The death penalty dates back to the 18th century, first introduced by King Hammurabi of Babylon. Hundreds of years ago, they would hold public death penalties that would most times include beheading. The death penalty is supposed to make people refrain from commiting terrible actions on others that they can't get back. Others think of it as a way of getting back at an individual for commiting a horrific act. However, people believe the purpose of the death penalty is very controversial.
Many people have very different beliefs on why the death penalty is not a good thing, mainly stating that the court system is not always 100% accurate. On the other hand, people that think that it is a good thing, believe that the death penaly offers true justice. I know that I would want justice if someone killed a loved-one of mine. Others say that it reaffirms the value of human life. However if you believe the death penalty is a good thing, many others are on the opposite side.
Many people that say the death penalty is a bad thing have one main argument. This violates their 8th amendment to the constitution. The 8th amendment states, "Freedom from excessive bail, fines, and cruel punishments. Many people believe that the death penalty is a cruel punishment. They also believe that everybody should have the right to life, no matter what they have done in the past. In addition, many christians believe that the death panalty is bad because it goes against the commandment to not kill. The church teaches that life is a gift that should be protected, and God should be the only person able to take it away.
At the moment, Iowa does not have the death penalty and the United States has left it up to the states to decide if they want the penalty or not. Currently, 23 states don't have the death penalty, and 27 do have it. However, the states that do allow it have different rules on how it can go about. In 2024, the United States used the death penalty 24 times. This number has been fewer than 30 annually for the past 10 years. The death penalty is most times used on people that have committed aggravated murders.
I believe that the death penalty is not a good thing. Although people make bad choices they shouldn't have their rights violated. All people get the same rights when they are born as United States citizens. This should not be taken away as it is stated in the constitution. If the Government walked around taking peoples rights away from them it would not go over well. Therefore, I believe the death penalty is not a good thing, and should be outright banned in the United States.
What are your thoughts on the death Penalty, Should we have it or not?
Do you think the right to the death penalty should be up to the states to decide or should it be up to the government?
What crimes should the death penalty be used for?
https://www.statista.com/statistics/629845/number-of-executions-per-year-in-the-us-since-2000/
Replies
Great topic choice and well done Jack! I would hqve liked to have seen more of the history of the death penalty within the US.
I think the United States should have the death penalty because some crimes that are so serious and violent. The person responsible for the crimes that they comitted deserve the ultimate punishments. It aslo helps make sure dangerous criminals can't hurt anyone else.
I think the death penalty is important. especially for the most severe crimes like aggravated murder. If someone commits an aggravated murder, they've taken a life, so I think it makes sense their life should be taken as justice too. It also gives the families some closure because they know the person that hurt their loved ones won't do it again.
I agree with the justice part, but I don't know about having the death penalty everywhere. I feel like it is a very debatable topic with many different viewpoints.
I think it should stay up to the states if they want it or not. If they need help somewhere along the way then they can ask the federal government to get more involved in it. But for now i think it should be up to your state.
I agree with you, I believe that the states should have more say on what happens directly in their state.
I feel like this could go both ways. I think that it definitely depends on how bad the crime is. I think that the person that has the crime should get some sort of say if they just want to spend the rest of their life in jail or just die. I also think that states should have more say in this.
I think the government should mandate it in every state because it is, in my opinion, something that should be in place all throughout the United States. There would only be a few crimes that the death penalty should be used for like genocide and homicide. These are the only crimes in my opinion that should have that in place for them.
I think the death penalty is something that should be around in the United States because some people do really bad things and deserve the penalty. I think it should only be put in place when there is a multiple homicide or something thing like that. I disagree with the ban on it in the US and think it should be in place.
I agree when you said it should be used in mutiple homicide killings, but I think that we should outlaw it. I believe that the person that commited the murder should have to suffer the consequences, because they commited the act.
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