Monday, November 26, 2012

Pros and Cons



PROS:
1.    The justice system of the US shows more sympathy for the criminals rather the victims. The death penalty is good because it puts the emphasis on the victim rather the criminal.
2.    What if a murderer escapes from prison what is there to stop that person from murdering another person, if they were put to death there is not chance of that happening.
3.    The death penalty deters other people from killing because it shows that they have the chance of getting killed themselves.
4.    The death penalty helps the victim’s family recover faster from the shock because they know that the person is gone for good and there is no chance of that person killing again rather than them still being around in prison.
5.    It deters other inmates from killing while in prison. If there is no death penalty and they are in prison for life they can keep killing because they can’t extend the inmates sentence because they are already in prison for life so what does it matter, the death penalty will scare inmates into behaving in prison. 
CONS:
1.    The death penalty is “cruel and unusual” punishment and therefore unconstitutional under the 8th amendment.
2.    Life in prison is a worse punishment and maybe more effective. With the death penalty the suffering of a person in prison is over in a second, with life in prison the pain goes on for a life time.
3.    There is a possibility that an innocent man or woman may be killed by the death penalty.  There have been DNA tests to prove that an innocent person has been put to death.
4.    Sometimes jury members do not convict a person if it means putting them to death. This means that the juror does not want to feel the guilt or have this on their chest because they put a person to death.
5.    The death penalty sends the wrong message, it is saying we are killing you for killing a person, how does that say murder is wrong. The punishment for murder is murder that does not set a good example.
6. It has been proven that it costs more money to execute a person that to put them in prison for life.    



2 comments:

  1. It is very difficult to choose a side while discussing this topic. There are so many important pros and cons! I find myself split down the middle! I don't like the fact that innocent people have been sentenced to death before, but at the same time, I don't want a dangerous criminal back on the streets! Your post really got me thinking! Nice work Jenna!

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  2. Very nice presentation of these pros and cons. This is definitely a controversial topic and it can be hard to pick a side considering these pros and cons. I can find myself supporting either side, I guess the case and the criminal would determine my opinion. Very nice post!

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