Ronald Marinez

Ms. Peterson
Intro to writing - ENGL 1010 006
11/29/2015
The Death Penalty
By Ronald Martinez
Everybody knows what the death penalty is, and everybody is on
the fence about it, is it a good thing or a bad thing? Many people has
spoken about it, and the debate continues, here's what some of them
have to say.
The first article starts of by asking what is capital punishment?
Capital punishment is the death penalty, then goes on saying that it
was used today and back in ancient times, and the bible advocates it
for murder and kidnapping. It then gives a little history about the death
penalty, saying that in 1972 it was declared unconstitutional by the
supreme court in Furman v. Georgia, stating that it violates the eight
and fourteenth amendments for cruel and unusual punisment. Then in
1976 the supream court reinstated the death penalty in Greg v.
Georgia.
The first argument in the article is against the death penalty, and

it plays on peoples emotions, it asks what would acomplish to put

someone on death row? The victim is already dead and cannot come
back to life. Then it brings in some psychological evaluations that say,
people think the fear of death will steer people away from committing
murders, that is not true says the article, most killings are done in the
heat of passion, when someone cannot think rationally. It finishes of by
asking how can someone think of the fear of death when they are in
the heat of passion?
This argument is for the death penalty, it plays on peoples
emotions like the first article, J. Edgar Hoover, late director of the FBI,
makes these claims. A criminal on death row has a chance to prepare
his death, make a will, and make his last statements, etc. To some
degree, the victims right to freedom and the pursuit of happiness has
been violated. When the assailant is apprehended and charged, they
have the power of the judicial process who protects their constitutional
rights. What about the victim? The assailant may have compassion
from investigating officers, families and friends. The criminal may also
have organized campaigns of propaganda to build sympathy for them
as if they are the one who has been sinned against. These false claims
are publicized, for no reason, hence, protecting the criminal.
This argument is against the death penalty, it uses statistics from
criminologists, plays on peoples emotions, and goes against the

previous article. When an execution is publicized, more murders occur

in the day and weeks that follow. A good example is in the Linberg
kidnapping. A number of states adopted the death penalty for crimes
like this, but figures showed kidnapping increased. Publicity may
encourage crime instead of preventing it. Death is one penalty which
makes error irreversible and the chance of error is inescapable when
based on human judgment. On the contrary, sometimes defendants
insist on execution. They feel it is an act of kindness to them. The
argument here is - is life imprisonment a crueler fate? Is there
evidence supporting the usefulness of the death penalty securing the
life of the citizens? Does the death penalty give increased protection
against being murdered? This argument for continuation of the death
penalty is most likely a deterrent, but it has failed as a deterrent. There
is no clear evidence because empirical studies done in the 50s by
Professor Thorsten Sellin, (sociologist) did not give support to
deterrence.
This article is for the death penalty, it plays with peoples
emotions and addresses the previous article with more informatin. It
starts of saying, when you commit a crime, it is a matter of free will.
No one is compelled to commit armed robbery, murder, or rape. The
average citizen does not have a mind or intentions to become a killer
or being falsely accused of murder. What he is worried about is being a
victim.

The death penalty has been a deterrent in 27 States, opponents argue

that there is no deterrent effect by using the death penalty. According
to Baily, who did a study from l967 to l968, the death penalty was a
deterrent in 27 states. When there was a moratorium on Capital
Punishment in the United States, the study showed murder rates
increased by 100%. The study also reviewed 14 nations who abolished
the death penalty. It claimed murder increased by 7% from five years
before the abolition period to the five years after the abolition. Studies
were made by Professor Isaac Erlich between the period of 1933 and
1969. He concluded by saying an additional execution per year may
have resulted in fewer murders. The number of years on the average
spent in death row is 10 years. The death penalty is not swift, in fact,
most murderers feel they most likely will never be put to death. If the
death penalty was swift and inevitable, there certainly would be a
decrease in homicide rates.

Work Cited
Ornellas, Lori. "DEATH PENALTY ARGUMENTS." DEATH PENALTY
ARGUMENTS. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.
www.prodeathpenalty.com/ornellaspaper