Is the death penalty sometimes justified?

America first started using the death penalty when European settlers came to the new world. They brought the practice of capital punishment. The first recorded execution in the new colonies was Captain George Kendall in Jamestown, 1608. He got the penalty for spying and trying to kill John Smith, the president of Jamestown. In 1972, the supreme court of the U.S. decided it was unconstitutional and they struck down capital punishment in Furman v. Georgia, reducing all pending death sentences to life imprisonment at the time. In most states, the death penalty was not reinstated until 1988.

 In 24 states, the death penalty is still active. On average, 26.3 people have been executed annually since 2000. Overall, executions are on the decline. In 2000, 85 inmates were executed across the country; in 2020, only 17. 

In my opinion, the death penalty can be justified. People can be very cruel and there's definitely crimes, like mass murders, that deserve the death penalty. I think because 24 states still have it to prove the death penalty  can be justified.

 

1) Do you think the death penalty can be justified?

2) What crimes do you think would have to be done do get the death penalty?

3) If you could get rid of the death penalty completely, would you? 

 

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/ 

https://www.crf-usa.org/images/pdf/HistoryoftheDeathPenaltyinAmerica.pdf 

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    • I agree, for some people the dealth penalty is an easy way out. However, its also needed in some situations because of how cruel these people that get the dealth penalty are. 

  • when it comes to rapists and child murderers, I think the death penalty is justified and should be used. if you think about it many rapists die in prison anyway so why go through the trouble to put them in jail if they will just die a few days after they get there. so yeah death penalty is sometimes justified.

  • I think that the death penalty is definitely justified for some crimes. I think that murder at a large capacity or doing stuff to children as an adult should get the death penalty. I wouldn't get rid of the death penalty because some of these crimes are evil.

    • I agree, large murders and things like child rape all deserve the dealth penalty. I also agree these types of crimes are very evil. 

  • I think that the death penalty is justified with certian crimes. I think that murdering a big number of people should be able to get the death penalty. I would not get rid of the death penalty. I think certain inmates deserve not knowing what day they are going to die. 

  • I personally think that in some cases the death penalty is not needed, but if you murder someone in cold blood i think that you should be put in prison for the rest of your life. The crimes i think that you deserve the death penalty is Rape  and Murder. I would get rid of the death penalty if there wasn't stupid people in the world so no.

    • I agree, rape and muder deserve the dealth penalty. I also agree not all cases need the dealth penalty and there are many stupid people in the world that make us want to keep punishments like this. 

  • I think the death penalty can sometimes be justified depending on how bad the crime is. I think if you murder someone then you should be put to death because it is taking ones life. I think that if they go to jail and are let out then they might commit the same crime. 

  • I think that death penalty can sometimes be justified depending on what the crime is. As you said, I believe that mass murders should have death penalty. I would not get rid of the death penalty completely if I could because it can help save more lives and be safer.

    • I agree, things like mass murder should get the person the dealth penalty and keeping it could save many other lives. 

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