This day in age murderers actions are getting more and more incomprehensive. They are no longer just committing murder: they are torturing, mutilating, andengaging in grossly inappropriate acts against fellow human beings.
Behaviorssuch as this will continue if nothing is done to stop them. The death penalty isa humane way to punish the convicted and deter these gruesome acts. Early as1930, we can find the first recorded execution. Between the times of 1930 to1967 there was a recorded number of 3,859 people executed. The following nineyears would bring victory for those against capital punishment, there was noexecutions done in this time frame. Gregg vs.
Georgia, Supreme Court of 1976made a ruling that “the death penalty does not violate the Cruel and UnusualPunishment Clause of the Eighth Amendment. ” The death penalty has beenaccepted by thirty-nine states of America (Newton, 1983). One of the basics inunderstanding capital punishment is the methods of which are used. Which will bethe first of things I will be presenting. I will be showing how selections ofdeath row are made. The last of subject matters that I will be touching on arethe problems with the process of capital punishment and a possible moreeffective approach.
I will also be concluding my findings and ending with athought of my own. Methods of Execution In the United States today, there arefive existing methods of execution. These methods are used to kill convictedcriminals that have been given the sentence of the death penalty. The differentmethods are; lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, and firingsquad shootings.
Lethal injection is currently used by thirty-six states inAmerica. It is the most commonly used from of execution in the U. S. Thepreparation begins outside of the chamber with the use of a gurney. The convictis held to the gurney by wrist and ankle straps. There is then a cardiac monitorand stethoscope attached and started.
In each arm there is a saline intravenousline. The convict is then covered by a sheet. The lines are turned off and thefelon receives the first injection of sodium thiopental. This puts the felon tosleep. They are then injected with Pavulon, which relaxes all of the muscles inthe body and stops breathing.
Shortly after, the felon dies. The next method ofexecution used is electrocution. This method is done by putting the person in awooden chair, which they are secured to by leather straps. The electric currentruns through the head and out the leg. The first current is of two thousand ormore volts of electricity, lasting only an approximated three seconds. Thevoltage is then lowered to help prevent external burning of the body.
Theinitial shock of the electricity causes the persons body to surge forward. The shock burns the internal organs or the person, which leaves them dead. During this process urinating, vomiting of blood, change in skin color, and evenswelling or burning of the skin may occur. This method of execution is currentlyused by only eleven states. In a gas chamber execution the prisoner is put in asealed steel chamber. The prisoner is restrained in a chair that has a panbelow.
At the first signal a valve is opened which releases hydrochloric acidinto the pan. When a second signal is given tablets or crystals of about eightounces of potassium cyanide is dropped into the acid. This combination creates ahydrocyanic gas. The fumes of this deadly gas rise and are inhaled by theprisoner, which kills them. The prisoner is pronounced dead and then the gas issucked out of the chamber by big fans.
Before the body is taken out it issprayed with ammonia to neutralize any gas that still existed. Execution by thegas chamber started in attempt to find a more humane method than the electricchair. The gas chamber is currently used by only five states, that is less thanelectrocution. One of the oldest methods of execution that is still used, thoughin only three states, is hanging. This method is based on the persons weight;therefore the person must be weighed prior to the hanging.
The right amount ofweight is needed in “the drop” to make sure that the death is instant and ofminimal bruising (Sandholzer, 1999). If the weight is not of the proper amountit can cause a person to be strangled or possibly beheaded. The way that this isperformed is by the use of a noose, which is placed behind the persons leftear. When dropped the persons neck is dislocated, causing death. The last ofexecutions still used, which is also an old one, is shooting by a firing squad. Execution by a firing squad is the most popular in the world.
More than sixtycountries use it as a method. In the United States, however, only three statesuse shooting by a fire squad as a sentence to the death penalty. The way inwhich a shooting takes place starts by the prisoner being bound to a chair andplaced in front of an oval wall. The doctor locates the heart by use of astethoscope and places a target over it. Only twenty feet from the target arethe trained shooters. Only one of the shooters gun holds the bullet that willtake the life of the convict.
They all shoot their guns at once, so that no oneknows who made the fatal shot. All of these procedures are done fast, and withthe least amount of pain possible, if any at all. For anyone to say that thesemethods are not humane, would be unrealistic. The convicts whom have beensentenced to walk the green mile have really gotten off easy in my eyes. Many ofthem have committed cruel, torturous acts on innocent human beings.
Why do theydeserve to die in a peaceful, humane way? They dont, but because under ourconstitution no one shall under go cruel and unusual punishment, though that iswhat they have done to others. Felons should feel lucky that capital punishmentis so humane. Death Row Sentencing There are many logical factors that determinea person being sentenced to death. A criminals past record and theseriousness of the crime currently committed are two major factors indetermining death row sentencing. These factors are what have sent more men todeath row than women. Some people believe that the selection of death row isunfair due to the number of men vs.
women facing it. Jurors have many things toconsider when convicting the accused. How brutal was it, how many people werekilled, was it premeditated, was it torturous? These are all things that thejurors considering when determining the fate of the accused. Of course they alsohave to keep decide if the evidence proves, with out a doubt, the person isguilty. In sentencing a person to death row states often look at the personsbackground of violence.
Other concerns that bring up past convictions of violentacts and murders help to lead jurors in their decision making process. Malemurderers with earlier convictions are four times as likely to possess ajudicial disadvantage than a female because of a prior violent felony charge (McCuen,1997). Women are not as quick to show aggression as men are. This increases thelikely hood of a prosecutor to persuaded to go to capital trial and for the juryto sentence the death penalty.
Effective Deterrent Deterrence is a theory that athreatened punishment must be of a severe enough consequence in order tocounteract a criminals feel of pleasure to commit a crime. Specificdeterrence is the inability of a convict to commit another crime in result totheir given punishment. A person not committing a crime because of the severityof the punishment if they carry out with it is known a general deterrence. Murderers that come across as somewhat rational and intelligent, whom havecommitted a premeditated crime are those that the death penalty as a deterrentwork. An analyzing study of data from the years 1936 to 1977 done by ProfessorStephen Layson of the University of North Carolina made a significant conclusionabout deterrence. His conclusion was that eighteen murders are deterred inresult to on execution.
According to Laysons studies, if correct, somewherearound 125,000 murders have been deterred due to the threat of the death penaltyas punishment (McCuen, 1997). McComb of the Supreme Court of Californiadiscovered fourteen examples in the police department of defendants whom, inexplaining their refusal to carry a weapon or kill. This pointed to the fear ofthe death penalty. This is great evidence supporting that people are trulydeterred by the presence of the death penalty. The death penalty is a definatedeterrent to crime, however it is not effective enough.
The delayed punishmentreceived is not paired closely enough to the crime. Therefore, the consequenceof the death penalty doesnt always seem associated with the criminal actbecause of the long time before the execution takes place. The only way tocondition criminal to view execution as a punishment to their behavior is byhaving it happen immediately after conviction and sentencing. This comes fromthe idea of classical conditioning and negative reinforcements (Meyers, 1998).
Problems The process of convicting a felon and sentencing them to death is verylong. With the conviction and sentencing always comes appeal by the convicted. The constant appeals can lead to years in court, which costs millions ofdollars. This is where the problem with a convict not seeing the death penaltyas a punishment for their actions.
The cost keeping a person on death row andthe many years, sometimes as many is twenty-five is way too high. With newmethods of presenting evidence of D. N. A. the process needs to be sped up to makethe death penalty to be a more effective deterrent. An Ending Thought AsAmerican citizens were are all born with certain rights.
With these rightshowever, come responsibilities. When a person takes the life and rights ofanother human being they forfeit their rights. I believe the guilty party islucky to get one of the humane executions used in America. What ever happened tothe idea of an “eye for an eye?” Executions used in the U. S. are extremelyhumane, especially when considering the brutality used by the condemned.
For along time our country has focussed on finding the most humane way to execute theconvicted. We need to turn our heads in a new direction and start figuring out ashorter process for death row. Way too many tax dollars of the American peopleare used to defend the already convicted. With our modern techniques forpresenting evidence, the accused should need only to be convicted once, followedb immediate execution. To make capital punishment a more effective deterrent theprocess needs to be faster.
There is no reason to spend years determining whenand if the convicted will take the walk down the green mile. Bibliography DavidVon Drehle, “Among the Lowest of the Dead,” published by Times Books, 1995. 469 pages. Edited by Thomas Draper, “Capital Punishment,” published by H. W.
Wilson Company, 1985, Volume 57. 166 pages. David G. Meyers, “Psychology,fifth edition,” Worth Publishers, 1998, 610 pages.
Ian Gray & MoiraStanley, “A Punishment in Search of a Crime,” published by Avon Books, 1989. 383 pages. Kuno Sandholzer, “Methods of Execution” Capital Punishment. com,1999, 6 pages Hugo Adam Bedau, “The Case Against the Death Penalty,”American Civil Liberties Union1982.
24 pages. Stephen E. Schonebaum (editor),”Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime?” Greenhaven Press, Inc. 1998.
95Pages. News Matters (video), “The Death Penalty Right or Wrong?” KnowledgeUnlimited, Inc. 1997. approximately 15 minutes. Gary E. McCuuen, “The DeathPenalty and the Disadvantaged” Gary E.
McCuen Publications Inc. 1997. 168pages. Lynn S.
Branham & Sheldon Krantz, “Sentencing, Corrections, andPrisoners Rights,” St. Paul, Minn. West Publishing Co. 1994. 338 pages.
Introduction This day in age murderers actions are getting more and moreincomprehensive. They are no longer just committing murder: they are torturing,mutilating, and engaging in grossly inappropriate acts against fellow humanbeings. Behaviors such as this will continue if nothing is done to stop them. The death penalty is a humane way to punish the convicted and deter thesegruesome acts. Early as 1930, we can find the first recorded execution.
Betweenthe times of 1930 to 1967 there was a recorded number of 3,859 people executed. The following nine years would bring victory for those against capitalpunishment, there was no executions done in this time frame. Gregg vs. Georgia,Supreme Court of 1976 made a ruling that “the death penalty does not violatethe Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause of the Eighth Amendment.
” The deathpenalty has been accepted by thirty-nine states of America (Newton, 1983). Oneof the basics in understanding capital punishment is the methods of which areused. Which will be the first of things I will be presenting. I will be showinghow selections of death row are made. The last of subject matters that I will betouching on are the problems with the process of capital punishment and apossible more effective approach. I will also be concluding my findings andending with a thought of my own.
Methods of Execution In the United Statestoday, there are five existing methods of execution. These methods are used tokill convicted criminals that have been given the sentence of the death penalty. The different methods are; lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber,hanging, and firing squad shootings. Lethal injection is currently used bythirty-six states in America.
It is the most commonly used from of execution inthe U. S. The preparation begins outside of the chamber with the use of a gurney. The convict is held to the gurney by wrist and ankle straps. There is then acardiac monitor and stethoscope attached and started.
In each arm there is asaline intravenous line. The convict is then covered by a sheet. The lines areturned off and the felon receives the first injection of sodium thiopental. Thisputs the felon to sleep. They are then injected with Pavulon, which relaxes allof the muscles in the body and stops breathing. Shortly after, the felon dies.
The next method of execution used is electrocution. This method is done byputting the person in a wooden chair, which they are secured to by leatherstraps. The electric current runs through the head and out the leg. The firstcurrent is of two thousand or more volts of electricity, lasting only anapproximated three seconds. The voltage is then lowered to help prevent externalburning of the body. The initial shock of the electricity causes the personsbody to surge forward.
The shock burns the internal organs or the person, whichleaves them dead. During this process urinating, vomiting of blood, change inskin color, and even swelling or burning of the skin may occur. This method ofexecution is currently used by only eleven states. In a gas chamber executionthe prisoner is put in a sealed steel chamber. The prisoner is restrained in achair that has a pan below.
At the first signal a valve is opened which releaseshydrochloric acid into the pan. When a second signal is given tablets orcrystals of about eight ounces of potassium cyanide is dropped into the acid. This combination creates a hydrocyanic gas. The fumes of this deadly gas riseand are inhaled by the prisoner, which kills them.
The prisoner is pronounceddead and then the gas is sucked out of the chamber by big fans. Before the bodyis taken out it is sprayed with ammonia to neutralize any gas that stillexisted. Execution by the gas chamber started in attempt to find a more humanemethod than the electric chair. The gas chamber is currently used by only fivestates, that is less than electrocution. One of the oldest methods of executionthat is still used, though in only three states, is hanging. This method isbased on the persons weight; therefore the person must be weighed prior tothe hanging.
The right amount of weight is needed in “the drop” to make surethat the death is instant and of minimal bruising (Sandholzer, 1999). If theweight is not of the proper amount it can cause a person to be strangled orpossibly beheaded. The way that this is performed is by the use of a noose,which is placed behind the persons left ear. When dropped the persons neckis dislocated, causing death.
The last of executions still used, which is alsoan old one, is shooting by a firing squad. Execution by a firing squad is themost popular in the world. More than sixty countries use it as a method. In theUnited States, however, only three states use shooting by a fire squad as asentence to the death penalty. The way in which a shooting takes place starts bythe prisoner being bound to a chair and placed in front of an oval wall. Thedoctor locates the heart by use of a stethoscope and places a target over it.
Only twenty feet from the target are the trained shooters. Only one of theshooters gun holds the bullet that will take the life of the convict. Theyall shoot their guns at once, so that no one knows who made the fatal shot. Allof these procedures are done fast, and with the least amount of pain possible,if any at all. For anyone to say that these methods are not humane, would beunrealistic. The convicts whom have been sentenced to walk the green mile havereally gotten off easy in my eyes.
Many of them have committed cruel, torturousacts on innocent human beings. Why do they deserve to die in a peaceful, humaneway? They dont, but because under our constitution no one shall under gocruel and unusual punishment, though that is what they have done to others. Felons should feel lucky that capital punishment is so humane. Death RowSentencing There are many logical factors that determine a person beingsentenced to death. A criminals past record and the seriousness of the crimecurrently committed are two major factors in determining death row sentencing.
These factors are what have sent more men to death row than women. Some peoplebelieve that the selection of death row is unfair due to the number of men vs. women facing it. Jurors have many things to consider when convicting theaccused. How brutal was it, how many people were killed, was it premeditated,was it torturous? These are all things that the jurors considering whendetermining the fate of the accused. Of course they also have to keep decide ifthe evidence proves, with out a doubt, the person is guilty.
In sentencing aperson to death row states often look at the persons background of violence. Other concerns that bring up past convictions of violent acts and murders helpto lead jurors in their decision making process. Male murderers with earlierconvictions are four times as likely to possess a judicial disadvantage than afemale because of a prior violent felony charge (McCuen, 1997). Women are not asquick to show aggression as men are.
This increases the likely hood of aprosecutor to persuaded to go to capital trial and for the jury to sentence thedeath penalty. Effective Deterrent Deterrence is a theory that a threatenedpunishment must be of a severe enough consequence in order to counteract acriminals feel of pleasure to commit a crime. Specific deterrence is theinability of a convict to commit another crime in result to their givenpunishment. A person not committing a crime because of the severity of thepunishment if they carry out with it is known a general deterrence. Murderersthat come across as somewhat rational and intelligent, whom have committed apremeditated crime are those that the death penalty as a deterrent work.
Ananalyzing study of data from the years 1936 to 1977 done by Professor StephenLayson of the University of North Carolina made a significant conclusion aboutdeterrence. His conclusion was that eighteen murders are deterred in result toon execution. According to Laysons studies, if correct, somewhere around125,000 murders have been deterred due to the threat of the death penalty aspunishment (McCuen, 1997). McComb of the Supreme Court of California discoveredfourteen examples in the police department of defendants whom, in explainingtheir refusal to carry a weapon or kill.
This pointed to the fear of the deathpenalty. This is great evidence supporting that people are truly deterred by thepresence of the death penalty. The death penalty is a definate deterrent tocrime, however it is not effective enough. The delayed punishment received isnot paired closely enough to the crime.
Therefore, the consequence of the deathpenalty doesnt always seem associated with the criminal act because of thelong time before the execution takes place. The only way to condition criminalto view execution as a punishment to their behavior is by having it happenimmediately after conviction and sentencing. This comes from the idea ofclassical conditioning and negative reinforcements (Meyers, 1998). Problems Theprocess of convicting a felon and sentencing them to death is very long. Withthe conviction and sentencing always comes appeal by the convicted. The constantappeals can lead to years in court, which costs millions of dollars.
This iswhere the problem with a convict not seeing the death penalty as a punishmentfor their actions. The cost keeping a person on death row and the many years,sometimes as many is twenty-five is way too high. With new methods of presentingevidence of D. N. A.
the process needs to be sped up to make the death penalty tobe a more effective deterrent. An Ending Thought As American citizens were areall born with certain rights. With these rights however, come responsibilities. When a person takes the life and rights of another human being they forfeittheir rights. I believe the guilty party is lucky to get one of the humaneexecutions used in America.
What ever happened to the idea of an “eye for aneye?” Executions used in the U. S. are extremely humane, especially whenconsidering the brutality used by the condemned. For a long time our country hasfocussed on finding the most humane way to execute the convicted. We need toturn our heads in a new direction and start figuring out a shorter process fordeath row. Way too many tax dollars of the American people are used to defendthe already convicted.
With our modern techniques for presenting evidence, theaccused should need only to be convicted once, followed b immediate execution. To make capital punishment a more effective deterrent the process needs to befaster. There is no reason to spend years determining when and if the convictedwill take the walk down the green mile. Bibliography David Von Drehle, “Amongthe Lowest of the Dead,” published by Times Books, 1995. 469 pages.
Edited byThomas Draper, “Capital Punishment,” published by H. W. Wilson Company,1985, Volume 57. 166 pages. David G. Meyers, “Psychology, fifth edition,”Worth Publishers, 1998, 610 pages.
Ian Gray & Moira Stanley, “A Punishmentin Search of a Crime,” published by Avon Books, 1989. 383 pages. KunoSandholzer, “Methods of Execution” Capital Punishment. com, 1999, 6 pagesHugo Adam Bedau, “The Case Against the Death Penalty,” American CivilLiberties Union1982. 24 pages. Stephen E.
Schonebaum (editor), “Does CapitalPunishment Deter Crime?” Greenhaven Press, Inc. 1998. 95 Pages. News Matters(video), “The Death Penalty Right or Wrong?” Knowledge Unlimited, Inc. 1997. approximately 15 minutes.
Gary E. McCuuen, “The Death Penalty and theDisadvantaged” Gary E. McCuen Publications Inc. 1997. 168 pages. Lynn S.
Branham & Sheldon Krantz, “Sentencing, Corrections, and PrisonersRights,” St. Paul, Minn. West Publishing Co. 1994. 338 pages.
IntroductionThis day in age murderers actions are getting more and more incomprehensive. They are no longer just committing murder: they are torturing, mutilating, andengaging in grossly inappropriate acts against fellow human beings. Behaviorssuch as this will continue if nothing is done to stop them. The death penalty isa humane way to punish the convicted and deter these gruesome acts. Early as1930, we can find the first recorded execution. Between the times of 1930 to1967 there was a recorded number of 3,859 people executed.
The following nineyears would bring victory for those against capital punishment, there was noexecutions done in this time frame. Gregg vs. Georgia, Supreme Court of 1976made a ruling that “the death penalty does not violate the Cruel and UnusualPunishment Clause of the Eighth Amendment. ” The death penalty has beenaccepted by thirty-nine states of America (Newton, 1983). One of the basics inunderstanding capital punishment is the methods of which are used.
Which will bethe first of things I will be presenting. I will be showing how selections ofdeath row are made. The last of subject matters that I will be touching on arethe problems with the process of capital punishment and a possible moreeffective approach. I will also be concluding my findings and ending with athought of my own.
Methods of Execution In the United States today, there arefive existing methods of execution. These methods are used to kill convictedcriminals that have been given the sentence of the death penalty. The differentmethods are; lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, and firingsquad shootings. Lethal injection is currently used by thirty-six states inAmerica. It is the most commonly used from of execution in the U. S.
Thepreparation begins outside of the chamber with the use of a gurney. The convictis held to the gurney by wrist and ankle straps. There is then a cardiac monitorand stethoscope attached and started. In each arm there is a saline intravenousline.
The convict is then covered by a sheet. The lines are turned off and thefelon receives the first injection of sodium thiopental. This puts the felon tosleep. They are then injected with Pavulon, which relaxes all of the muscles inthe body and stops breathing. Shortly after, the felon dies.
The next method ofexecution used is electrocution. This method is done by putting the person in awooden chair, which they are secured to by leather straps. The electric currentruns through the head and out the leg. The first current is of two thousand ormore volts of electricity, lasting only an approximated three seconds. Thevoltage is then lowered to help prevent external burning of the body.
Theinitial shock of the electricity causes the persons body to surge forward. The shock burns the internal organs or the person, which leaves them dead. During this process urinating, vomiting of blood, change in skin color, and evenswelling or burning of the skin may occur. This method of execution is currentlyused by only eleven states.
In a gas chamber execution the prisoner is put in asealed steel chamber. The prisoner is restrained in a chair that has a panbelow. At the first signal a valve is opened which releases hydrochloric acidinto the pan. When a second signal is given tablets or crystals of about eightounces of potassium cyanide is dropped into the acid. This combination creates ahydrocyanic gas. The fumes of this deadly gas rise and are inhaled by theprisoner, which kills them.
The prisoner is pronounced dead and then the gas issucked out of the chamber by big fans. Before the body is taken out it issprayed with ammonia to neutralize any gas that still existed. Execution by thegas chamber started in attempt to find a more humane method than the electricchair. The gas chamber is currently used by only five states, that is less thanelectrocution.
One of the oldest methods of execution that is still used, thoughin only three states, is hanging. This method is based on the persons weight;therefore the person must be weighed prior to the hanging. The right amount ofweight is needed in “the drop” to make sure that the death is instant and ofminimal bruising (Sandholzer, 1999). If the weight is not of the proper amountit can cause a person to be strangled or possibly beheaded. The way that this isperformed is by the use of a noose, which is placed behind the persons leftear.
When dropped the persons neck is dislocated, causing death. The last ofexecutions still used, which is also an old one, is shooting by a firing squad. Execution by a firing squad is the most popular in the world. More than sixtycountries use it as a method.
In the United States, however, only three statesuse shooting by a fire squad as a sentence to the death penalty. The way inwhich a shooting takes place starts by the prisoner being bound to a chair andplaced in front of an oval wall. The doctor locates the heart by use of astethoscope and places a target over it. Only twenty feet from the target arethe trained shooters.
Only one of the shooters gun holds the bullet that willtake the life of the convict. They all shoot their guns at once, so that no oneknows who made the fatal shot. All of these procedures are done fast, and withthe least amount of pain possible, if any at all. For anyone to say that thesemethods are not humane, would be unrealistic. The convicts whom have beensentenced to walk the green mile have really gotten off easy in my eyes.
Many ofthem have committed cruel, torturous acts on innocent human beings. Why do theydeserve to die in a peaceful, humane way? They dont, but because under ourconstitution no one shall under go cruel and unusual punishment, though that iswhat they have done to others. Felons should feel lucky that capital punishmentis so humane. Death Row Sentencing There are many logical factors that determinea person being sentenced to death. A criminals past record and theseriousness of the crime currently committed are two major factors indetermining death row sentencing.
These factors are what have sent more men todeath row than women. Some people believe that the selection of death row isunfair due to the number of men vs. women facing it. Jurors have many things toconsider when convicting the accused. How brutal was it, how many people werekilled, was it premeditated, was it torturous? These are all things that thejurors considering when determining the fate of the accused.
Of course they alsohave to keep decide if the evidence proves, with out a doubt, the person isguilty. In sentencing a person to death row states often look at the personsbackground of violence. Other concerns that bring up past convictions of violentacts and murders help to lead jurors in their decision making process. Malemurderers with earlier convictions are four times as likely to possess ajudicial disadvantage than a female because of a prior violent felony charge (McCuen,1997).
Women are not as quick to show aggression as men are. This increases thelikely hood of a prosecutor to persuaded to go to capital trial and for the juryto sentence the death penalty. Effective Deterrent Deterrence is a theory that athreatened punishment must be of a severe enough consequence in order tocounteract a criminals feel of pleasure to commit a crime. Specificdeterrence is the inability of a convict to commit another crime in result totheir given punishment.
A person not committing a crime because of the severityof the punishment if they carry out with it is known a general deterrence. Murderers that come across as somewhat rational and intelligent, whom havecommitted a premeditated crime are those that the death penalty as a deterrentwork. An analyzing study of data from the years 1936 to 1977 done by ProfessorStephen Layson of the University of North Carolina made a significant conclusionabout deterrence. His conclusion was that eighteen murders are deterred inresult to on execution. According to Laysons studies, if correct, somewherearound 125,000 murders have been deterred due to the threat of the death penaltyas punishment (McCuen, 1997).
McComb of the Supreme Court of Californiadiscovered fourteen examples in the police department of defendants whom, inexplaining their refusal to carry a weapon or kill. This pointed to the fear ofthe death penalty. This is great evidence supporting that people are trulydeterred by the presence of the death penalty. The death penalty is a definatedeterrent to crime, however it is not effective enough. The delayed punishmentreceived is not paired closely enough to the crime.
Therefore, the consequenceof the death penalty doesnt always seem associated with the criminal actbecause of the long time before the execution takes place. The only way tocondition criminal to view execution as a punishment to their behavior is byhaving it happen immediately after conviction and sentencing. This comes fromthe idea of classical conditioning and negative reinforcements (Meyers, 1998). Problems The process of convicting a felon and sentencing them to death is verylong. With the conviction and sentencing always comes appeal by the convicted.
The constant appeals can lead to years in court, which costs millions ofdollars. This is where the problem with a convict not seeing the death penaltyas a punishment for their actions. The cost keeping a person on death row andthe many years, sometimes as many is twenty-five is way too high. With newmethods of presenting evidence of D.
N. A. the process needs to be sped up to makethe death penalty to be a more effective deterrent. An Ending Thought AsAmerican citizens were are all born with certain rights. With these rightshowever, come responsibilities. When a person takes the life and rights ofanother human being they forfeit their rights.
I believe the guilty party islucky to get one of the humane executions used in America. What ever happened tothe idea of an “eye for an eye?” Executions used in the U. S. are extremelyhumane, especially when considering the brutality used by the condemned. For along time our country has focussed on finding the most humane way to execute theconvicted.
We need to turn our heads in a new direction and start figuring out ashorter process for death row. Way too many tax dollars of the American peopleare used to defend the already convicted. With our modern techniques forpresenting evidence, the accused should need only to be convicted once, followedb immediate execution. To make capital punishment a more effective deterrent theprocess needs to be faster.
There is no reason to spend years determining whenand if the convicted will take the walk down the green mile. BibliographyDavid Von Drehle, “Among the Lowest of the Dead,” published by TimesBooks, 1995. 469 pages. Edited by Thomas Draper, “Capital Punishment,”published by H.
W. Wilson Company, 1985, Volume 57. 166 pages. David G. Meyers,”Psychology, fifth edition,” Worth Publishers, 1998, 610 pages.
Ian Gray& Moira Stanley, “A Punishment in Search of a Crime,” published by AvonBooks, 1989. 383 pages. Kuno Sandholzer, “Methods of Execution” CapitalPunishment. com, 1999, 6 pages Hugo Adam Bedau, “The Case Against the DeathPenalty,” American Civil Liberties Union1982. 24 pages.
Stephen E. Schonebaum(editor), “Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime?” Greenhaven Press, Inc. 1998. 95 Pages. News Matters (video), “The Death Penalty Right or Wrong?”Knowledge Unlimited, Inc.
1997. approximately 15 minutes. Gary E. McCuuen,”The Death Penalty and the Disadvantaged” Gary E.
McCuen Publications Inc. 1997. 168 pages. Lynn S. Branham & Sheldon Krantz, “Sentencing,Corrections, and Prisoners Rights,” St.
Paul, Minn. West Publishing Co. 1994. 338 pages.
