Head, Tom. “5 Arguments for the Death Penalty.” ThoughtCo, 19 Feb. 2017, https://www.thoughtco.com/arguments-for-the-death-penalty-721136. Accessed 30 Jul. 2018.
In this paper, Tom Head puts forward his arguments in support of the death penalty. He observes the waning support of the capital punishment in the United States by referring to a recent Gallup Poll. The author, therefore, cites the death penalty as a possible deterrence to the crime by arguing that the people are mostly more afraid of dying than any other thing. Head also suggests that the capital punishment is one of the ways through which the state can save the costs that it would otherwise incur during the potentially life-time incarceration. The writer also relies on the moralist and religious views arguing that the criminals need to die because of the heinous acts that they have formerly commited. As such, Head’s article is a valuable work for my research paper because it offers an alternate perspective for the position that I have taken. The article is a reliable source of information owing to the exemplary track record of ThoughtCo
as a reputable means of the scientific research on all of the possible niches.
Longley, Robert. “Recent Legal History of the Death Penalty in America.” ThoughtCo, 26 Feb. 2016, https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-death-penalty-in-america-3896747. Accessed 30 Jul. 2018.
The article by Robert Longley traces the history of the capital punishment in the United States. Longley, therefore, informs the audience that the execution is an integral component of the American judicial system where in the past, people would be executed for even the minor offenses such as stealing the grapes. The author further looks at the changing perceptions on the subject matter by providing the examples of the distinct periods in the States. In the voluntary moratorium period that had lasted from 1967 up to 1972, the United States’ Supreme Court had to be struggling with the issue over the growing negative publicity towards the death penalty sentence. As such, in 1972, in the Furman vs. Georgia
case, one can learn that the higher judicial body had eventually overturned the capital punishment as it had considered the respective verdict as barbaric and cruel. Later, it is observed how the Supreme Court upheld the new death penalty laws. Longley informs the readers on the resumption of the execution in 1977 in the United States along with providing the current public opinion on the issue under consideration. The article by Longley is vital for my paper as it traces the history of the subject over the years in the US. The piece is also a valid source of information due to the ThoughtCo platform’s well-known reliability.
Radelet, Michael L., and Marian J. Borg. “The Changing Nature of Death Penalty Debates.” Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 26, 2000, pp. 43-61.
The paper on The Changing Nature of Death Penalty Debates examines the vacillating nature of the capital punishment argument in the United States over the years. The article attempts to fulfill this objective by looking at six distinct areas, which are caprice and bias, deterrence, retribution, innocence, cost, and incapacitation. The authors review the prevailing public opinions on the subject matter and posit that the changes in the argument are due to social science scholarship (Radelet and Borg 43). Therefore, by delving into the pertinent literature, Radelet and Borg (60) are drawing the conclusion that over the years, there has been a slow and gradual shift towards the abolition of the death penalty all over the world and the United States in particular. The given article is essential to my research because it is a source of pertinent information on the subject matter of the capital punishment, and it thoroughly captures the varying opinions over the years on the issue. The paper is also a reliable source of information considering that the piece of literature is peer-reviewed and was published in the scholarly journal.
White, Deborah. “Pros " Cons of the Death Penalty.” ThoughtCo, 13 May 2017, https://www.thoughtco.com/pros-and-cons-death-penalty-3325230. Accessed 30 Jul. 2018.
Deborah White examines the arguments that have been previously put forth regarding the concept of the capital punishment. She notes that the proponents of the penalty argue that the members of the society who commit atrocities, which endanger the lives of others, earn and deserve capital punishment (White). However, the opponents aver that the death penalty is the ultimate denial of an individual’s right to life. The author further goes on to examine the rest of the potential arguments on the matter such as, for instance, incarceration costs. Additionally, White looks at the issue from the United States’ point of view and the global context and compares the various pertinent statistics on the execution. From the author’s comparison, one is able to note that China was the leading nation for execution just 10 years ago back in 2008. White also demonstrates to the audience that Texas was the state, which had the highest number of the death penalties brought to life in 2008, thus accounting for 38% of the total execution cases. As such, White’s article is fundamental to my research paper since it contains both global and local statistical figures on the issue capital punishment, which would be of great assistance to me in shaping my arguments. The work is also reliable source of crucial details on the matter since the article had been published on the ThoughtCo which is widely known as a reputable source of information.
Death Penalty, Does It Deliver?
Throughout history, various rulers have devised a myriad of the gruesome ways of for dealing with the prisoners and offenders. There have also been cases when the states have opted to boiling the convicts in oil, throwing them in the snake pits, or even giving them lethargic injections. Although some people argue that the death penalty is an effective deterrent to crime, other quarters posit that it is an extreme demonstration of denying one’s human rights (Radelet and Borg 43). The researchers further assert that the states which often kill for fun lack the moral capacity to execute the offenders (Radelet and Borg 43). Among the industrialized western nations, the United States is the only country that still exercises the death sentence. Since the 1990s, over 30 states have resorted to abolishing the capital punishment (White). Additionally, out of the 74 countries that still have death penalties; the executions occur only in a small proportion of the nations: Vietnam, the US, and China (White). The American government has executed over 1,000 people since the reinstatement of the death penalty, and over 3,000 individuals are currently living on death rows (White). Although judicial murder enjoyed significant support from the society in the 1990’s because of the high prevalence of crime, currently, its support has waned significantly. In 2016, a Gallup poll showed that 55 % of the Americans were against capital punishment, which was a five percent decrease from the previous year (Head). This essay, therefore, examines the efficacy of the death penalty in deterring crimes and saving costs compared to the life incarceration among others.
A scientific study conducted in Oklahoma showed that there exists no proof that judicial executions have a deterrent effect on the criminals (Radelet and Borg 47). In fact, most of the countries, which abolished death sentences in the 1990’s, have had characteristically lower homicide rates compared to America. In the US, the states that abolished legal killings have lower crime incidence occurrences. The Canadian situation exemplifies the limitations of death sentences as a crime deterrent, whereby since the scrapping off of judicial executions, a 24% decrease in reported misdemeanors has been recorded (Longley). In England, in the 18th century, all felonies were punished by execution, even pickpocketing. Ironically, the public executions availed an opportunity for the picketers’ to steal from other people (Radelet and Borg 47). It is apparent that it is a demonstration of the inefficiency of death penalties as a disincentive to transgressions. A detailed study of criminal behavior shows that the fear of conviction the only surreal mechanism of preventing violations (Radelet and Borg 48).
Usually, the trial and the sentencing process should follow proper channels and adhere to the constitutional tenets. The procedure should be fair and devoid of any form of discrimination. Since the reinstatement of capital punishment in the mid 70’s, statistics show that the execution has disproportionately targeted only some members of the population (Radelet and Borg 46). Between 1930 and 1996, the US government executed over 4,000 people. Approximately half of them were blacks who were a smaller proportion of the entire population (Radelet and Borg 46). In fact, in the Furman case, the Supreme Court cited racial discrimination as one of its reasons against capital punishment (Longley). A more recent study of the death sentence in Texas showed that the penalty is significantly an extension of the southerners’ racist “legacy of slavery” (Radelet and Borg 45). A more detailed comparison of black and white malefactors in the last century further reveals that African Americans were convicted and subsequently executed for crimes considered as less than capital offenses for the Whites (Radelet and Borg 42). Additionally, a significant proportion of the executed blacks were juveniles, and the probability of an individual executed without the conviction being reviewed was higher for the populace of color. Proponents of the death penalty may argue that racial bias is outdated; however, at any time, more than half of the individuals on death rows have always been blacks (Radelet and Borg 49).
A familiar narrative often peddled by proponents of capital punishment is that the sentence of such kind is a more economical alternative when compared to life imprisonment (Head). However, a detailed analysis of all the relevant costs incurred reveals that it is not the case. More often, in murder trials where the death penalty is at stake, such scenarios tend to take more extended periods. Therefore, as a result, additional litigation costs and briefing expenses are incurred which burden the taxpayer (White). Besides, taking into account the extra security charges suffered when taking the offenders to courts and separate death row housing units, it is evident that the capital punishment exerts additional expenses on the taxpayer. A study conducted in New York in 1982 showed that if the death penalty were to be reintroduced, the state would incur twice the costs for life imprisonment (Radelet and Borg 50). In fact, it was one of the reasons why the legalized killing was not reintroduced again in New York. A comparative study in Maryland of capital trials showed that capital punishment cases cost 42% more than non-death sentence cases (Radelet and Borg 50). In Florida, where vast numbers of judicial killings have been reported, it is estimated that legal execution costs approximately three million dollars, which is six times the cost of life imprisonment (Radelet and Borg 51). Herein it is observed that the death penalty is not a cheaper alternative, as it is often mistakenly perceived.
As shown through the various statistics and studies, the death penalty does not deliver. It is more expensive when compared to life imprisonment. The lengthy charges, extra security, and high briefing cost all subject additional burden to the taxpayer. Again, capital punishment is devoid of fairness and justice. It seems to target some factions of the population selectively, like the African-Americans in the US. Moreover, repeated studies such as the police study in Oklahoma have demonstrated that it is not an effective deterrent to crime. Hence, in this regard, it is inferred that the death penalty does not deliver.
Works Cited
Head, Tom. “5 Arguments for the Death Penalty.” ThoughtCo, 19 Feb. 2017, https://www.thoughtco.com/arguments-for-the-death-penalty-721136. Accessed 30 Jul. 2018.
Longley, Robert. “Recent Legal History of the Death Penalty in America.” ThoughtCo, 26 Feb. 2016, https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-death-penalty-in-america-3896747. Accessed 30 Jul. 2018.
Radelet, Michael L., and Marian J. Borg. “The Changing Nature of Death Penalty Debates.” Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 26, 2000, pp. 43-61.
White, Deborah. “Pros " Cons of the Death Penalty.” ThoughtCo, 13 May 2017, https://www.thoughtco.com/pros-and-cons-death-penalty-3325230. Accessed 30 Jul. 2018.
References
Head, T. (2017). 5 arguments for the death penalty. ThoughtCo. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/arguments-for-the-death-penalty-721136
Longley, R. (2016). Recent legal history of the death penalty in America. ThoughtCo. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-death-penalty-in-america-3896747
Radelet, M. L., " Borg, M J. (2000). The changing nature of death penalty debates. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 43-61.
White, D. (2017). Pros " cons of the death penalty. ThoughtCo. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/pros-and-cons-death-penalty-3325230
