death penalty
Capital punishment is the most severe form of corporalpunishment as it requires law enforcement officers to kill theoffender. Today, while more than half of the countries in theworld have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, theUnited States continues to use the death penalty in all but 13states. Many believe that the death penalty is unconstitutional,because it violates the eighth amendment, which protects citizensfrom "cruel and unusual punishment." Others who hold the opposingview, believe that once you have committed a crime againsthumanity, you lose your right to protection under the It is believed by some that a major purpose of capitalpunishment is to deter future criminal conduct. The deterrencetheory suggests that a rational person will avoid criminalbehavior if the severity of the punishment outweighs the benefitsof the illegal conduct. Among the experts, there is overwhelmingconsensus that the death penalty never has been, is not and nevercould be a deterrent to homicide more so than life imprisonment.Capital punishment as a form of deterrence does not work. Thereis evidence that there are no fewer murders on a per-capita basis
Due to overcrowded prisons,many criminals don't even serve their whole sentence. It stems from a very basic understanding or lack ofunderstanding of right and wrong that develops as the persongrows from infancy to adulthood. If you area supporter of the death penalty and believe in the need forretribution then capital punishment is necessary to ensure thepriceless value of human lives. There are those who believe that this type of criminalis inherently irrational. This position supports anapproach to violent crime that literally invokes the biblicalreference of "an eye for an eye," when an individual takesanother's life. Deterrence to crime is rooted within the individual's basicpersonality. There is no logic behindpunishing a murderer with three meals a day, a bed to sleep in,and access many other recreational activities. Every human has a personal codeof conduct based on their life experiences that will ultimatelyimpact on their ability to view capital punishment as a deterrentto criminal activity. Many people believe that capital punishment does not belong in acivilized society; however, if we truly lived in a "civilized"society capital punishment would not need to be debated becausethere would be no violent crime. Individuals who commit violent crimesfrequently do not take into account the consequences of theiractions. Is this a fairpunishment for taking another human being's life? For many oftheses criminals, this situation is a better life than thatwhich they lead before being sentenced. Retribution is one of the arguments that capital punishmentsupporter often discuss. There is an extreme difference between capital punishmentand committing murder. Many people argue that life imprisonmentis punishment enough; however, depending on the circumstances itcould be hardly a punishment at all. A second argument that can be used to defend the deathpenalty deals with the cost to society to maintain thesecriminals in a prison.
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