The Death Penalty Jessica Siegel

Definitions Being killed as punishment for a very serious crime(Rooney 4) Carried out in many ways (Rooney 4) “ Eventually, fewer people were convicted of crimes in these countries because juries considered the death penalty too harsh.” (Rooney 4) Many countries try to use quick and painless methods (Rooney 4)

Examples Kinds of execution include shooting, hanging, electrocution, lethal injection, beheading, and stoning Some countries that have the death penalty are the U.S., many Middle Eastern countries, many parts of Asia, and parts of Africa Completely abolished in Europe

For Deters criminals from committing serious crimes (Rooney 28) Prevents criminals from breaking the law multiple times (Rooney 28) Gives family of the victims the closure that they need (Rooney 28) “ Opponents of the death penalty continually argue that it does not deter crime. They miss the point : The death penalty is about punishment of a crime, not the deterrence of all crime.” (Bowman and DiLascio 1) Most people on death row are actually guilty. Cases of innocent people who have been falsely accused are very rare. (Bowman and DiLascio 1) “ By not recognizing the lives of their victims as sacred, they cannot claim their own lives as sacred. In the end, the death penalty is an individual punishment for an individual crime.”( Bowman and DiLascio 1)

Against “Some people argue that the existence of a death penalty brutalizes people, so they are more likely to commit crimes themselves.” (Rooney 29) Capital punishment does not deter crime, is prone to wrongfully convicting and executing innocent people, and is very discriminatory.(Ballaro and Cusman 1) Many times, death sentences are based more on race, sex, and economic class, rather than the crime they commit. (Ballaro and Cushman 1) In many cases, there are flaws in the evidence that can lead to false conviction.(Ballaro and Cushman 1)

Reasons for Death Penalty The preamble of the U.S. Constitution says that the death penalty is used to ‘ensure domestic tranquility’. ( “Prison and Punishment” 9) “ Revenge is still a common motive for the use of punishment, especially as a response to the most brutal and senseless crimes.” (“Prison and Punishment”) “ Punishment, it has been argued, should be designed to transform criminals into useful members of society by changing their attitudes so they will not want to commit illegal acts.” (“ Prison and Punishment”)

Solutions In the 18 th century, the concept of prisons were thought up by philosophers and politicians “ The adoption of the prison system suggested that criminals could be reformed rather than just killed. As the idea caught on, the number of crimes punishable by death decreased.” (Bowman and Dilascio 1) In the later 18 th century, many countries abolished the death penalty. The U.S. did not abolish it. “ As crimes came to be viewed as offenses against the state instead of against individual persons, fines became a frequent substitute for punishment as well as a reliable source of revenue.” (“ Prison and Punishment”)

Compare/ Contrast Compare There were 53 documented executions in the U.S. in Other countries that have had many executions in that year include China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, and Sudan. (Ballaro and Cushman 1) In the U.S., many states allow capital punishment as a consequence for murder. In many places, especially in the west, murder is viewed as a very serious and malicious crime (Ballaro and Cushman 1) Contrast In the old days, they used drowning, stoning, hanging, and beheading for executions.Today we use electrocution, gas chambers, and lethal injection. In the middle ages in Europe they used severe and torturous punishment. Today it is abolished. In the 7 th century, almost all crimes were punishable by death. Today, the death penalty is abolished in many countries and is rarely used in the countries that allow it.

Personal Insights While researching the death penalty, I learned that the death penalty can be used as punishment for crimes other than murder, such as treason. Another thing that I learned was that there weren’t prisons before the 18 th century.