The Death Penalty A New Symbol For Execution - 1700 Words

France’s Reign of Terror offered the world a new symbol for execution: the guillotine. Today the electric chair, lethal injection, and firing squad provide the same image. All symbolize death as well as the crime that the perpetrator committed. In 1793 in France, an individual met the guillotine because he or she committed treason by going against the radical ideas of Maximilien Robespierre. In the modern United States, citizens face one of the instruments of capital punishment after they commit murder, treason, or espionage. Though the instruments and charges for capital punishment have changed, the basic principle remains the same. Capital punishment, more harshly known as the death penalty, has become a well-known and controversial part of the United States’ criminal justice system. Ever since societies began to practice the capital punishment, people have tried to abolish the death penalty. The United States, however, should continue to practice the death penalty un til it reduces the number of homicides and other serious crimes committed by its citizens to help protect innocent citizens. In 1682, Pennsylvania stated in its The Great Law or Body of Laws that the colony would only apply capital punishment to people who committed treason or murder. Quaker William Penn’s statement represented a radical departure for the ideology of the rest of the world; Penn displayed one of the earliest attempts to limit the extent of the death penalty (Tetters). All except one foundingShow MoreRelatedThe Death Penalty Is Also Commonly Referred As Capital1729 Words   |  7 PagesThe death penalty is also commonly referred as capital punishment. The definition of the death penalty is defined as by Merriam-Webster as â€Å"Execution of an offender sentenced to death after a conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense.† Capital punishment has been widely being used for centuries it is known today, as well as the debates that arise with this subject. The history of the Capital punishment goes back as far as Ancient Laws of China. The death penalty was established as punishmentRead MoreThe Death Penalty: The Case of Carlos DeLuna Essay1321 Words   |  6 Pagesgetting executed for this, I don’t think it’s right. † A man called Carlos DeLuna made his comment a couple years before his execution. In February 1983, Wanda Lopez was killed at a gas station in Texas. One witness argued that he saw a Spanish man, maybe Deluna, running out of the station. About 40 minutes later, Carlos Deluna was arrested near the gas station and sentenced to death in 1989. Deluna protested that he did not commit the crime, however, he was arrested. He even went further, he named theRead MoreThe Cost Of Capital Punishment1664 Words   |  7 Pagesthe early release of 3,000 prisoners. In Texas, prisoners are serving only 20% of their time and rearrests are common. Georgia is laying off 900 correctional personnel and New Jersey has had to dismiss 500 police officers. Yet these same states, and many others like them, are pouring millions of dollars i nto the death penalty with no resultant reduction in crime. The exorbitant costs of capital punishment are actually making America less safe because badly needed financial and legal resources areRead MoreThe Death Penalty Should Be Abolished1312 Words   |  6 Pagesagree with this statement. Given the conditions presented there is no moral reason to continue using the death penalty. In this case the death penalty cannot be said to be optimific (producing the best result) unless you hold the value of justice ahead of the value of society. To argue for this perspective requires an extremely skewed perception of value and if, as I will show, the death penalty provides no tangible benefit to society its use should be discontinued. Consequentialism states â€Å"anRead MoreAmnesty International Against the Death Penalty Essay1059 Words   |  5 PagesAmnesty International Against the Death Penalty The death penalty is enforced in more than 100 countries around the globe. Statistically, there have been 1,708 known executions in 35 of these 100 countries. I=m sure that the true figures are certainly higher. The most common methods of this controversial act include shooting, electrocution, lethal injection, hanging, stoning, and decapitation. Around the world, there are presently almost 3,000 people on death row (What is Amnesty InternationalRead MoreThe Death Penalty Should Be Abolished Essay1630 Words   |  7 Pageslittlest of crime were put to death in very inhumane ways. Many countries over the years abolished capital punishment, however, the United States is very well known for still not abolishing the death penalty. During American history, there have been rates of high and low executions, and states have dealt with it, their own ways. Most states have abolished it right after the First World War, others after the civil war. The arguments against the death penalty include the execution innocent lives, inhumaneRead MoreDeath Penalty2855 Words   |  12 PagesThe death penalty has been a controversial issue for many years. It was established centuries ago and has been accepted by society. It was put into place to punish those who had committed an offense against laws of the institution that was in place at the time. Within our society the death penalty has been associated with several symbols. ‘An eye for an eye,’ is a symbol that has come to be the representation of the death penalty; which was one of the original ideas behind it. Times have changedRead MoreEssay on A Call for Change: Abolishing the Death Penalty1728 Words   |  7 Pagesneeded or wanted; determination is the American way. If fledgling colonies needed more food to support families, a farmer cultivated more crops; if communities wanted more supplies, companies mass produced until desires were met. Nonetheless, if a new idea turned out to be corrupt, then the thought was discontinued and effaced from memory. In today’s twenty first century society, an idea from the past has become crooked and is no longer needed. A fashion of punishment might have benefited societyRead MoreApproaching Death1369 Words   |  6 PagesThere are crimes in this world that people believe are so heinous that they are punishable by death. These crimes are called capital crimes and the gruesome punishment you go under is referred to as capital punishment. Some states have abolished capital punishment; many states still uphold this ancient practice. Thirty-two of the fifty states in the US still have capital punishment. With the death penalty such a controversial topic, there are bound to be pieces written on it. The books The LastRead More The Effectiveness of Amnesty International1143 Words   |  5 Pagesfor profit organization that advocates and fights for human rights issues globally. As set forth in the Universal Declaration of Independence, Amnesty International campaigns to free prisoners of conscience, fight for womens rights, abolish the death penalty and ultimately restore and fight for human rights. In spite of recent controversy of the International NGO, Amnesty aims to create an abuse free world using volunteer members of more than 3 million to write and protest to government officials in