Drake Sadler 11/14/13

Capital Punishment Extended Definition

What is Capital Punishment?

The exact definition of capital punishment is the legally authorized killing of another human being for crimes committed. It is also referred to as the death penalty. Capital punishment is used as a crime deterrent and to serve justice.

What are the origins of capital punishment?

The earliest written example of capital punishment was the Code of Hammurabi. It contained the theory of an eye for an eye. The early uses of capital punishment involved much more painful and tortuous deaths. Society now labels them as cruel and unusual punishments and now the executions are more humane. Capital punishment has existed in the United States since the beginning. The US even has a clause in the constitution that protects against cruel and

unusual punishment.

The controversy with capital punishment

One of the main reasons we still use the death penalty is because it is believed to act as a deterrent against crime. However, the death penalty isnt proven to be an effective deterrent against crime. There is no credible source saying otherwise. If somebody already has the intent to commit a crime, I think its safe to say that they arent thinking about the consequences. Even if they are, the fact that they are committing the crime says that they have already weighed the consequences. Many people wish to see the death penalty abolished because they do not see it as humane. Possibly the biggest problem with the death penalty is how much it costs to execute someone. It costs around $600,000 for a capital punishment trial which is around twenty times more than a trial for life in prison without parole. There are better uses for the money than killing the criminal. The money that would be spent on executing a criminal would serve a much better purpose by being used to help the victims family and friends rather than seeking revenge. The only thing that would come out of revenge would be closure. The process to execute a criminal is very tedious so the victims family would be much more helped with the money.

The process
After the criminal is arrested under the charges of a capital offense, it is determined if they will be allowed bail. The bail is usually set high to ensure that they will indeed return to the trial. In a homicide case, bail is usually not allowed. Next the trial to determine if they are guilty is scheduled and held. After the criminal has been convicted, the jury then decides whether or not the death penalty is necessary. The prisoner is then sent to death row, and is allowed an appeal trial. This trial consists of four steps and can take many years. The steps are in order from automatic appeal, state habeas corpus petition, federal habeas corpus petition, and clemency. This trial is allowed because of due process which is the fairness and equal treatment in our justice system. After the trial an execution date is set. The offender is allowed to see family and a priest and is given a last meal. They are then executed and their body is given to their family to be buried.

Conclusion

Capital punishment is a very controversial subject but is the highest level of punishment we have. It is around ten times as expensive to execute someone then it is to keep them in prison for life. Capital punishment has been around a very long time and is still used often. It uses the eye for an eye mentality which many people believe is bad for our society. It costs significantly more to have a trial with the penalty being death than a trial with the penalty being life in prison without parole. The goal is to keep the criminal off of the streets so that they do not continue committing crimes and so they are punished for the ones that they have committed and keeping them in prison for life without parole does so just as effectively as executing them.