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Electrocution too, at times, fails to kill instantly and the awful stench of burning flesh that follows the process is indicative of the excruciating pain suffered during the killing.
Another reason why capital punishment is wrong is because death is irreversable, human justice is fallible and criminal proceedings would always be prone to errors. There have been several cases of sentencing to death before evidence proving their innocence was uncovered. Since 1973 alone, 119 people in 25 USA states have been released from death row when evidence of their innocence came to light. ("Capital Punishment" Wikipedia) Others, not so lucky, have been executed before evidence clearing them was discovered. James Adams, a Black American, who was executed in Florida on May 10, 1984 for the 1973 murder of one Edgar Brown, is a pertinent case in point. Mr. Adams was most probably an innocent man who was put to death before he and his attorneys had a chance to prove his innocence. (Baird and Rosenbaum, 97-100)
Not only do many innocent persons get convicted and even executed, evidence also suggests that the death penalty is disproportionately applied to the poor and racial minorities in the United States. For example, between 1930 and 1990, 4,016 persons were executed in the United States out of whom, 2,129 (or 53%) were black, although Blacks constituted just 12% of the U.S. population during the period. (Bedau, 1992, Section on "unfairness") Apart from racial discrimination, the poor are at a much-enhanced risk of getting the death penalty since most of them cannot afford to hire a lawyer during their trial. It is no wonder...
No hard evidence exists about its supposed benefits such as deterrence, while instances of conviction of the innocent and the disproportionate application of capital punishment on the poor and racial minorities are well documented.
Works Cited
Baird, Robert M., and Stuart E. Rosenbaum, eds. Punishment and the Death Penalty: The Current Debate. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1995.
Bedau, Hugo Adam. (1992). "The Case Against The Death Penalty." American Civil Liberties Union. 1992. Retrieved on September 29, 2005 at http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~critcrim/dp/dppapers/aclu.antidp
Capital Punishment." From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. On September 29, 2005 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment
Death Penalty, Q&A." Amnesty International USA. 2005. Retrieved on September 29, 2005 at http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/dp_qa.html
The term "capital" comes from the Latin word capitalis, meaning "head."
According to the Amnesty International, around 124 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice
Self-defense is, of course, an exception.
Or in the case of the United States, states that allow capital punishment
Qualified medical professionals are often barred from taking part in executions
Radelet, Bedau, and Putnam, authors of "In Spite of Innocence: Erroneous Convictions in Capital Cases," have documented 23 such cases. (Baird and Rosenbaum, 141)
Quoted in Amnesty International website [available online] at http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/worldwide.html
Capital Punishment
Works Cited
Baird, Robert M., and Stuart E. Rosenbaum, eds. Punishment and the Death Penalty: The Current Debate. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1995.
Bedau, Hugo Adam. (1992). "The Case Against The Death Penalty." American Civil Liberties Union. 1992. Retrieved on September 29, 2005 at http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~critcrim/dp/dppapers/aclu.antidp
Capital Punishment." From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. On September 29, 2005 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment
Death Penalty, Q&A." Amnesty International USA. 2005. Retrieved on September 29, 2005 at http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/dp_qa.html
Quoted in Amnesty International website [available online] at http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/worldwide.html
Death Penalty: Social Attitudes and Modern Alternatives The issue of the death penalty raises deep emotions on all sides of the debate. Many feel that the death penalty no longer holds value as a tool for society to prevent heinous crimes. In the past, the prevalence of the death penalty created a measure of deterrence on social behaviors. However, in modern life, there is no longer is a measurable deterrence felt
Death Penalty Human civilization has come a long way in terms of upholding and safeguarding basic human rights to life, liberty, dignity, equality and justice. Indeed, this trend is evident in the worldwide human rights movement that protests and fights against cruel practices such as child labor, prisoner abuse, war crimes, and domestic violence against women and children. It is, therefore, surprising that some countries continue to use the death penalty
Death Penalty One is most deterred by what one fears most. From which it follows that whatever statistics fail, or do not fail, to show, the death penalty is likely to be more deterrent than any other. FACTS: If it is difficult, perhaps impossible, to prove statistically, and just as hard to disprove, that the death penalty deters more from capital crimes than available alternative punishments do (such as life imprisonment), why
Capital Punishment in the United States Capital punishment is one of the comprehensive, but debatable punishments given to criminal offenders in the U.S. And many other nations across the globe. Capital punishment involves the issuance of the death penalty because of committing serious crimes like crime in the society. Capital punishment has received tumultuous public support touching both ends of the society with its authorization in thirty-seven American states. It is
Death Penalty as Retribution The Retributive Nature of the Death Penalty The peaceful fabric of society is torn whenever a crime is committed. In the case of murder, the suffering of the victim's loved ones can be unbearable and last for a lifetime. The destructive ripple effect of these tragedies cannot be compensated for in any way, not even by the capture, conviction, and execution of the killer. However, many states still
Death Penalty All indications are that capital offenses are on the rise and the response to this phenomenon has been a cry to impose capital punishment as retribution. Certainly the issue is one of the most hotly debated in the world today; both for consideration of its humaneness as well as efficacy as a deterrent. For the purposes of this assignment we will examine the issue from both sides with the