Essay on Why the Federal Government Must Abolish the Death...

The federal government has an obligation to make just laws. Currently, US laws allow for the death penalty for certain heinous crimes. The supporters argue that the 5th Amendment, which guarantees that no one shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law,† implies that depriving someone of his or her life is permissible under the constitution as long as there is due process. However, there are several reasons why the federal government must abolish the death penalty - it weakens US moral authority over other nations; there have been too many wrongful convictions for death penalty in the US; the death penalty is in conflict with the 8th amendment of the US constitution; and finally, the cost of death penalty†¦show more content†¦The death penalty is a major barrier to negotiating an extradition treaty with a nation that does not support it. There are instances when other countries have refused extradition even when US has an extradition tre aty with them (http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org). Clearly, it is detrimental for the US to continue to use the death penalty. In the last several years, too many people in the United States have been wrongfully sentenced with the death penalty. Several accused have their sentence overturned or they have been totally exonerated. There are at least 8 people who were executed by United States and later proven innocent (http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org). Over a 20 year period, 68% of all death sentences were reversed (http://karisable.com). A noteworthy example is of Jerry Banks who was convicted and sentenced with the death penalty for two counts of murder in 1975. Five years later, in 1980, Banks conviction was overturned on the basis of newly discovered evidence which was allegedly known to the state at the time of trial. Another example was the case of Lawyer Johnson who was sentenced to death in 1971 by an all white jury for the murder of a white victim. Later in 1982, Johnson†™s conviction was overturned and Johnson exonerated when a previously silent eyewitness identified the state’s chief witness as the real murderer. (http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org) Human error is inevitable, particularlyShow MoreRelatedEssay on A Call for Change: Abolishing the Death Penalty1728 Words   |  7 Pagesimproving; therefore, a change must occur to keep enhancing humanity. One change must be capital punishment. The United States’ government must stop trying to preclude murder by committing murder and the ultimate punishment should be prison for life with no chance of parole. In 2010, 558 citizens in the state of Georgia were murdered (â€Å"Crime in United States.†), and two Georgian civilians were put to death by our government (â€Å"Execution List†). Capital punishment results in the death of an American citizen;Read MoreThe Death Penalty Should Not Be Legal1573 Words   |  7 PagesThere are many legal issues that come along with the death penalty. Ratified on December 15, 1791, The United States Bill of Rights states in its eight amendment, â€Å"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.† (8th Amendment to the Constitution). The Supreme Court stated during the 1958 case of Trop v. Dulles, that the 8th amendment must draw its meaning from the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturingRead MoreDeath to the Death Penalty1025 Words   |  5 Pagesany other human being, and this is where the nations that apply the death penalty are faili ng (Source 1). The death penalty or capital punishment is a legal process in which a person is executed as a punishment for committing a crime. It is still used in over 50 nations worldwide. Centuries before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights existed, important civilizations such as the Mesopotamian, Greek, and Roman Empires used death to punish criminals for their actions. It was such an important issueRead MoreCapital Punishment Should Be Abolished1439 Words   |  6 Pagesanswer is the death penalty. Do we as civilized progressive Americans want to have anything common or affiliated with these countries. Countries that are in constant war and turmoil. Death penalty is dead wrong It s time to outlaw capital punishment in America completely. We are meant to be better and bigger than this then why do w still have this barbaric law in practice it is inhumane, morally wrong and expensive. In my paper I will try to cover the taboo topic of capital punishment and why it shouldRead MoreEssay on Death Penalty1584 Words   |  7 Pagescontroversial topics in America today is the death penalty. Four thousands of years the death penalty has been used all over the world. In the earlier centuries the townsmen would hang people if they were accused as being a witch, but they were not witches at all. They merely knew a little more information than the next person. They were wrongly accused, and that is why I see the death penalty as immoral, unethical and just wrong! People were put to death for no reason; they were accused because thereRead MoreCapital Punishment Should Be Eliminated1679 Words   |  7 Pagesthe country, the death penalty was a more viable solution than it appears today due to the quality of the prisons, which couldn’t sustain prisoners long-term. (Von Drehle, 2015). Today, this is not an issue with prisons that are provided both by the state and federal governments and that are fully capable of holding offenders throughout the length of a life sentence (Von Drehle, 2015). However, many will argue that capital punishment should be eliminated. Foes of the death penalty are split into twoRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is A Form Of Execution1269 Words   |  6 PagesI. Introduction The death penalty is a form of execution used in the United States. The federal death penalty can be used in any state or territory of the U.S. even in states that do not have it. There are currently 32 states including North Carolina that have the death penalty. Its purpose was to deter crime from happening. Therefore, creating a safer environment. Unfortunately this has not been the case. The death penalty has claimed innocent lives, ruined lives, is issued at random unfairlyRead MorePersuassive Essay Against the Death Penalty1196 Words   |  5 Pagesalternative for punishing a criminal. Where does the hostility and ignorance stop once it begins? Murder is unaccepted by society, yet people seem to pacify themselves by killing criminals. Is that not considered to be murder? Sentencing a criminal to death does not solve the questions and problems that are left behind. Parents will still cry for a child that is never coming home. Mourning families will still carry a never-ending h eartache, and the criminal no longer has to pay for the consequences ofRead MoreCapital Punishment : The Death Penalty1482 Words   |  6 Pagesconcluded the death penalty is wrong because it lowers us all; it is a surrender to the worst that is in us; it uses a power- the official power to kill by execution- that has never brought back a life, need inspired anything but hate. (Cuomo 1) This is one of the main arguments against capital punishment (also known as the death sentence.) Capital punishment is the ability for a government to execute a person who has committed a crime. People that agree with using the death penalty, will argue thatRead More Capital Punishment Is Wrong Essay2471 Words   |  10 Pagesexecution, capital punishment is seen as inhumane, wrong and an unusual punishment. The death penalty is greatly rejected and discouraged by many countries and states. There are more than one hundred countries who have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, while the United States has increased the rate of executions and the number of crimes that are punishable by death (The Death Penalty†¦2000). Many politicians claim that they are tough on crimes, but they should spend ninety