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This results in an extremely clouded concept of what the majority of the population actually supports in this country -- not just on the death penalty, but any issue. Ultimately this point of this argument, though not invalid in a humanistic point-of-view, is invalid because of its lack of solid, empirical ground to stand on. In fact, it is in danger of being ignored all together if we are to take a macrocosmic view of the country in terms of the constitution and the freedoms from religious policy that we enjoy. Of course if we take this point-of-view then we have to ask how we come to any decisions about our laws at all if not based on moral judgment. As can be seen by this, this point could go in circles for many more centuries.
The idea of retribution is equally as difficult to fairly analyze. Is an "eye for an eye" policy the best policy to exact the most powerful amount of retribution on a criminal? Is the death penalty, in fact, even an "eye for an eye" policy? Many of the victims of those who are punished with the death penalty are killed in a gruesome, terrifying manner. These individual suffer extreme amounts of both physical pain and psychological stress. With this in mind, can it fairly be said that criminals who are essentially put to sleep in a peaceful, low stress atmosphere treated in the same manner as those that they executed (Trollinger 88)? Suffering a lifetime in incarceration with the removal of all civil liberties might be considered a much more of equal punishment for these criminals, but even this idea can be disputed by pointing out how lush and pleasant many prisons have become, and how the fight for prisoner's rights has made incarceration more of a vacation...
These two arguments provide a strong, sound foundation to support the opinion that the death penalty should be abolished, not only in this country, but around the world. Regardless of how one feels about the ethicalness of killing another human being, or what one's religion states as appropriate punishment for a violent murder, the logic behind retaining a legal policy and carrying out a punishment that clearly does not have the effect it is supposed to have on the general population seems preposterous. This idea is even more ridiculous when viewed within the context of how extreme and final the end product is. Death is not reversible, it's not cheap, and it's clearly not working, so the death penalty should be completely abolished.
Cannon, Carl. "The Problem with the Chair -- A Conservative Case Against Capital
Punishment." National Review 19 June 2000.
Dieter, Richard. Cost of the Death Penalty and Related Issues. New York State
Assembly: Standing Committees on Codes, Judiciary and Correction. 25 Jan. 2005.
Elliot, Vicky. "The American Exception -- Capital Punishment." UNESCO Courier Oct.
Goertzel, Ted. "Captial Punishment and Homicide: Sociological Realities and Econometric Illusions: Does Exciting Murderers Cut the Homicide Rate or Not?
Comparative Studies Show There is No Effect. Econometric Models, In Contrast, Show a Mixture of Results. Why the Difference? And Which is the More Reliable Method?" Skeptical Inquirer Jul.-Aug. 2004.
Trollinger, William. "My Friend's Execution -- Witnessing an Execution Confirms
Feelings About Capital Punishment." Christian Century 11 Nov. 1998. A strong telling of the moral side of the debate against the death penalty. Also an intimate portrait of a Death Row inmate.
Comparative Studies Show There is No Effect. Econometric Models, In Contrast, Show a Mixture of Results. Why the Difference? And Which is the More Reliable Method?" Skeptical Inquirer Jul.-Aug. 2004.
Trollinger, William. "My Friend's Execution -- Witnessing an Execution Confirms
Feelings About Capital Punishment." Christian Century 11 Nov. 1998. A strong telling of the moral side of the debate against the death penalty. Also an intimate portrait of a Death Row inmate.
Capital Punishment In more than half the countries of the world, there is no death penalty as was the case in Australia for a long time. As many as 76 countries do not have death penalty for any crime. In Australia, Queensland was the first among the states to abolish death penalty in 1922 and the last death penalty was carried out in 1913. (Capital Punishment) In many countries, punishment is very
" This article puts forward the notion that when analyzing the "...relationships between minority groups and mainstream populations," the issue of whether the use of "formal control is applied fairly and consistently between these different groups" is a pivotal place to begin (Ruddell, et al., 2004). It is pivotal because "injustice" not only can have "a corrosive effect" on the perception of the fairness (or unfairness) of the criminal justice system;
All arguments against the death penalty appear doubly applicable to women so convicted; those already victimized by their circumstances and relationships are further victimized by a justice system that is supposed to help them, while the guilty are allowed to continue with their crimes, freed by the skill of high-priced lawyers. According to Dreyfuss (2003), women convicted of murder specifically face issues such as prosecutors who ignore mitigating circumstances, self-defence,
Death Penalty II The Death Penalty and the Bible The Bible is an important and valuable book providing a wealth of information, and it should be used as a determination as to whether the death penalty should be chosen for certain, specific crimes, despite the often-cited issue of separation between church and state. Biblical Crimes Rape Sodomy Bestiality Adultery Murder f. Other Crimes The Death Penalty Biblical Times Ransom From the Death Penalty The Separation of Church and State The death penalty has been
Capital Punishment Analysis of "The Death Sentence" by Sidney Hook Sidney Hook's analysis of the capital punishment and its effect and implications in the society are outlined in his article entitled, "The Capital Punishment." In his article, Hook discusses the different perspectives wherein the debate over the implementation or abolishment of capital punishment is discussed. Hook contends that individuals and groups that favor the implementation of capital punishment tend to subsist to
Capital Punishment Issues The inconsistency and discrimination issues related to capital punishment are that, first, it is unevenly applied to all persons and, second, it is more commonly supported by Whites than it is by African-Americans (Unnever, Cullen, 2007). The concept that criminal justice and capital punishment are a good fit for one another is not a concept that African-Americans tend to promote; yet the underlying cause of their lack of