lOMoARcPSD|22517024
Research Paper Assignment Final
Essay
Criminal Justice Research and Writing (Liberty
University)
lOMoARcPSD|22517024
Research Paper: Final Assignment Capital
Punishment Hannah Santiago
CJUS 230: Criminal Justice and
Writing Professor. DeBoer
August 12, 2022
lOMoARcPSD|22517024
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is a form of punishment where an
individual is put to death by the state, by execution, for committing a crime. Capital
punishment is the most severe sentence one can receive in the nation. Personally, when it
comes to this type of punishment, I believe it does more harm than it does good or leads to any
justifiable outcomes. Capital punishment violates human rights, it can often be applied unfairly,
and it reinforces violence in society; therefore, capital punishment should not be considered by
the government as a viable solution for combating crime.
One of the first things that comes to mind when I think about capital punishment is how
it violates and denies individuals basic human rights. The death penalty is ultimately cruel,
inhuman and a degrading punishment. Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
adopted by the UN in 1948, the death penalty “breaches human rights, in particular the right to
life and the right to live free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment”. (amnesty.org). The methods of execution and the death row conditions have been
condemned as cruel. Execution methods include lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber,
hanging, and firing squad. (deathpenaltyinfo.org).
One big and major reason that the death penalty should be condemned is how unfairly it
is applied to individuals who were wrongfully convicted. When it comes to the death penalty,
many cases such as perjury and/or false accusations and official misconduct are the leading
causes of wrongful convictions. (eji.org). Innocent people are too often sentenced to the death
penalty. Since 1973, over 156 people have been released from death rows in 26 states because
of innocence. (aclu.org). Another way that the death penalty is condemned unfairly is because
of racial bias. Since the revival of the death penalty in the mid 1970’s, over 50% of those who
are on death row at any given time have been African American. (aclu.org).
lOMoARcPSD|22517024
Lastly, another reason that capital punishment does more harm than good is how it
reinforces violence in society and how it shows no major deterrent in future crime rates. When
it comes to data and statistics on the death penalty as a deterrent in states that have abolished
the death penalty, shows no increase of murder rates. (new.miami.edu). Statistics show that
since 1990, states without the death penalty have consistently had lower murder rates than
states that have it. States that have abolished capital punishment show no significant changes in
either crime or murders, proving that the death penalty has no deterrent effect.
In conclusion, I believe the death penalty does more harm than good in todays society. I
believe that individuals that commit crimes and break the law should do time for their offenses
and be help responsible for their actions but, I believe there are better ways the government can
go about that. Again, I believe capital punishment violates human rights, it can often be applied
unfairly, and it reinforces violence in society; therefore, capital punishment should not be
considered by the government as a viable solution for combating crime.
References:
American Civil Liberties Union. (n.d.). The Case Against the Death
Penalty. https://www.aclu.org/other/case-against-death-penalty
Amnesty International. (2022, August 5). Death Penalty. https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-
do/death-penalty/
Urell, A. (2022, June 3). The Death Penalty. Equal Justice Initiative. https://eji.org/news/history-
racial-injustice-death-penalty/
lOMoARcPSD|22517024
Center, D. P. I. (2022, June 14). Methods of Execution. Death Penalty Information
Center. https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/methods-of-execution
