Hosam Hawamdeh
11-01-2009, 02:30 AM
Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, there have been one thousand and ninety nine felons sentenced to death as of October 2007. (“Capital Punishment in the United States”)The death penalty is immoral, biased, vengeful, barbaric, and homicidal. Capital punishment is a direct contradiction to the very law it is meant to condemn and should be outlawed.
Capital punishment (also known as the Death Penalty) was first used during the 1600’s; it was later considered cruel and unusual punishment due to its violation of the Eighth and fourteenth amendments. (“The Case against the Death Penalty”) The death penalty was later banned. Currently thirty-eight (38) states have legalized capital punishment. The majority of executions take place in the states formerly known as the “confederate states”. They are now often referred to as the “death belt”. The states in this area include Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. There are currently 3,500 men and women on death row. Around 135 countries have already banned the death penalty in law or practice. 91 percent of ALL executions take place in the U.S.A., Sudan, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, and China.
“It is not only vain, but wicked, in a legislature to frame laws in opposition to the laws of nature, and to arm them with the terrors of death. This is truly committing crimes in order to punish them (~ Thomas Jefferson)” This quote completely describes the government violating the eighth and fourteenth, and breaking the law they created to punish felons who commit heinous crimes. The law clearly states that killing a man is wrong and should be punished. The law however never specifies any exceptions to any one including the government officials who execute felons. The government is committing a felony every time they execute a criminal.
Capital punishment is the harshest form of punishment. Putting an end to someone’s life is cruel and immoral. You can clearly see that this cruel punishment is a violation of basic human rights and dignity. This inhumane punishment has obviously not put the fear of death in criminal minds and has not discouraged them to stop breaking the law. Although some people may believe that death is a deterrent to crime it’s really not, death just doesn’t really scare people these days. “I hear much of people’s calling out to punish the guilty, but very few are concerned to clear the innocent (~ Daniel Defoe)”. There is always the slight possibility that the person could be innocent. That fact alone should be enough to ban capital punishment. (“Moral Misconduct of Capital Punishment”)
Capital punishment is not distributed fairly. The government has noticeably targeted racial minorities for execution. From 1995 to 2000, federal prosecutors sought the death penalty for 183 people 74 percent of which were minorities. Twenty-one (21) people were on federal death row in June of 2001, 81 percent of those people were either African American or of Hispanic origins. In September of 2000 a preliminary report, issued by the Justice Department, confirmed that a large majority of defendants were minorities (non-Caucasian). (“Abolish the Death Penalty”)
The death penalty is based strictly on retribution. Retribution is another word for revenge. For the majority of our society, our first instinct is to inflict immediate pain on someone who wrongs or harms us or our loved ones. Though this may be true the standards of a mature demand a more measured response to felonies. (“Retribution in Opposition to the Death Penalty”) The emotional impulse does not justify the cold blooded murder of another human being by those who are paid to protect our delicate society. Although vengeance is a very strong emotion is does not have any place in our Justice System and/or laws.
Capital punishment is vengeful, cold blooded “judicial homicide” (Warda Shaza).It is immoral, racist, biased, vengeful, barbaric, and murderous. Capital punishment is just another word for legalized murder. The death penalty has proven not to be an effective crime punishment; it has neither protected the innocent or stopped felon. This cruel unusual punishment should banned not only in the United States but across the entirety of the planet we call our home; Earth.
Capital punishment (also known as the Death Penalty) was first used during the 1600’s; it was later considered cruel and unusual punishment due to its violation of the Eighth and fourteenth amendments. (“The Case against the Death Penalty”) The death penalty was later banned. Currently thirty-eight (38) states have legalized capital punishment. The majority of executions take place in the states formerly known as the “confederate states”. They are now often referred to as the “death belt”. The states in this area include Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. There are currently 3,500 men and women on death row. Around 135 countries have already banned the death penalty in law or practice. 91 percent of ALL executions take place in the U.S.A., Sudan, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, and China.
“It is not only vain, but wicked, in a legislature to frame laws in opposition to the laws of nature, and to arm them with the terrors of death. This is truly committing crimes in order to punish them (~ Thomas Jefferson)” This quote completely describes the government violating the eighth and fourteenth, and breaking the law they created to punish felons who commit heinous crimes. The law clearly states that killing a man is wrong and should be punished. The law however never specifies any exceptions to any one including the government officials who execute felons. The government is committing a felony every time they execute a criminal.
Capital punishment is the harshest form of punishment. Putting an end to someone’s life is cruel and immoral. You can clearly see that this cruel punishment is a violation of basic human rights and dignity. This inhumane punishment has obviously not put the fear of death in criminal minds and has not discouraged them to stop breaking the law. Although some people may believe that death is a deterrent to crime it’s really not, death just doesn’t really scare people these days. “I hear much of people’s calling out to punish the guilty, but very few are concerned to clear the innocent (~ Daniel Defoe)”. There is always the slight possibility that the person could be innocent. That fact alone should be enough to ban capital punishment. (“Moral Misconduct of Capital Punishment”)
Capital punishment is not distributed fairly. The government has noticeably targeted racial minorities for execution. From 1995 to 2000, federal prosecutors sought the death penalty for 183 people 74 percent of which were minorities. Twenty-one (21) people were on federal death row in June of 2001, 81 percent of those people were either African American or of Hispanic origins. In September of 2000 a preliminary report, issued by the Justice Department, confirmed that a large majority of defendants were minorities (non-Caucasian). (“Abolish the Death Penalty”)
The death penalty is based strictly on retribution. Retribution is another word for revenge. For the majority of our society, our first instinct is to inflict immediate pain on someone who wrongs or harms us or our loved ones. Though this may be true the standards of a mature demand a more measured response to felonies. (“Retribution in Opposition to the Death Penalty”) The emotional impulse does not justify the cold blooded murder of another human being by those who are paid to protect our delicate society. Although vengeance is a very strong emotion is does not have any place in our Justice System and/or laws.
Capital punishment is vengeful, cold blooded “judicial homicide” (Warda Shaza).It is immoral, racist, biased, vengeful, barbaric, and murderous. Capital punishment is just another word for legalized murder. The death penalty has proven not to be an effective crime punishment; it has neither protected the innocent or stopped felon. This cruel unusual punishment should banned not only in the United States but across the entirety of the planet we call our home; Earth.