Crime and the Death Penalty
For most crimes committed in the United States a fine, sentence of time in jail or execution is the punishment. However, the death penalty is the most questionable punishment. Is it morally right? Is it effective in deterring crime, primarily murders? Weather or not you agree if it is moral or not, one issue remains. The death penalty is not an effective way to deter crime. The death penalty has existed as long as humans have existed. The quote "an eye for an eye" is found in the Bible. In the middle ages fines, public humiliation and imprisonment were appropriate punishments for all crimes, and death penalty for all murders. Today, Federal law states that the death penalty is to be enforced with convicted criminals for: treason; deserting armed forces during wartime; murder committed by a soldier; kidnapping and murder that involves crossing state lines; murder committed during an airplane hijacking; and of course, homicide. The death penalty is also called for punishment of for: attempting to kill anyone investigating or prosecuting his or her activities; advising, directing, authorizing or assisting in the murder of someone. Also, The Anti-Drug abuse act of 1988 calls for the death
Even though the death penalty seems like a favorable punishment for people who have committed crimes, it has no effect on the deteration of crimes. 19 per 100,000 people, the lowest in 15 years. Some people aren't afraid of dying, either. Methods of the death penalty include lethal injection, gas chamber, electric chair, hanging and fire squad. Even though there are these federal laws requiring the use of the death penalty for the crimes, State laws only consider one crime, murder, to be a capital offense. Other methods such as increased police officers and a decrease on the availability of handguns are 2 of many alternatives in prevention crimes. Enforcing a harsh punishment for committing a crime is not an effective way to prevent it from happening. In a 1986 poll 70% of Americans favored the death penalty as a punishment for murder. Of course, hiring more police officers will cost a lot of money, but that will only be temporary. In the United States alone there have been 4047 executions since 1930, and 188 were from 1977-1996. In 1960, 56 there were 56 executions and 9,410 murders. Another thought is slavery should be used as a punishment for crimes. Added to that, The drug kingpin act sates the use of death penalty for convicted major drug dealers caught with huge quantities of drugs, over 66 lbs. This fact also forbids the death penalty from being 100% effective. 848 to controlled substances act calls for the death penalty or life imprisonment for certain drug offences possession of 10 or more kg of heroin, cocaine, phencyclidine or analogue.
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