Capital Punishment Must be Abolished Essay -- Death Penalty

Capital Punishment Must be Abolished Is capital punishment just? The death penalty is a controversial issue for most people. Supporter’s claim that it eliminates repeat offenders, deters potential murderers and is the ultimate retribution. Opponents denounce it as murder, say that it does not cause deterrence but rather promotes violence and claim that it introduces the chance of an innocent person being executed. Due to the arguments presented by both sides and because of my own personal beliefs, the argument against legal execution is most compelling. The idea of putting another human to death is hard to completely fathom. The physical mechanics involved in carrying out a death sentence on another person, regardless of how much they deserve it, is beyond human understanding. In the United States, there are thirty-eight states that have the death penalty and twelve without capital punishment. The first method used was in New York in 1890 and is still in use in thirteen states. â€Å"Old Sparky† was the horrific outcome of Thomas Edison’s attempt to show the dangers of the AC power supply being promoted by his rivals (Anderson, 51). The condemned is strapped to a wooden chair, electrodes are attached, and a shock of thirty thousand watts is applied. The prisoner is literally cooked internally, and death may require multiple shocks. When someone was executed with the electric chair the ceremony usually took place close to midnight. This was because at that hour they knew not many people were using electricity; the chair needs thirty thousand watts or the equivalent of four hundred seventy-five-watt light bulbs turning on at the same time. More than one shock was usually required to kill the criminal, so it drained a massive a... ... be abolished from all remaining states that it still exists in. BIBLIOGRAPHY Rauch, Jonathan. Death by Mistake. New York: Times Books, 1998 Frame, Randy. A Matter of Life and Death. Boston: Northern University Press, 1994 Prothrow, Deborah. Deadly Consequences. New York: Harbor Collins Publisher, 1991 Anderson, David. Crimes of Justice. Brooklyn: Times Books, 1988 Williams, Mike. The Last Supper. Chicago: Times Books, 1989 Cabana, Donald. Death at Midnight. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1996 Gross, Samuel. Death and Discrimination. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1989 Baker, Robert. Capitol Punishment. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1987 Shapiro, Joseph. The Wrong Man on Death Row. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1988 Jackson, Bruce. Law and Order. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1984 Capital Punishment Must be Abolished Essay -- Death Penalty Capital Punishment Must be Abolished Is capital punishment just? The death penalty is a controversial issue for most people. Supporter’s claim that it eliminates repeat offenders, deters potential murderers and is the ultimate retribution. Opponents denounce it as murder, say that it does not cause deterrence but rather promotes violence and claim that it introduces the chance of an innocent person being executed. Due to the arguments presented by both sides and because of my own personal beliefs, the argument against legal execution is most compelling. The idea of putting another human to death is hard to completely fathom. The physical mechanics involved in carrying out a death sentence on another person, regardless of how much they deserve it, is beyond human understanding. In the United States, there are thirty-eight states that have the death penalty and twelve without capital punishment. The first method used was in New York in 1890 and is still in use in thirteen states. â€Å"Old Sparky† was the horrific outcome of Thomas Edison’s attempt to show the dangers of the AC power supply being promoted by his rivals (Anderson, 51). The condemned is strapped to a wooden chair, electrodes are attached, and a shock of thirty thousand watts is applied. The prisoner is literally cooked internally, and death may require multiple shocks. When someone was executed with the electric chair the ceremony usually took place close to midnight. This was because at that hour they knew not many people were using electricity; the chair needs thirty thousand watts or the equivalent of four hundred seventy-five-watt light bulbs turning on at the same time. More than one shock was usually required to kill the criminal, so it drained a massive a... ... be abolished from all remaining states that it still exists in. BIBLIOGRAPHY Rauch, Jonathan. Death by Mistake. New York: Times Books, 1998 Frame, Randy. A Matter of Life and Death. Boston: Northern University Press, 1994 Prothrow, Deborah. Deadly Consequences. New York: Harbor Collins Publisher, 1991 Anderson, David. Crimes of Justice. Brooklyn: Times Books, 1988 Williams, Mike. The Last Supper. Chicago: Times Books, 1989 Cabana, Donald. Death at Midnight. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1996 Gross, Samuel. Death and Discrimination. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1989 Baker, Robert. Capitol Punishment. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1987 Shapiro, Joseph. The Wrong Man on Death Row. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1988 Jackson, Bruce. Law and Order. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1984