Whether or Not to Abolish Capital Punishment Essay Example

survival after a verdict has been given.

The death penalty has a greater impact compared to life imprisonment, as it serves as a stronger deterrent for criminals (Nagin & Pepper, 2012). Incapacitation refers to the restriction of a criminal's movements and freedom in society, aiming to prevent harm to the overall community. In the criminal justice system, capital punishment serves as the ultimate form of incapacitation, as it completely removes the criminal from both other inmates and society through death (Radelet ; Borg, 2000). The society's greatest fears involve serial killers and mass murderers, and executing them is considered the most favorable approach to incapacitate them.

Arguments in favor of abolishing capital punishment

The widespread issue of wrongfully convicting innocent individuals within the Criminal Justice System has led to an increase in cases where innocent people have been executed due to the implementation of the death penalty. Many prosecutors and law enforcement officials, motivated by corruption or racial prejudice, have manipulated evidence, resulting in the wrongful conviction of innocent individuals (Iveren, 2011). This contradicts the principles of justice as it means that innocent lives are being executed while true criminals remain free. Factors such as bribery of prosecutors, inadequate legal representation, and racial discrimination contribute to these wrongful convictions. Despite numerous studies aiming to determine whether capital punishment effectively deters crime, none have definitively proven its effectiveness.

According to Lambert, Clarke, & Lambert (2004), for the death penalty to serve as an effective deterrent, there must be an assurance of a 100% certainty of arrest and prosecution. Nevertheless, numerous offenders manage to evade these repercussions, rendering capital punishment ineffective in discouraging their unlawful behavior.

In reality, certain criminals are incentivized by the excitement of committing crimes precisely because they face this penalty. Consequently, receiving the death penalty is perceived as a prestigious accolade and a means for these individuals to establish their standing among fellow criminals.

According to religious beliefs, taking someone's life is seen as a sinful act that violates natural laws. Various religions stress the significance of preserving life and view life imprisonment as a preferable alternative to capital punishment. Consequently, replacing the death penalty with life imprisonment is considered the most appropriate method of handling offenders.

Conclusion

The text strongly advocates for the abolishment of capital punishment, citing reasons such as wrongful convictions, ineffectiveness as a deterrent, and religious beliefs. These arguments also emphasize the need for a more suitable method of punishment for convicts. It is important to reevaluate the current premise of capital punishment due to its minimal impact on the justice system and high maintenance costs.

Bibliography

1. Iveren, O. B. (2011). Justification for and Abolition of Capital Punishment Under Human Rights Law. Retrieved April 11, 2016, from http://www.unilorin.edu.ng: http://www.unilorin.edu.ng/studproj/law/0640ia155.pdf
2. Lambert, E. G., Clarke, A., ; Lambert, J. (2004). Reasons for Supporting and Opposing Capital Punishment in the USA: A Preliminary Study.

The paragraph refers to information sourced from "www.internetjournalofcriminology.com" with two hyperlinks. The first hyperlink leads to an article titled "Reasons for Supporting and Opposing Capital.pdf", while the second hyperlink appears to be a broken URL. Nagin, D. S., & Pepper, J. V. (2012) wrote about deterrence and the death penalty in this context.

The information

is sourced from www.law.upenn.edu and was accessed on April 11, 2016. The full report can be found at https://www.law.upenn.edu/live/files/1529-nagin-full-reportpdf.

In their paper titled "The Changing Nature of Death Penalty Debates" (2000), Radelet, M. L., ; Borg, M. J. discussed the topic.

The source of this information is www.unc.edu, accessed on April 11, 2016, from the following link: https://www.unc.edu/~fbaum/teaching/articles/AnnRevSoc-2000-Radelet.pdf.