Reference no: EM13373673 , Length: 519 words
Formal Sentence Online 300- 500 words, which will organize and outline the project
Crime, Life, and the Death Penalty
Death is commonly defined as, the action or fact of dying or being killed, or the end of the life of a person or organism. Everyone is afraid of dying and that is the reason why the highest punishment accorded in criminal history is death punishment. According to Scarre (2006), "The simplest tactic for achieving tranquility in the face of death is to avoid thinking about it altogether" (p. 75). Despite death punishments being given to criminals, it is often seen that this has not been a restraint for criminals. There are many reasons behind it with the most common being it takes too long for such a punishment to be bestowed and by the time the punishment comes the fear of dying goes away. In order for the death penalty to work, it must be used more often and it must be discussed and taught as the ultimate consequence. Despite what the vast majority of criminologists believe about the death penalty not deterring crime, it does and can continue to do so if used properly.
Is death punishment the right punishment for criminals and if so the finality and irrevocability of a death sentence requires the highest standards of prosecution, defense, and judicial action in order to maintain capital punishment as a legitimate and acceptable government sanction. Crime is generally defined as an act or the commission of an act that is forbidden or the omission of a duty that is commanded by a public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law. The United States has one of the highest crime rates, while Singapore has one of the lowest. "Singapore is infamous around the world for its use of both corporal and capital punishment" (InterNations, n.d., p. 1).
It is often asked why it takes so long for a death punishment to be carried out. The punishment should happen faster, quicker, and sooner than today's speeds. Today, we have marvelous crime labs and awesome DNA technology that can almost say who done it one hundred percent. Court docket back logs, overcrowded jails and prisons, and wasted tax dollars on appeals and re-trials are just a few of the things that make the death penalty costly and slow. "Based on deterrence principles, if a prolonged amount of time occurs between the offense and the consequences, it is unlikely that the deterrence message will have as strong an impact compared to when punishment are more immediate" (Wright, 2011, p. 21). Speed is commonly defined as the rapid of movement or action. Does the 6th Amendment (right to a speedy trial) and the Speedy Trial Act of 1974 even really mean swiftness? Wright (2011) also states, "If the public knows that the consequence for committing a particular offense is severe, but that only a small fraction of people actually experience this sanction they may not be deterred" (p. 21).
A death penalty proceeding has to be carried out very carefully and so there has to be a gold standard for due process. Recent advances in forensic science have shown mistaken convictions and an increasing number of death row exonerations (Bedau & Cassell, 2004).
The Supreme Court usually does not deliver death sentences leaving the onus to be given by the state courts. The changing political, cultural challenges that have come on capital punishments and the interference by numerous lobbies to bring in an America without death penalty (Galliher, 2002). The roles of social, political, and economic elites; the mass media; and population diversity are many other factors that guide death penalty Abolition of the death penalty in the United States is a piecemeal process, with one state after another peeling off from the pack until none is left and the tragic institution finally is no more. (Koch, Wark, &Galliher, 2012)
There have also been questions regarding whether life without parole is the perfect compromise to the death penalty. Is it as ethically right as capital punishment, because isn't life in a 23 hour a day, 8 by 10 cell really a death sentence? The fear of death is only removed from a set date. I mean no one is getting out alive. Is a life imprisonment and death penalty equally seen? Will criminal and death reforms alter the way criminals behave (Ogletree, & Sarat, 2012).
Few state issues have attracted as much controversy and national attention as the application of the death penalty in Texas. In the years since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, Texas has led the nation in passing death sentences and executing prisoners. The vigor with which Texas has implemented capital punishment has, however, risen more than a few questions. Why has Texas been so fervent in pursuing capital punishment? Has an aggressive death penalty produced any benefits? Have dangerous criminals been deterred. Have rights been trampled in the process and, most importantly, have innocents been executed. Prisoner records and a variety of statistical sources have challenged traditional preconceptions concerning racial bias, deterrence, guilt, and the application of capital punishment in this state and this forms very important reforms basis for or against institutionalizing death penalty as a punishment (Sorensen & Pilgrim, 2006).