death sentence
Looking out for the state of the public's satisfaction in the scheme of capital sentencing does not constitute serving justice. Today's system of capital punishment is frought with inequalities and injustices. The commonly offered arguments for the death penalty are filled with holes. "It was a deterrent. It removed killers. It was the ultimate punishment. It is biblical. It satisfied the public's need for retribution. It relieved the anguish of the victim's family."(Grisham 120) Realistically, imposing the death penalty is expensive and time consuming. Retroactively, it has yet to be proven as a deterrent. Morally, it is a continuation of the cycle of violence and "...degrades all who are involved in its enforcement, as well as its victim."(Stewart 1)Perhaps the most frequent argument for capital punishment is that of deterrence. The prevailing thought is that imposition of the death penalty will act to dissuade other criminals from committing violent acts. Numerous studies have been created attempting to prove this belief; however, "[a]ll the evidence taken together makes it hard to be confident that capital punishment deters more than long prison terms do."(Cavanagh 4) Going ever farther, Bryan Stevenson, the executive dire
Tabak, Ronald J. "Report: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel and Lack of Due Overview." CRS Report For Congress 95-505GOV (1995): 4. In earlier times--where capital punishment was common, the value of life was less, and societies were more barbaric--capital punishment was probably quite acceptable. However, in today's society, which is becoming ever more increasingly humanitarian, and individual rights and due process of justice are held in high accord, the death penalty is becoming an unrealistic form of punishment. Also, with the ever present possibility of mistaken execution, there will remain the question of innocence of those put to death. Finally, man is not a divine being. He does not have the right to inflict mortal punishment in the name of society's welfare, when there are suitable substitutes that require fewer resources. I ask society, "...why don't we stop the killing?"(Grisham 404) Frame, Randy. "A Matter Of Life and Death." Christianity Today 14 Aug. A vast misconception concerning the death penalty is that it saves society the costs of keeping inmates imprisoned for long periods. In the act of preserving due process of justice, the court appeals involved with the death penalty becomes a long, drawn-out and very expensive process. "The average time between sentencing and execution for the 31 prisoners put on death row in 1992 was 114 months, or nine and a half years."(Stewart 50) "Criminal justice process expenses, trial court costs, appellate and post-conviction costs, and prison costs perhaps including years served on death row awaiting execution... all told, the extra costs per death penalty imposed in over a quarter million dollars, and per execution exceeds $2 million." (Cavanagh 4) When you compare this to the average costs for a twenty year prison term for first degree murder (roughly $330 thousand), the cost of putting someone away for life is a deal. Is it really worth the hassle and money to kill a criminal, when we can put them away for life for less money with a great deal more ease? Grisham, John. The Chamber. New York: Island Books, 1994. Whittier, Charles H. "Mora
Some common words found in the essay are:
Reconciliation MVFR, Justice Initiative, Supreme Court, , death penalty, Report Congress, Bryan Stevenson, capital punishment, Death Christianity, Association Journal, Law Review, Human Rights, due process, death row, due process justice, penalty imposed, crs report, death sentence, report congress, process justice, executive director, crs report congress, death penalty imposed,
Approximate Word count = 1438
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
