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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  • Personally I think death penatly should never be a thing it is not right to kill a human even for things they have done if they just stay in prison the rest of their life I think that would be a lot worse and killing them becasue they have to live thru all of prision which is worse I would think.

    • Although you think it would be worse to live in prison, they are still a danger to everyone in the prison. I would rather give the dealth penalty than putting them in a place they could potentially kill more people. 

  • I personally don't really believe in the death penalty, becuase if you punish someone who murders people, by murdering them, what example are you setting. But, I think it is justified sometimes. I believe that the victims family should be able to choose the punishment of the criminal.

  • I think that in certain cases the death penalty can be justified. I think that the death penalty should only be issued if the person on trial has confessed to the crime they are being accused of. There are too many stories of people being found innocent only after being executed.

  • In my personal opinion, I think that the death penalty can be justified in very certain situations. Personally in a perfect world, the victim's family or the victim themself would choose the punishment, but I think that the death penalty could be ok if the criminal did something very bad as you said.

    • I agree for the most part. I dont think the victims family should get to choose the punishment only because it could be very biased. The parents of victims I feel, always want the person dead no matter the crime even if it dosnt really deserve it. 

  • I think the death penalty can be justifed if the person reseving the death penalty murdered somone brudally. I think the death penalty should include muder, rape, and child predaters. I dont think I whould get rid of the death penalty befcsue it keeps the bad peole in line.

  • I think it is justified sometimes.  I feel if someone murdered someone or many people they should also be dead. However, i think rotting in orison is much worse. And we should aim as humans not to kill eachother. 

    • I agree, however I feel like it will be very hard to get to that point of everyone agreeing to just not kill eachother, mainly because theres very cruel people in the world which is why we have things like the dealth penalty in the first place. 

  • I think the death penalty can be justified. Crimes like murder and rape are justified, as long as the person has had a fair trial. Some people believe that by killing the person, they don't go through the suffering they deserve. But, by keeping them alive, taxpayers are paying money just for them to be sitting in a jail cell.

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