Did you know that as early as 1608 there was a death penalty in America? Yes, before the U.S. was created there was a death penalty here. It is one of, if not the most controversial and long lasting topics in America. Before there were prisons, most criminals or thieves were put to death for something as small as stealing grapes or killing chickens. In 1846 Michigan became the first state to abolish the death penalty for anything except treason. Later, Rhode Island and Wisconsin abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Until 1963 there were crimes that if you committed them you would have to be sentenced to death, By changing that it gave more power to the courts to decide on the death penalty. Then in 1972 the supreme court decided by a vote of 5 to 4 that the death penalty was in violation of the 8th amendment. When 3 different justices on the supreme court had disagreements the judgment went back to the states to decide. Florida was the first to bring back the death penalty and 34 followed. It has remained very similar since then but the public has steadily started to turn away from the death penalty.
In an unbiased point of view of the death penalty, it is very hard to decide if it is good or bad for society. On one side it gets rid of criminals who are terrible people and makes sure they can’t ever get back into civilization. But on the other hand it is pretty much murder, and even if someone did a terrible thing they can still get forgiveness from God if they are sincere and there is also a chance that they were wrongly convicted. A recent research study showed that 1/20 prisoners were wrongfully convicted, this means that if there are 100 people that are sentenced to death and it is carried out that there is a chance that 5 of them were innocent.
In my opinion, I don’t think that the death penalty is justifiable unless there are 2 conditions. First, if there is cold hard evidence of it being rape, murder, or any kind of sex trafficing. I believe that if you do those crimes you should not be able to live anymore. Next, I think that if you show remorse for murder that you should get the chance of prison but with life without parole. The reason I left out rape and sex trafficing is that if you are willing to torture and eventually most likely plan to kill them you should not be able to live even if you are in prison for the rest of your life. I'm not saying that the death penalty is good nor bad but I think that you need to have an open mind and that there isn’t just an easy yes or no answer. Just like many political views such as abortion there isn’t an easy yes or no, there are always circumstances that can change the way you would think so I believe that if the death penalty is active that it should be circumstantial and looked at unbiasedly and fairly.
What are your thoughts on the death penalty?
Do you think that the death penalty is good or bad for the United States?
Does the death penalty violate the 8th ammendment, and if it does why?
Replies
My thoughts on the death penalty closely align with your own. To kill a person over a crime is justifiable in extreme circumstances, however, they are few and far between. The death panalty its self is technically creating more murders, seeing as there has to be an executioner to carry out said penalty. Which I find to be ironic in the worst sense possible.
I agree that more murder is bad, but I don't view the executioner as a murderer I see them as a person doing there job as their told. But still I beleive more murder is most of the time is bad but there still isn't an easy yes or no, there has to be some middle ground.
I agree on the fact that there must be some middle ground, however, it is a delicate ratio. Athough someone killing another person is objectively murder. I don't beleive the (hypothetical) executioner is a bad person, but the fact remains that they killed the (hypothetical) criminal.
I think that the death penalty should be in place because there are some people that do some very bad things such as kidnapping or murdering other people. but its shouldn't be used for smaller crimes such as j-walking or littering. As long as the governement knows when and how to use it I think it would be ok to have.
I agree that there are people who deserve punishment for what they do, but the government isn't always correct and I also believe that a large part of the government is corrupt and power hungry.
Can you provide clear and confirmed evidence of mass government corruption? I don't believe that every government official is corrupt.
I'm not saying all governement leaders are corrupt but I beleive that many are. I won't be able to find evidence because it will all be covered up.
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
of 4 Next