 2005, sentencing juveniles to death is considered illegal on the grounds that it violates the Eighth Amendment rights (Babcock 6). Although it is considered illegal in the United States, it is still a highly debated problem. There a re people that believe the juvenile death penalty is an effective punishment and should not be illegal. On the other hand, many believe that the juvenile death penalty is an extreme punishment and should not be anRead MoreThe Death Penalty Should Remain Illegal1932 Words   |  8 Pagesexonerations from death row. More than half of these exonerations are because of DNA evidence that is found which proves a defendant innocent. The reason for these exonerations is that people make mistakes, there is no way to be fully positive of somebody else’s guilt. In some cases, evidence found against a defendant could just come down to bad timing. People may agree or disagree with capital punishment because it can become a very controversial topic. The main argument against the death penalty is thatRead MoreShould The Death Penalty Be Illegal Through The Nation?1623 Words   |  7 Pages Why should the death penalty be illegal through the nation? Murder is wrong we all know and come to the understanding of that. Ask yourself, then, what is capital punishment? Capital punishment is defined as the legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime. The death penalty also known as capital punishment is an issue that have the United States quite divided. While there are many supporters of it, there is also a large amount of disapprovalRead MoreWhy Capital Punishment Should Be Illegal1282 Words   |  6 PagesPunishment: Why it should be Illegal People may think capital punishment is a good thing that the criminals deserve to die for the horrible crime they have committed. But the truth is that capital punishment is expensive, it violates the U.S Constitution, sentencing someone to jail for life is a worse punishment than being sentenced to death, and the death penalty goes against God and several religious beliefs. There are also innocent people on death row and that the death penalty is not a crime deterrentRead MoreCapital Punishment Should be Abolished883 Words   |  4 Pages Capital punishment is the punishment of death for a crime given by the state. It is used for a variety of crimes such as murder, drug trafficking and treason. Many countries also have the death penalty for sexual crimes such as rape, incest and adultery. The lethal injection, the electric chair, hanging and stoning are all methods of execution used throughout the world. Capital punishment has been around since ancient times; it was used in ancien t Rome, and one of the most famous people to be crucifiedRead MoreThe Illegalization Of Capital Punishment1441 Words   |  6 PagesThe Death Penalty, also termed capital punishment, is the legal process in which a person is put to death by the federal or state government based on having committed one of 43 capital crimes, such as first-degree murder, espionage or treason. The death penalty is enforced based upon the idea that law abiding members of society will no longer have to worry about convicted criminals being able to carry out even more heinous crimes within their lifetimes. However enforcing the death penalty has alsoRead MoreDeath Penalty Is The Act Of Executing Someone Of A Capital Crime920 Words   |  4 PagesThe death penalty is the act of executing someone of a capital crime. A capital crime is defined as murder or betrayal of one’s country. Since about July 1, 2015 the United States thirty-one states have legalized the death penalty leaving nineteenth sta tes remaining illegal. Death should not be the resolution to any problem regardless of what the situation was.(mixed sentence). As humans, we make mistakes throughout our lives and that is how we learn from them. In many cases, death penalty simplyRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty1052 Words   |  5 PagesThe Death penalty can be used in multiple different situations, treason, murder, drive-by shooting, genocide, kidnapping-murder. The death penalty. Also referred to as the capital punishment. It is mainly used for the murder of one or more people. Currently, it is not used in California, which could be seen as good or bad. It is illegal mainly because it is unconstitutional, it violates the 8th amendment, where it says  ¨Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruelRead MoreCapital Punishment Should Be Illegal1613 Words   |  7 PagesWhy Capital Punishment should be illegal? The Constitution that governs our laws in America is there to protect all of the people and that includes the criminals that are on death row. The death penalty materially violates the constitutional ban against cruel and unusual punishment, the guarantees of due process of law, and of equal protection under the law. (Bedau, Hugo Adam, The Case Against the Death Penalty) This is the reason why capital punishment should be illegal in all fifty states. We