Annotated Bibliography Draft Student name : Haider Zafaryab Student number: 2360526 Thesis Statement : Capital Punishment is a very controversial topic around the globe. I believe that it does more harm than good and breeds violence in society. Source 1: Radelet, M. L., & Akers, R. L. (1996). Deterrence and the Death Penalty: The Views of the Experts. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (1973-), 87(1), 1. doi:10.2307/1143970 This article was written by Michael L. Radelet and Ronald L. Akers. They both consulted experts on criminology and criminal behaviour to evaluate the effectiveness of the Death Penalty. They used the Gullup and Ellsworth/Ross Surveys to gather the public opinion on death penalty. Their research showed that majority …show more content…
This article discusses individual cases and crimes and gives analysis of the arguments made against death penalty in real world. Firstly it discusses the deterrence argument while going through a number of cases. The conclusion is that it has no effect on reducing homicides but ironically it breeds violence as in some cases offenders committed a capital crime in a territory where execution still prevails while they could have easily avoided it. Second thing discussed is the cost, the research in article shows that it costs significantly more money to put a convict to death than to incarcerate him for life in a prison. Moreover it is shown that in many cases criminals are executed while there are reasonable doubts in their convictions and some have avoided execution by just a few hours before being exonerated. Another issue that was discussed is the inequality of death penalty in practice. There have been serious issues with racial discrimination. For reference in cases with white victims and black defendants convictions occurred twenty two percent of the time while with black victims and white defendants with percentage dropped to a measly three …show more content…
Interviews of retired employees to study the effects of capital punishment were taken and analysed qualitatively. Political and religious orientations, perceptions in racism were key variables to study the changes in time; Prison services were also closely studied. The main topic of this study was to see how capital punishment dehumanises both the prison inmates and staff. Well established theories provided an analysis that culture is a very strong factor in making people agree or disagree with the use of capital punishment, regardless of their own beliefs. Findings concluded that those who held pro-death penalty positions were raised in religious traditions that taught capital punishment consistent with the Bible, while those who were anti-death penalty were raised in such traditions which did not support this notion. Although political orientations varied among all participants, all concluded that they would not be bothered by the demolition of capital punishment. This study did not test a theory or hypothesis rather research questions were
Some justices were advocates of capital punishment and some opposed it. For most of chapter three, Oshinsky described the views of the various justices. For example, he noted, “William O. Douglas was a longtime opponent of capital punishment” (Oshinsky, 2010). He also included William Brennan as an opponent of the death penalty. In 1972, the courts announced their Furman decision, voting against the death penalty as practiced (Oshinsky, 2010).
Eyewitnesses that falsely identify a person, perhaps because they looked a lot like the criminal. Furthermore, there are inmates that get a possible reduced sentence for testifying that the inmate or person charged confessed the crime to him/her. We have racial bias, which is, that in the states that do allow the death penalty, the majority of prosecutors and judges are white and the majority of criminals are non-white. Is that fair? Would the outcome be different if there was a more mixed ethnic diversity?
Russ Shafer-Landau provides us with two separate arguments about the death penalty in his academic book The Ethical Life, fundamental readings in ethics and moral problems. In the first argument, Justifying Legal Punishment, Igor Primoratz gives us substantive reasoning that opts favorably toward the necessity of the death penalty. Contrasting Primoratz, Stephen Nathanson, through An Eye for an Eye, provides us with an argument that hopes to show us that capital punishment, like murder, is also immoral and therefore, unjust. By the end of this essay, I intend to show that while capital punishment may not be the easy choice for a consequence and punishment to murder, it is, however, the necessary one.
Dom Crafa Mrs. Spellman-Frey Criminal Justice 13 April 2016 The Death Penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, has been part of society since the Fourteenth Century. Capital punishment is defined as “The use of the death penalty to punish wrongdoers for certain crimes.” (Gaines 289) There have been many debates that have arisen whether or not it should be enforceable under the United States Law.
Aboubakr sebti Assignment: persuasive essay Awt 2 Neil webb The right to kill and the fact of using the capital punishment are really important subjects that involve every country and government even if some nations abolished it. Indeed, some countries are still using the capital punishment to convict criminals, show the severity of the population, and fear the criminals. However, personal points of view divided the population in two groups: those who support this tool and their opponents.
Throughout history the death penalty has been putting a mark on society, not only in the United States, but all around the world. But throughout time, the death penalty has been portrayed differently in different societies, and because of that, there has been drastic changes to how the death penalty is
Madison Bushloper Ms. Thomas AP Seminar 10/29/2015 High Cost of the Death Penalty Many issues present themselves dealing with the economic impact of the death penalty, as its more popular execution methods can be pricey, the trials held involving sentencing a felon to death row can be expensive, and the fact that when trying to sentence a supposed criminal to death, the costs of investigating the matter can be quite high. The death penalty has been widely used in the United States by 34 states since its reinstatement in the year 1976. However, one must call into question its costly effects on the nation as a whole, with the negatives outweighing the positives in the administration of the death penalty.
The topic is debated whether or not the Capital Punishment should be legal. The government is already involved in the lives of those who commit crimes, but the idea of it taking away someone’s life creates an uneasy thought. Some people believe that execution is wrong, inhumane and should be abolished while others believe that it projects positive impacts and
Why death penalty must end ‘’An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind,’’ said Mahatma Gandhi. The execution of someone who has possibly done a crime is an inhuman act. Death penalty is hypocritical and flawed. If killing is wrong, why do we kill when a criminal has done the crime of killing someone? In this essay, I will write why death penalty should end by writing about the violation of human rights, execution of innocent people, the fact that it does not deter crime and money.
Deterrence For- Society has always used punishment to deter people from committing crime. With homicide being considered one of the worst and unnatural crimes wouldn’t you use the worst punishment available to punish the person who committed the crime? If murderers are put to death then maybe potential murderers will think twice before killing in the fear that they may lose their own lives. Naci Cohan, an economics professor at the University of Colorado at Denver was a co-author on a published a study in 2003 and re-examined in 2006 that shows evidence that the death penalty does in fact deter homicide. More specifically that data showed that for every execution five homicides were prevented.
In the case of the death penalty, it has the added bonus in guaranteeing that the person would not offend again. Supporters of harsh punishments argue that the would-be criminal would consider the costs versus the benefits of committing a crime. If the costs outweigh the benefits, then it is assumed that he would stop what he is doing, effectively ‘deterred’. Furthermore, the usage of harsh punishments to effectively deter crime is ethically justified as it prevents more people from falling victim to crime. However it is extremely difficult to judge a punishment’s effectiveness based on its deterrence effect, consequently we must consider other variables that would entail a person to commit a crime.
The Death Penalty The death penalty has been, and still is, one of the most discussed topics in the United States. Its opponents argue it to be an unnecessary and violent punishment because it seems no less barbaric than the crime, as well as it is sometimes not believed to serve its purpose as a deterrent. However, there is a fundamental difference between the loss of an innocent life and the execution of a criminal in accordance with the law. Death penalty might not be the most ideal solution, but abolishing it would put in danger the lives of many innocent and law-abiding citizens. Not only has the death penalty proven to be constitutional, cost effective, ethically correct deterrent of future murders, but it also is a punishment that fits
Capital punishment is one of the most controversial topics about our legal system. The death penalty is used as the most severe form of punishment, however many people think that it is too severe. There are many reasons why the death penalty is in effect including to deter crime and give closure to the victim’s family. The death penalty is an acceptable form of punishment, as long as the person is given a fair trial and their crime is deserving of that severity. Being the drastic punishment that it is, capital punishment helps deter people from committing crimes.
The death penalty is a very controversial subject as far as Americans are concerned. This article examines how the death penalty is wrong. The main ideas expressed are the fact that the death penalty is permanent, how executions turn innocents into killers, the fact that it is ridiculously expensive, and the simple fact that it just doesn’t work. CUADP provides a strong argument on each of these topics. By using these topics in my debate, I can further argue my view of being against the death
The execution of a life has always been one of the most harsh forms of punishment from the beginning of time. Though the capital punishment is widely accepted for people that commit crimes such as murders, rape, or bombings, the death penalty is still unfair in some cases. The death penalty still is not the right form of punishment because it is unfair to selective races and social statuses and in some cases, it is too merciful. Numerous cases and events could prove that the death penalty has always been biased towards certain groups of people. This is true considering that the rich white man has a smaller chance of getting the death penalty than the impoverished colored man.