In a two-page (double spaced) essay, discuss the pros and cons of the death penalty. In your essay, include some easily obtainable facts relative to the subject such as: the countries that currently impose the death penalty; the type of crimes that are associated with this penalty; whether some of those executed might in fact be innocent; how the punishment is administered, etc. Be sure to document properly any sources used. Feel free to give your own opinion as a conclusion to the paper.
Death Penalty
Death penalty is the capital punishment in which the regime ends someone's life because of doing a serious crime. It is a controversial issue though it is recognized in all religions. According to Amnesty International, March 2010, ninety five countries have abolished death penalty for all crimes, nine countries for ordinary crimes, and thirty five countries in practice, but fifty eight countries are still applying death penalty such as United States, Philippine, and Saudi Arabia. Used methods are hanging, firing, electrocution, gas chamber, and lethal injection.
Many lawyers and human rights activists claim that death penalty should be abolished for many reasons. Studies show that execution does not prevent future crimes and murderers and states in U.S without death penalty have lower rates of murderer. Also, death penalty sometimes applied unfairly to innocent people. The race of the victim and the defendant affects determining who is sentenced to the penalty. Since death penalty does not heal wounds or end pain, millions that spent on death penalty should be paid to assist the victim's family. Death penalty is applied randomly; Factors such as jurisdiction and quality of legal counsel play a major role in determining death penalty more than the fact of the crime itself. Life without parole is a sensible alternative to the death penalty.
On the other hand, the supporters of the death penalty also have some reasons of using this punishment. It deters murderers to do more crimes in the future because they would lose their lives and life without parole doesn't make the expected same effect as death penalty. Studies that show increasing crime rate in states with death penalty are inconclusive, that is only because death penalty takes years before an execution is actually carried out. Death penalty saves the value on protecting life and brings closure to victim's family. If there are innocent people have been executed, improvements are needed in the justice system. The need of reform is not a reason to abolish death penalty. "High paid, skillful lawyers should not be able to get some defendants off on technicalities. The existence of some systemic problems is no reason to abandon the whole death penalty system." (Death Penalty Curriculum, 2001)
Before involving in previous arguments for and against the death penalty, I think some procedures should be taken to prevent the causes that led to crimes. The government should afford to provide the essential needs and rights for everyone in the country and control all kinds of crimes, drugs, and alcohol use, so people would not need to kill each other to get their rights. Then studies would be significant and conclusive because they will show real facts and results and it would be almost no crimes. Unfortunately, all previous conditions are not realistic in our world these days. But one day in the seventh century they were real when Omar Bin Alkhattab had been ruling the Islamic country -which was form Afghanistan to Libya and from East Turkey to Yemen- for 20 years. Study by Akram Alamri in his book Asr Alkhilafa Arrashida shows that only about ten executions administered throughout 20 years in which the criminal should be executed according to the Islamic law such as treason, piracy (essentially armed robbery), murder, terrorism, rape including pedophilia, some cases of adultery, and homosexual intercourse _crimes that affect the community as a whole and destabilize the society. Murder was treated as a civil crime and covered by the law of retaliation, whereby the relatives of the victim decide whether the offender is punished with death by the authorities or made to pay wergild as compensation.
When the government does the death penalty on the right person, at the right time, in the right way, for the right purpose, and when the rules are equally applied on guilty persons despite their races, their sex and their ages (except protected groups such as pregnant women, ill mentally people, and juveniles), decreasing in the crime rate would occur and then the punishment would gain its supposed goals; deterrence, justice, and mercy. But as death penalty is applied unfairly and randomly, more of violence accidents and crimes would occur.
Works Cited
Alamri, Akram, Asr Alkhilafa Arrashida, Riyadh: Obeikan Library, 1996. Print
Death Penalty Curriculum for High School. 1 Nov 2001. Michigan State University Comm Tech Lab and Death Penalty Information Center.
Death Penalty
Death penalty is the capital punishment in which the regime ends someone's life because of doing a serious crime. It is a controversial issue though it is recognized in all religions. According to Amnesty International, March 2010, ninety five countries have abolished death penalty for all crimes, nine countries for ordinary crimes, and thirty five countries in practice, but fifty eight countries are still applying death penalty such as United States, Philippine, and Saudi Arabia. Used methods are hanging, firing, electrocution, gas chamber, and lethal injection.
Many lawyers and human rights activists claim that death penalty should be abolished for many reasons. Studies show that execution does not prevent future crimes and murderers and states in U.S without death penalty have lower rates of murderer. Also, death penalty sometimes applied unfairly to innocent people. The race of the victim and the defendant affects determining who is sentenced to the penalty. Since death penalty does not heal wounds or end pain, millions that spent on death penalty should be paid to assist the victim's family. Death penalty is applied randomly; Factors such as jurisdiction and quality of legal counsel play a major role in determining death penalty more than the fact of the crime itself. Life without parole is a sensible alternative to the death penalty.
On the other hand, the supporters of the death penalty also have some reasons of using this punishment. It deters murderers to do more crimes in the future because they would lose their lives and life without parole doesn't make the expected same effect as death penalty. Studies that show increasing crime rate in states with death penalty are inconclusive, that is only because death penalty takes years before an execution is actually carried out. Death penalty saves the value on protecting life and brings closure to victim's family. If there are innocent people have been executed, improvements are needed in the justice system. The need of reform is not a reason to abolish death penalty. "High paid, skillful lawyers should not be able to get some defendants off on technicalities. The existence of some systemic problems is no reason to abandon the whole death penalty system." (Death Penalty Curriculum, 2001)
Before involving in previous arguments for and against the death penalty, I think some procedures should be taken to prevent the causes that led to crimes. The government should afford to provide the essential needs and rights for everyone in the country and control all kinds of crimes, drugs, and alcohol use, so people would not need to kill each other to get their rights. Then studies would be significant and conclusive because they will show real facts and results and it would be almost no crimes. Unfortunately, all previous conditions are not realistic in our world these days. But one day in the seventh century they were real when Omar Bin Alkhattab had been ruling the Islamic country -which was form Afghanistan to Libya and from East Turkey to Yemen- for 20 years. Study by Akram Alamri in his book Asr Alkhilafa Arrashida shows that only about ten executions administered throughout 20 years in which the criminal should be executed according to the Islamic law such as treason, piracy (essentially armed robbery), murder, terrorism, rape including pedophilia, some cases of adultery, and homosexual intercourse _crimes that affect the community as a whole and destabilize the society. Murder was treated as a civil crime and covered by the law of retaliation, whereby the relatives of the victim decide whether the offender is punished with death by the authorities or made to pay wergild as compensation.
When the government does the death penalty on the right person, at the right time, in the right way, for the right purpose, and when the rules are equally applied on guilty persons despite their races, their sex and their ages (except protected groups such as pregnant women, ill mentally people, and juveniles), decreasing in the crime rate would occur and then the punishment would gain its supposed goals; deterrence, justice, and mercy. But as death penalty is applied unfairly and randomly, more of violence accidents and crimes would occur.
Works Cited
Alamri, Akram, Asr Alkhilafa Arrashida, Riyadh: Obeikan Library, 1996. Print
Death Penalty Curriculum for High School. 1 Nov 2001. Michigan State University Comm Tech Lab and Death Penalty Information Center.
