Reference no: EM132196541

First response to Ansonia

"Retribution, deterrence, and incapacitation are usually cited as the reasons for keeping the death penalty (Clear, Cole, & Reisig, 2017). To me, that feeling leans towards "an eye for an eye" situation.

I have been in talks and debates about if the capital punishment works for our modern times. I can see where the death penalty "can save up to $1 million in incarceration costs over the lifetime of each murderer" (Clear, Cole, & Reisig, 2017), but I do not feel that taking a person's life is up to us. When someone commits a murder, they are acting out against the way of life. The people want restitution and they want someone to blame.

I can not see myself agreeing to such a punishment unless the person who committed inexplicable acts absolutely deserved it. If someone was to harm a child in any way, as a mother, yes I would want that person to pay, but I feel that the death penalty is just an easy out. I would want the person to really hate themselves for what they did by having to live with their consequences for the rest of their lives.

The money, to me would mean nothing if I knew that person was beating themselves up for their crime. I see the effectiveness of the death penalty in that it ensures that these horrible people are no longer among us, but how I look at it, an "eye for an eye" is never the answer.

Clear, T.R, Cole, G.F., & Reisig, M.D., (2017) American Corrections(12ed.) Boston. MA, Cengage Learning

Second Reply to Alana

I will argue for the death penalty. However, there should be some stipulations e.g. proving that the convicted person is 100% guilty and/or their admission of guilt, and that the execution should be done in the most humane way possible. All efforts should be made to prove guilt otherwise it could mean executing an innocent person.

McLeod (2018) mentions that the Supreme court uses future dangerousness as a determinimg factor is deciding who receives the death penalty. I beileve that is an important factor to consider, but could still be considered a problem depending on who is making this decision.

The death penalty has two justifications retribution and deterrence for capital crimes (McLeod,2018). Detterence seems to be the main goal of the death penalty. However, there is the argument, by some scholars, that the death penalty shows that it is not a an effective deterent of crime (Fletcher, 2014).

Methods of exectution have varied over the years and some of been deemed unsconstitituional an example of this is the electric, this was once seen has more humane then hanging, but is now deemed constitutional by the state of Nebraska (Fletcher, 2014).

Currently most states now use letheal injection as the preferred method of execution, however Califronia has put a moratorium on this method due to concerns about this method (Fletcher, 2014).

References:

Fletcher, W. A. (2014). Our broken death penalty. New York University Law Review, 89(3), 805.

McLeod, M. S. (2018). the death penalty as incapacitation. Virginia Law Review, 104(6), 1123.