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Capital Punishment and Criminal Execution

            Capital Punishment is the punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime or better known as the death penalty. The law sees the death penalty as the ultimate deterrent of crime although there have been studies that prove that to be wrong. Our legal system feels that it is appropriate to not only restrict minorities of a fair trial when being sentenced to death row but to also pile fee on top of fee throughout the entire case running cost through the roof. One of the worst things that capital punishment has done is execute those who have been wrongfully convicted. Since 1662 when the first legal execution took place there have been people on either side of the capital punishment spectrum. Today there are many small and larger organizations that come together to protest the death penalty and their support is growing day by day. .
             Steven N. Durlauf begins his article, "Capital Punishment and Deterrence: Understanding Disparate Results" by saying that "The effectiveness of capital punishment in deterring homicides, despite decades of empirical work, remains very unclear." Many in our judicial system feel that if they threaten people with the punishment of death that they will stop them from killing others. To someone in their right mind, the consequence of death would be enough to prevent murder but to those who have convinced themselves that murder is the right answer it isn't so clear. According to Durlauf there are four reasons why the studies done on deterrence are full of doubt and "the uncertainty about the determinants of an individual's choice of committing a murder or not" is one of the main reason studies are bad. Across the board of the many different experiments done to prove the death penalty is a good deterrent have results that vary tremendously. For those both for and against Capital Punishment, there are studies that have concluded with results that favor both sides of the argument.


Essays Related to Capital Punishment and Criminal Execution

1. Capital Punishment

By the 1960's, thirteen states had no capital punishment laws, and the remaining states enforced executions minimally. The Supreme Court placed a moratorium on executions in a 1972 ruling stating all states that retained capital punishment used a "standardless system, in which the jury received no guidance in deciding sentences" (Zimring). ... Of the thirty-eight states that now allow capital punishment, only twenty-nine states actually have conducted executions, which totaled more than six hundred from 1976 to 2001 (Zimring). Although only a little over two-thirds of the states enforc...

  • Word Count: 1125
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Executions

These are some of the questions asked most frequently about capital punishment. ... Today, high profile cases provide frequent opportunities for debate between proponents and opponents of capital punishment. ... First, is capital punishment allowable under the US constitution? Second, is capital punishment moral? ... However, capital punishment actually makes the fight against crime more difficult. ...

  • Word Count: 2012
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Capital Punishment

Important aspects of Capital Punishment are the history, methods of execution, costs, the pro's and con's. ... The Bible provided for execution for over thirty crimes, and the Draconian Code of Ancient Greece imposed capital punishment for every offense (Smith, 2). ... From that time on, capital punishment has almost always been a feature of the criminal justice system in the United States (Smith, 2). ... Capital Punishment has been controversial for hundreds of years. ... There are many pros and cons toward the issue of capital punishment. ...

  • Word Count: 1448
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment In the article, Against the American System of Capital Punishment, Jack Greenberg, a professor of Law at Columbia University, argues that the system of capital punishment that proponents of the death penalty idealize does not exist in America. ... For capital punishment to be a deterrent it cannot be an idle threat. ... In reality, the American system of capital punishment does not work this way. ... Of the 38 states that allow capital punishment very few use capital punishment regularly. ... Because the American system of capital punishment is fraught with inconsistencie...

  • Word Count: 1190
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Capital Punishment

Professor Laing English 096/097 March 20, 2003 Capital Punishment The Death Penalty is a form of punishment used to execute a criminal for committing certain crimes. ... Therefore, execution although considered to be "cruel and unusual punishment" maximizes public safety. ... "Capital Punishment may be imposed only for a crime for which the death penalty is prescribed by law at the time of its commission. 2. Capital punishment may be imposed only when guilt is determined by clear and convincing evidence leaving no room for an alternative explanation of the facts. 3. Capital pu...

  • Word Count: 610
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment is the legal infliction of death as penalty for violating criminal law. ... In contrast, those who want governments to continue to execute tend to regard capital punishment as an issue of criminal justice policy. ... However, some governments authorize capital punishment for nonviolent or nonfatal crimes. ... (cp: life or death) However opponents of capital punishment say that it does not deter crime. ... Also capital punishment shall be carried out so as to inflict the minimum possible suffering." ...

  • Word Count: 1903
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Capital Punishment

Capital punishment is the best way to set an example for would be criminals so they will see the punishment if they commit a capital crime. ... If capital punishment were made illegal in all states, criminals would run wild because they would know that they would not receive any type of capital punishment. ... Capital punishment should always stay in effect to punish violent criminals. ... Also when a capital crime criminal was taken to court the jury was given more choices then capital punishment or acquittal. ... Another stat that will support that capital punishment deters murder is tha...

  • Word Count: 2794
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment should be Abolished Evidence suggests that the death penalty does not deter people from committing crimes. ... There is very little valid evidence to suggest that capital punishment deters criminals. ... Delay is also what makes capital punishment less of a deterrent, because it minimizes the chances of a convicted criminal ever being executed. ... It can be seen that there is no logical reason for reintroducing capital punishment. The fact that there is no evidence to support the view that it deters criminals, that it is irreversible ...

  • Word Count: 1084
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment was first used back in the fifth century as means of punishment. ... Execution will permanently remove society's worst criminals such as rapist, murderers, and molesters. It not only removes the worst criminals, but it is cheaper and safer than long term or permanent incarceration (Capital Punishment USA). ... It cost about $2-3 million for an execution, but costs $20-25,000 a year for a life long imprisonment that can last a long time (Capital Punishment USA). ... Execution is a real punishment rather than a "rehabilitative" treatment the criminal will suffer the cons...

  • Word Count: 1567
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

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