Argument for Capital Punishment :: Capital Punishment Death Essays

Argument for Capital Punishment Since the 1970's, almost all capital sentences in the United States have been imposed for homicide. There has been intense debate among Americans regarding the constitutionality of capital punishment. Critics charge that executions are violations of the â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment† provision of the Eighth Amendment; while supporters of the death penalty counter that this clause was not intended to prohibit legal executions. In the 1972 court case of Furman vs. Georgia , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment was no longer legal. However, in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), the court allowed capital punishments to resume in certain states, and shortly thereafter, Gary Gilmore was executed by a firing squad in Utah. Since the reinstatement of capital punishment in the United States,a separate penalty trial has been required for some capital cases, at which time the jury reviews circumstances that suggest the need for capital punishment. In 1982, Texas became t he first state to execute a prisoner using lethal injection; other common methods of execution used in the United States include lethal gas and electrocution. In recent years, the Supreme Court has made it more difficult for death row prisoners to file appeals. Nearly 3 of 4 americans support the death sentence as a form of punishment. The other third has condemned it and their list of claims against it is long. Opponents challenge proponents on issues of deterrence, economics, fallibility, and rehabilitation. Their indifference to capital punishment is founded on constitutional and moral grounds. In societies best interest and for the safety of individuals, capital punishment is a respectable form of retribution for a crime being committed. More information on recent U.S. Supreme Court Death Penalty Cases Since 1990. History: The theory "a life for a life" is as old as civilization itself. Capital punishment, the execution of a criminal convicted of a crime, or the legal taking of a life has been in existence for many centuries. The death sentence has been applied since ancient times as punishment for crimes ranging from petty theft to murder. The earliest known recordings on the subject dates as far back as 2000 B.C., but it is clear that capital punishment more or less has existed since the birth of humanity1. A perfect example of this can be found in the Code of Hammurabi. The modern movement for the abolition of capital punishment began in the 18th century with the writings of Montesquieu and Voltaire, as well as Cesare Beccaria's Essay on Crimes and Punishments(1764).