Capital Punishment Just or Unjust Essay - 1927 Words

Capital Punishment: Just or Unjust? Can you imagine knowing the exact day, time, and place you were going to die, not to mention how your death was to come about? Day after day of mental pain just knowing that days, hours, minutes and even seconds from now you are going to be killed. The night before, tossing and turning, playing through your head just the way you imagine your death is going to be, asking yourself heaven or hell, suffering or short? If only you can take that one moment of sin back or maybe there was never a moment of sin at all. After what seems like a hundred of years, the day finally arrives. You slowly walk into the chamber, your heart is racing, your hands are clammy, and you are shaking not because it is†¦show more content†¦The gas chamber, first used in Nevada in 1921, was located in an airtight room with a chair into which the accused was strapped. Death was then caused by an exposure to cyanide gas. As noted in the article Debate Over Capital Punishment-A Pro Stance, the suffering cau sed is easy to see; the prisoner is writing, vomiting, shaking and gasping for breath for many seconds (â€Å"Debate Over†). Lethal Injection, another form of execution, was introduced in 1977 and is now used in twenty-three states. This is the most widespread method and believed to be the most humane. The convicted is strapped to a table and injected with sodium thiopentone, loosing consciousness in ten to fifteen seconds. This is then followed by pancuronium bromide, which blocks respiration, and finally potassium chloride to stop the heart (â€Å"Debate Over†). In the 1930’s there were more executions than any other decade. The average executions were one-hundred and sixty-seven per year, which is an incredibly high number of deaths(â€Å"Amnesty Facts†). During the 1960’s people began challenging the legality of the death penalty. Many people said that it was â€Å"cruel and inhumane† and it violated the Eighteenth Amendment(â€Å"Amnesty Facts† ). In 1972 the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was cruel and inhumane which is unconstitutional according to the Eighteenth Amendment. The United States reversed this decision when a â€Å"cleaner† way to bring about death wasShow MoreRelatedCapital Punishment: Just or Unjust?953 Words   |  4 Pagesmarksmen, seated 10 feet away behind a canvas curtain, fired at a black target pinned on his chest, and Gilmore died, the first man in the United States to be put to death following the ten-year moratorium on capital punishment ended by the Sup reme Court in 1967. (Mill 57) Capital punishment does not only lower the murder rate, but it s value as retribution alone is a good reason for handing out death sentences. Support for the death penalty in the U.S. has risen to an average of 80 percent. Read MoreRacial Discrimination And Capital Punishment1682 Words   |  7 Pagesand capital punishment has been a heated topic discussed ever since the 1972 case Furman v. Georgia. In the article, â€Å"Does Racial Discrimination Make Capital Punishment Wrong?† by Stephen Nathanson, his position in this argument is affirmative as he argues that racial discrimination makes capital punishment wrong since death penalty is administered in an arbitrary manner. Arbitrariness is the quality of being determined by chance or impulse, and not by reason or principle. He claims capital punishmentRead MoreAnnuling Capital Punishment Essay602 Words   |  3 PagesHomicide is unjust. Since youth we have been taught this unquestionable truth. Ask yourself, then, what i s the death penalty? In its easiest structure, the death penalty is characterized as one individual taking the life of another human. Incidentally, that is the meaning of homicide. There are 36 states with capital punishment, and they should change. These states need to get rid of it because it conveys a perilous danger of disciplining the innocent, is unjust and primitive, and is an insufficientRead MoreThe Deterrence Theory Vs. Deterrence853 Words   |  4 Pagesrewards and punishments that would result from such actions. Which has led many theorists to believe that the proper to punish, a defiant act is by severe, certain, and swift punishment was the key to deterrence. The deterrence theory relies on three individual components: severity, certainty, and celerity. It is thought severe penalties, will desist from criminal acts, which thus prevent crime. However, if the sentence believed to be too harsh would be considered unjust. While, punishments not severeRead MoreThe Death Pe nalty Is A Morally Appropriate Punishment846 Words   |  4 PagesHowever, times have changed and most of society relegates this â€Å"ultimate penalty† to the most heinous of crimes such as capital murder. There is much debate about the ethical nature of the death penalty with contrasting arguments on both the far left and far right. Nonetheless, I believe the Death penalty is a morally appropriate punishment only when the legal system is just and imposes strict scrutiny in giving/applying the penalty. It can be argued that society gains no utility by providing heinousRead MorePersuasive Essay : Capital Punishment1200 Words   |  5 Pages2015 Capital Punishment Capital punishment, which is also known as the death penalty, is the punishment of a crime by execution. This extreme retribution is reserved for those who have committed heinous, or capital crimes against society, therefore considered an ongoing threat. Capital punishment was abolished from the Canadian Criminal Code in 1976. It was substituted with a compulsory life sentence without possibility of parole for 25 years for all first-degree murders. However capital punishmentRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is A Capital Punishment1271 Words   |  6 Pages What is the death penalty? The death penalty is a capital punishment that is punishable by death or execution. This is usually given to people that have committed serious offences or capital crimes. There are 31 states in the United States that are for the death penalty. Crimes that are punishable by the death penalty, vary from state to state. Examples of such crimes are; first degree murder or premeditated murder, murder with special circumstances, such as: intended, multiple, and murder whichRead MoreCapital Punishment And The Death Penalty1106 Words   |  5 Pages Jesse Jackson once said, â€Å"Capital punishment turns the state into a murderer.† Capital punishment has been around for several hundred years, the first documented execution in America taking place in 1608, but more recently this form of punishment has been raising questions on its morality. While the form of execution has changed over the years, from firing squad to lethal injection, all forms succeed in their purpose: to kill. Support for capital punishment is still very strong in America, the reasonsRead More Capital Punishment Essay1685 Words   |  7 PagesCapital Punishment Works Cited Not Included Capital Punishment was basically thought of for the good of society. The objective of Capital Punishment is to stop people from committing violent and offensive acts. Capital Punishment or the death penalty has failed however, to prevent or discourage crime. Moreover, it is cruel and gruesome. At present there are five methods of execution. The most commonly used form of execution is by lethal injection. In this method the convict is first injectedRead MoreA Look on the Impact of Capital Punishment in Canada1240 Words   |  5 PagesCapital punishment was the most severe punishment within the Canadian Justice system before it was abolished in the 1970’s. It is still used in many other countries around the world such as the United States, China and India, as it is believed to lower the crime rate within their country. Capital punishment was basically a form of torturing the suspect, but to their death as a consequence of their heinous crime. Many believe that capital punishment should be reinstated into Canada, while others are