Although in the past, the number of crimes that were subjected to capital punishment, defined simply as the death penalty for a crime, were outrageous. ... That resulted in the narrowing down of the list of one hundred crimes to twelve, punishable by the death penalty in 1833, and in 1869 it was cut down yet again to just three: treason, rape, and murder because of violent nature of these crimes. ... Other practices included disparate questioning of potential jurors based on race, and a training memo instructing prosecutors on ways to skew juries based on race." (www.aclu.org pg 1) This cas...

• Word Count: 2831
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Introduction Capital Punishment or Death Penalty is a penalty of death imposed on a criminal convicted of a serious crime. ... The Bible prescribed death as the penalty for more than 30 different crimes, ranging from murder to fornication. ... Death penalty supporters argue that justice demands a death sentence in certain cases, and that the concept of an "eye for an eye" is based on the nation's shared religious values. They further argue that the death penalty can deter capital crimes and possibly save lives in the process. ... For extremely serious crimes such as high treason...

• Word Count: 2866
• Approx Pages: 11

Crimes occur in every society around the world. Historically, criminals convicted of these crimes were dealt with in different ways, some of which are sentenced to death. ... It is obvious that dead criminals can not commit any further crimes, either within prison or after being released from it. ... It is believed that fear of execution discourages people from committing crimes. ... Historically, many people have been wrongfully executed for crimes that they did not commit. ...

• Word Count: 3217
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Violent crime abhors most of us, and outrages our sense of morality. ... For many, the response to crimes of a violent nature is calls to "get tough on crime". ... They claim the violence and immorality of the crime gives them a right to demand that they be able to do the same thing- to take the life of the perpetrator of the alleged crime. If a government commits murder, does it not commit a crime? ... The deterrent is based on the belief that people behave according to the consequences of their actions. ...

• Word Count: 2841
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

With the birth of man comes the birth of crime and hence with the birth of crime is the origin of punishment. Punishments vary based on the seriousness of the offense; robbery can result to months in prison and murder can lead to the death of the convicted man. ... In France, the method of execution was intended to match the crime and the convict's social rank. ... More states began to reduce the number of capital crimes and made laws more flexible. By 1846 in Michigan, treason was the only capital crime. ...

• Word Count: 6785
• Approx Pages: 27
• Grade Level: High School

The article presents the issues that the juvenile justice system was founded upon in order to hold juveniles accountable for their crimes, while supplying treatment and rehabilitative programs. ... An international movement to abolish the death penalty is discussed and the article seeks to provide as an effective resource toward "humane responses to juvenile crime and violence" (Cothern, 2000, p.1). ... Cothern states that twenty three states condone the death penalty for juveniles and currently seventeen have been executed for their crimes as juveniles and seventy-four people sit on death row...

• Word Count: 4558
• Approx Pages: 18

Death penalty opponents state that "Those who support the death penalty see it as a solution to violent crime. ... In reality, executions are seen as the appropriate punishment for certain criminals committing specific crimes. ... It has been the main recourse against those who commit the most serious crimes. ... Therefore, any cost calculations should be based specifically on cell costs for criminals who have committed the exact same category of offense - in other words, cost comparisons are valid only if you compare the costs of life without parole cases to the cost of death penalty cases. ...

• Word Count: 2839
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

I believe these points of views are mostly based on ignorance. ... It bothers me when people actually use the argument of deterrence of crime to defend capital punishment. ... This influence is greater "or easier to observe-for some crimes and persons than for other (Wilson pg 5)."" ... Imagine a psychological test for high school students where it is shown that those who fail are as likely to commit a future crime as are those arrested for having committed that crime in the past. The ability to prevent a future crime would be the same in both cases. ...

• Word Count: 2619
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

In point of fact, as the eloquent testimony of soaring crime rates in Florida and Texas shows, society does not get better when the state kills killers. ... The practice of the death penalty weakens socially-based inhibitions against the taking of human life. ... During this break from public executions, the crime rate in the U.S. did not rise. ...

• Word Count: 2517
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The so-called "death penalty" has been around since the ancient Greek times, when Socrates, at the age of 70, was brought to trial and charged with "not believing in the gods the state believed in, introducing different new divine powers, and corrupting the young. Socrates was summoned to drink t...

• Word Count: 2651
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate