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In Favor of the Death Penalty 3

In Favor of the Death Penalty

By Alexa Vigenser

Argosy University

Composition 1 English 101

1/14/14

NAME: Alexa Vigenser

THESIS: It is more reasonable to utilize the death penalty than to abolish it. (need to add a summary of reasons why to the end of your thesis)

BACKGROUND: The death penalty should not be abolished because (1) it deters people from committing murder and (2) because the death penalty gives peace of mind to the victims and their families and puts an end to the crime.

OBJECTIVE: This is one of the most debated issues in the Criminal Justice System. I plan to support my thesis by showing the reasons as to why the death penalty is important and why it should not be abolished. I will gather information from the death penalty Gallup poll as well as gather statistics, and articles on both how it deters people from committing murder, and victims’ families after the accused has been put to death.

SUPPORTING POINTS: 1. The death penalty should not be abolished because the fear of the highest form of punishment will keep potential victims alive.         a the death penalty is the highest penalty for crimes, it will obviously evoke the most fear in a human being. This fear will save human life.         b If there were no death penalty and a convicted murderer was sentenced to life without parole, they would not only soon adjust to prison life, but would have the potential to escape and kill again.         c Justice requires that society impose on criminals losses equal to those they imposed on innocent persons. By inflicting death on those who deliberately inflict death on others, the death penalty ensures justice for all. 2. The death penalty should not be abolished because the families of the victims can fully begin the healing process once the murderer is put to death.         a Most victims and relatives to victims have of peace of mind if the death penalty were allowed. There are countless testimonies to this fact.         b If a state governed by law is to be able to show warmth, compassion and peace of mind to victims and their families, then the death penalty is the most effective way to bring this about.         c While the pain will remain with the victims’ family, when the death penalty is carried out, it means a clear and decisive turning point for many. 3. The death penalty is the best answer to murder         a The severity and finality of the death penalty is appropriate to the seriousness and the finality of murder         b Society has a moral obligation to protect the safety and welfare of its citizens         c Capital punishment contends that society should support those practices that will bring about the greatest balance of good over evil, and capital punishment is one such practice.

COUNTER-ARGUMENTS: 1. The death penalty does not dissuade criminals 2. The death penalty is always cruel 3. The possibility exists that innocent men and women may be put to death.

RESPONSE TO COUNTER-ARGUMENTS: 1. Statistical studies show that since 2001, that capital punishment has deterrent effects. 2. The Supreme Court has ruled that the death penalty does not violation of the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment, but the Eighth Amendment does shape certain procedural aspects regarding when a jury may use the death penalty and how it must be carried out. 3. DNA testing and other methods of modern crime scene science can now effectively eliminate almost all uncertainty as to a person's guilt or innocence.

IMPLICATIONS: The need for capital punishment is greater today than it has been at any time in the past. The crime rate is soaring out of control. Murders are tearing our people, our cities, and country apart. Author Thomas Draper said it well, when he said “no society can abolish crime, so their only hope is to do everything they can to control it.” It is time for the United States to mandate the death penalty for the crime of murder in all 50 states and to carry out the executions of those sentenced to death.

TENTATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY

Arguments for and Against the Death Penalty from http://deathpenaltyinfo.msu.edu/ 2000

Death Penalty Gallup Poll 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.gallup.com/poll/1606/Death-Penalty.aspx...

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Edu Book. (2008). Pros and Cons of Death Penalty. Retrieved from: http://www.edubook.com/pros-and-cons-of-death-penalty-2/19533/

The Heritage Foundation The Death Penalty Deters Crime and Saves Lives By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D. http://www.heritage.org/research/testimony/the-death-penalty-deters-crime-and-saves-lives

Van der Haag, Ernest and John P. Conrad, The Death Penalty: A Debate (New York: Plenum Press, 1983). Arlen Specter, "Congress must make Death Sentences Meaningful Again" (Human Events, July 1994). Hugo, Adam Bedau, Ed., The Death penalty in America: Current Controversies (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997) Blumstein, Cohen, Nagin, Deterrence and Incapacitation (National Academy Press January 1978)

Hugo Adam Bedau, Death Is Different: Studies in the Morality, Law, and Politics of Capital Punishment (Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1987).

Walter Berns, For Capital Punishment (New York: Basic Books, 1979.)

David Bruch, "The Death Penalty: An Exchange," The New Republic, Volume 192 (May 20, 1985), pp. 20-21.

Edward I. Koch, "Death and Justice: How Capital Punishment Affirms Life," The New Republic, Volume 192 (April 15,1985), pp. 13-15.

Ernest van den Haag and John P. Conrad, The Death Penalty: A Debate (New York: Plenum Press, 1983).