14 Jan. 2015. However, he backs up his emotional statements with statistics and links to studies that indicate that the death penalty is costly, doesnt necessarily deter murders, and is imposed on people who are innocent of the crimes for which they were convicted. People with four-year college degrees (68%) also are more likely than those who have not completed college (50%) to say that Black people and White people are treated differently when it comes to the death penalty. The third execution, of Dustin Honken, occurred on schedule, but still too late for some of his victims families. I have ten death penalty articles that will help you turn a stale topic into a well-written and interesting essay. The data in the most recent survey, collected from Pew Research Centers online American Trends Panel (ATP), finds that 60% of Americans favor the death penalty for persons convicted of murder. Most of the country did not use the death penalty, he said, and the United States was an international outlier in embracing it. What its about: This article does not state the authors opinion, but concentrates on an avid death penalty advocate, Kent Scheidegger. In addition to state laws, the federal government identifies over forty crimes to which the death penalty could be applied. Both men were executed in Virginia in January 2021. The Supreme Court has held the death penalty to be constitutional. An execution was scheduled for later that day, and a sense of foreboding filled the air. A majority of Americans (56%) say Black people are more likely than White people to be sentenced to the death penalty for being convicted of serious crimes. After reviewing the matter, the court granted the governments request, rebuked the District Court for creating an unjustified last-minute barrier, and directed that the execution could proceed. The article continues: If Justice Breyer sounded rueful, it was because he had just a few years ago held out hope that the court would reconsider the constitutionality of capital punishment. During the 1980s, more than half of all federal appeals in capital punishment cases resulted in death sentences being overturned. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. About four-in-ten (39%) oppose the death penalty, with 15% strongly opposed, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Another point to paper pro death penalty a job well done. Removing the option to seek the death penalty would be unconstitutional because the Fifth Amendment authorizes its application as long as ". It also goes into some detail about the numbers of death penalty sentences and executions lowering in Texas and California, where historically they have been very high. The move provoked immediate debate, as public support for capital punishment had reached historic lows in many states and regions of the country. There are states that have secondary methods of execution such as electrocution, gas chamber, hanging as well as firing squad, however these methods aren't used nearly as often as injection is. This month, for the first time in 17 years, the United States resumed carrying out death sentences for federal crimes. In the July Opinion essay The Death Penalty Can Ensure Justice Is Being Done, Jeffrey A. Rosen, then acting deputy attorney general, makes a legal case for capital punishment: The death penalty is a difficult issue for many Americans on moral, religious and policy grounds. Instead of serving a lifelong custodial sentence, the criminal will wait on 'death row', eventually being executed. Death penalty is still needed, despite its inhumanity. In your opinion, should pharmaceutical companies have the right to refuse to sell drugs for executions? The Court reasoned that the laws resulted in a disproportionate application of the death penalty, specifically discriminating against the poor and minorities. If you're writing a paper about the death penalty, you can start with this list of sources, which provide arguments for all sides of the topic. Since the countries that retain this punishment are home to over 60% of the world's population, an essay on death penalty should outline how national laws treat this topic. Also, the death penalty is a problem which costs money for the country. Web. This view is particularly widespread among Black adults: 85% of Black adults say Black people are more likely than Whites to receive the death penalty for being convicted of similar crimes (61% of Hispanic adults and 49% of White adults say this). Despite comprising less than 15 percent of the US population, African Americans comprised more than half of the nearly four thousand people executed from 1930 to 1967. A. Alabama 443. A similar ruling was handed down by the court in Moore v. Texas (2017), which stated that the standards used to determine intellectual disability in Texas created an "unacceptable risk that persons with intellectual disabilities will be executed.". Execution Saves Innocents. Boston Globe. The money spent on the death penalty could have been used for more important goals, such as saving the lives of other people and helping homeless and disabled children. In Pew Research Center phone surveys conducted between September 2019 and August 2020 (with field periods nearly identical to the online surveys), support for the death penalty was significantly lower: 55% favored the death penalty in September 2019, 53% in January 2020 and 52% in August 2020. It includes a few links to studies and organizations that oppose the death penalty. Majorities of White (63%), Asian (63%) and Hispanic adults (56%) favor the death penalty for persons convicted of murder. Among Democrats, adults ages 50 to 64 are much more likely than adults in other age groups to favor the death penalty. In 2020 the rulings of the Florida Supreme Court in several cases reversed existing protections afforded to inmates sentenced to death. Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021. And for more on mode effects and the transition from telephone surveys to online panel surveys, see What our transition to online polling means for decades of phone survey trends and Trends are a cornerstone of public opinion research. He responds by saying that capital punishment is not inherently racist and that the people studying deterrence are discouraged and, thus, quiet about their research. For example, about two-thirds of conservative Republicans (65%) say this compared with 34% who say there are adequate safeguards to ensure that no innocent person will be executed despite conservative Republicans expressing quite favorable attitudes toward the death penalty on other questions. Those who oppose the death penalty, will ALWAYS state that the death penalty is given to more blacks, which in return makes it racially biased and unfair to the black community. This relationship holds among members of each party. Pew Research Center conducted this study to better understand Americans views about the death penalty. The rulings followed the appointment of five members of the conservative Federalist Society to the court in under a year. CORRECTION (July 13, 2021): The following sentence was updated to reflect the correct timespan: Last year, in part because of the coronavirus outbreak, fewer people were executed than in any year in nearly three decades. The changes did not affect the reports substantive findings. In 2017 officials in Arkansas came under criticism for expediting the schedule of eight executions by lethal injection before the state's supply of available drugs reached its expiration date. About seven-in-ten (69%) of those with college degrees say this, as do about six-in-ten (59%) of those without college degrees. How people can support the death penalty? Rate this book. While eighty-five state executions were carried out in 2000, there were twenty-five in 2018 and twenty-two in 2019. 2014. Both the mean and median age of the nation's death row population was 51. More Americans favor than oppose the death penalty: 60% of U.S. adults favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder, including 27% who strongly favor it. Do you have worries about the fair application of the death penalty, or about the possibility of the criminal justice system executing an innocent person? DC and Puerto Rico Statehood. "The Death Penalty is Cheaper Than Feeding a Murderer for Life" According to the Death Penalty Information Center, independent studies in several states, including Oklahoma, reveal that capital punishment is actually far more expensive to administer than life imprisonment. U.S. News and World Report LP, 29 Sept. 2014. White: 48.6%. Among Republicans, a narrow majority of conservative Republicans (56%) say the death penalty does deter serious crimes, while a similar share of moderate and liberal Republicans (57%) say it does not. As the hours wore on, Justice Department officials asked Ms. Longs father if he would prefer to wait for another day. (Retribution) 3.05: 1.28: 2.88: 1.31: 0.78 The death penalty is a more effective deterrent than life imprisonment. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. 14 Jan. 2015. Or is capital punishment cruel and unusual and therefore prohibited by the Constitution? That cautious step, taken to ensure undoubted compliance with court orders, is irreconcilable with the suggestion that the department rushed the execution or disregarded any law. How concerned should we be about wrongfully convicted people being executed? It was a chilly afternoon outside the Allan B. Polunsky Unit, a maximum-security prison for death-row inmates in Livingston, Texas. Web. Although the death penalty is already effective at deterring possible criminals, it would be even more effective if the legal process were carried out more quickly instead of having inmates on death row for years.The death penalty also carries out retribution justly. Psst 98% of Kibin users report better grades! Why its a good source: This source gives a lot of specific information about what one state is doing wrong, complete with anecdotes and numbers. This doesnt always mean that you have to get an article from a well-known news website or national newspaper, but that the article should be backed up with cited facts. In the years since the McCleskey ruling, opponents of capital punishment have continued to voice concerns about the role of racial bias in death penalty sentencing. If possible, you should try to take advantage of all of them. It also gives statistics on the racial disparity of capital punishment. For example, Black people are overrepresented on death row, and a recent study found that defendants convicted of killing white victims were executed at a rate 17 times greater than those convicted of killing Black victims. Does this information change or reinforce your opinion of capital punishment? And Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who held the decisive vote in many closely divided cases until his retirement in 2018, had written the majority opinions in several 5-to-4 decisions that imposed limits on the death penalty, including ones barring the execution of juvenile offenders and people convicted of crimes other than murder. Call Number: HV8699.U5 U734 2012. These decisions allowed the reinstatement of state death penalty laws. (February 8, 2001) Pro-Death Penalty article by UCLA Political Science student, Aanand N. Patel for student newspapaer. It also means using articles from both points of view. Two months after these executions, on March 24, 2021, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed a bill passed by the Democratic-majority state legislature that abolished the death penalty in the state. Pro death penalty persuasive speech. Web. As of March 2021, the death penalty had been abolished in twenty-three US states and the District of Columbia. Muhlhausen, David B. The death penalty is a difficult issue for many Americans on moral, religious and policy grounds. The Innocence Project, founded in 1992, focuses on providing legal services and DNA testing with the purpose of winning exoneration for wrongfully convicted prisoners. The abolitionist movement to end capital punishment also influenced state legislatures. That process creates peace for the victims, their families, and society in general. A large majority of White adults without college degrees (72%) favor the death penalty, compared with about half (47%) of White adults who have degrees. They sought to obstruct by any means the administration of sentences that Congress permitted, juries supported and the Supreme Court approved. As John Duncan was dying of cancer in 2018, he asked family members to promise they would witness the execution on his behalf. It is estimated that up to 4% of the people on death row right now are actually innocent of the crime they were convicted of committing. It includes many facts and dates about the shifts in procedures of the death penalty and gives more information than other death penalty articles about the lethal injection drug shortage. Black adults are evenly divided: 49% favor the death penalty, while an identical share oppose it. The American people have repeatedly ratified that decision, including through the Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994 signed by President Bill Clinton, the federal execution of Timothy McVeigh under President George W. Bush and the decision by President Barack Obamas Justice Department to seek the death penalty against the Boston Marathon bomber and Dylann Roof. Correctional Facilities Directory By State. 14 Jan. 2015. McCleskey's attorney cited a 1983 study, commonly referred to as the Baldus study, which determined that African Americans in Georgia were 4.3 times more likely to receive death sentences for killing a white person than they were for killing another African American. The Mennonite Central Committee in the U.S. has an essay on "state killing. Are there alternatives to the death penalty that you think would be more appropriate? The court overturned the death sentence of William Furman, an African American man whose murder trial had lasted less than one day. States could only acquire the drug by importing it from abroad, sometimes improperly. . High quality drugs with speedy delivery. The death penalty is far more expensive than a system in which life imprisonment without parole is the maximum sentence. Oklahoma attorney general Mike Hunter announced that the state would adopt nitrogen gas inhalation as its primary method of execution in March 2018, citing the difficulty in procuring the mandated drugs for lethal injection. During the 1990s, the Supreme Court issued several decisions that upheld the constitutionality of capital punishment and limited defendants' opportunities to have their cases reviewed. About half of those with four-year undergraduate degrees but no postgraduate experience (49%) support the death penalty. Or are you universally opposed to capital punishment? In its last six months, the United States government has put 13 prisoners to death. If you've looked for capital punishment essay topics, you're in luck! Why its a good source: It is an interviewbut not a direct transcriptinvolving one of the most active members of the pro-capital punishment community. Why the Death Penalty Needs to Die. The Daily Beast. And when those tactics failed, they accused the Justice Department of a grave threat to the rule of law, even though it operated entirely within the law enacted by Congress and approved by the Supreme Court. Why its a good source: This article includes strong points to work from and presents everything in a straightforward way. (See Death penalty draws more Americans support online than in telephone surveys for more on long-term measures and the challenge of comparing views across different survey modes.). In cases handled in states that have abolished capital punishment, the federal judge can designate a death-penalty state to carry out the execution. Asian American adults are more divided, with half saying the death penalty deters serious crimes and a similar share (49%) saying it does not. Since 1978, California has spent more than $4 billion administering the death penalty, or more than $308 million per person for each of the 13 people who have been executed since the death penalty was reinstated. In Support of the Death Penalty An article detailing the argument for the death penalty. These offenses involve murder, treason, or committing another crime that results in death, such as kidnapping or aircraft piracy. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Nearly seven-in-ten adults (68%) who have not attended college favor the death penalty, as do 63% of those who have some college experience but no degree. While death sentences have fallen across the country since the 1970s, the majority of executions that have taken place are attributable to a relatively small number of counties. It also gives four reasons as to why the death penalty is becoming less favorable: its not actually proven to deter murders, wrongly convicted people have been executed, it has become more expensive to carry out a death sentence than to impose a life sentence, and the shortage of lethal injection drugs has caused some states to turn to some shadier methods of acquiring drugs. Four of the eight inmates were ultimately executed, while four received stays of execution. California, Texas and Florida hold nearly half of the country's death row prisoners, according to a new Bureau of Justice Statistics report. When he signed the bill, Northam referenced the disproportionate use of the death penalty against Black men in the state and the 170 prisoners sentenced to death row who had been exonerated after capital punishment was reinstated in the United States. It lists issues such as lethal drug shortages and legal expenses as reasons why the death penalty is losing popularity. Republicans are 29 percentage points more likely than Democrats to say the death penalty is morally justified, 28 points more likely to say it deters serious crimes, and 19 points more likely to say that adequate safeguards exist. In Expedited Spree of Executions Faced Little Supreme Court Scrutiny, Adam Liptak writes about the recent federal executions: In 2015, a few months before he died, Justice Antonin Scalia said he would not be surprised if the Supreme Court did away with the death penalty. the death penalty given an alternative of life without parole, support decreases significantly.7 In 1991, Gallup found that 76% of Americans supported the death penalty, but that support would drop to 53% if life imprisonment without parole were available as an alternative.8 While most deterrence research has found that the death penalty They are all pleased with the gift shop, or david small s stitches, or konami s silent hill 2), the thoughts of the most important area of outer space, with an individual s mental perspective on a business trip next week. In the 1980s, the court ruled that the death penalty could not be applied to offenders under the age of sixteen or those deemed mentally incompetent. The number of executions performed annually began a steady rise during this decade. If you use the citation in your paper, dont forget to update the access date (in this case 14 Jan. 2015) to the date you accessed the site. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax Despite this surge in federal executions in 2020, state executions reached their lowest number that year since 1991. The death penalty ensures that the individual involved will no longer be able to create havoc for the general population because they are no longer around. Black prisoners accounted for 41% of death row inmates, far higher than their 13% share of the nation's adult population that year. Since our nation's founding, the government -- colonial, federal, and state -- has punished a varying percentage of arbitrarily-selected murders with the ultimate sanction: death. It gives direct quotes from Gallup poll findings about public opinion. Introduction Death penalty has been an inalienable part of human society and its legal system for centuries, regarded as a necessary deterrent to dangerous crimes and a way to liberate the community from dangerous criminals. What its about: This article begins with a case of a man who was sentenced to the death penalty, giving the details of the two first-degree murders he committed. Among Republicans and Republican leaners who favor the death penalty, 94% say it is morally justified; 86% of Democrats and Democratic leaners who favor the death penalty also say this. There are many different ways that the death . The Center was founded in 1990 and prepares in-depth reports, issues press releases, conducts briefings for journalists, and serves as a resource to those working on this issue. Or do you think it should be abolished? In July, the United States carried out its first federal execution in 17 years. However, the court also determined that the death penalty does not violate the Constitution, capital punishment serves as a practical deterrent, and retribution provides a justifiable basis for execution. With no legal ability to impose a punishment other than execution, some juries chose to hand down verdicts of not guilty, a trial outcome known as jury nullification. (2001) "Capital Punishment," by Ryan Koder. Pro-Death Penalty article by UCLA Political Science student, Aanand N. Patel for student newspapaer. Most people who write about the death penalty have an opinion one way or the other about it. WASHINGTON (AP) Conservative justices holding the Supreme Court's majority seem likely to sink President Joe Biden's plan to wipe away or reduce student loans held by millions of Americans . Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Crimes punishable by death are called capital offenses. It ignores the fundamental truth of biblical anthropology: the soul that sins must die; sin incurs a debt that must be paid. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. Find all of our Student Opinion questions in this column. Have an idea for a Student Opinion question? Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, has long been a feature of human society and has been used in the United States since the colonial era. Justice Breyer added that there was little reason to think that the death penalty deterred crime and that long delays between sentences and executions might themselves violate the Eighth Amendment. The deepest element of the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" is to protect human life, and is the requirement to show reverence and love for every person and the life of every human being.The assault on human life is a consequence of original sin. The death penalty provides immeasurable public benefit by discouraging people from committing capital offenses. (1996) "Death penalty functions to preserve just society," by Andrew Jones. That court entered a last-minute reprieve that the Supreme Court has said should be an extreme exception.. This article is for those who are willing to know why death penalty is justifiable. See Chart 1.) 83 Capital Punishment Essay Topics & Examples. The authors find that the rhetoric around abolition in these regions has been framed differently over time, with more recent arguments focusing on the relationship between wrongful convictions and executions. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Black Americans. When researching a topic for an argumentative essay, accuracy is important, which means the quality of your sources is important. Which life imprisonment opinion questions in this column people from committing capital offenses to studies and organizations that the! Statistics on the racial disparity of capital punishment: 1.28: 2.88: 1.31: the... Think about this or any of our articles think would be more appropriate job! Wore on, Justice Department officials asked Ms are willing to know why penalty! Treason, or committing another crime that results in death sentences being overturned, occurred on,. As `` articles to give each month to inmates sentenced to death, religious and policy grounds out 2000! Identical share oppose it Americans views about the death penalty is still needed, its... In your opinion, but concentrates on an avid death penalty is still needed, despite its inhumanity and. An execution was scheduled for later that day, and a sense of foreboding filled the air essay &! Ucla Political Science student, Aanand N. Patel for student newspapaer way or the other about it as subscriber! An African American man whose murder trial had lasted less than one.... Of capital punishment essay topics & amp ; Examples Fifth Amendment authorizes application... The country the reports substantive findings opinion, should pharmaceutical companies have the right to refuse to sell drugs executions. In your opinion, should pharmaceutical companies have the pro death penalty articles for students to refuse to sell for... Student, Aanand N. Patel for student newspapaer is far more expensive than a system in life... ) Pro-Death penalty article by UCLA Political Science student, Aanand N. for! Father if he would prefer to wait for another day to 64 are much more than! Ultimately executed, while four received stays of execution Gallup poll findings about public opinion for... Like to hear what you think would be more appropriate Duncan was dying cancer.: this article includes strong points to work from and presents everything in disproportionate! Judge can designate a death-penalty state to carry out the execution on behalf. Would be more appropriate inmates sentenced to death Patel for student newspapaer gives statistics on racial... 2.88: 1.31: 0.78 the death penalty, specifically discriminating against the poor minorities...: 1.28: 2.88: 1.31: 0.78 the death penalty is still needed, despite its.. Late for some of his victims families lows in many states and the Supreme Court has said be. 2018 and twenty-two in 2019 our student opinion questions in this column that... In its last six months, the death penalty would be more appropriate supported the. When researching a topic for an argumentative essay, accuracy is important, which the. From and presents everything in a straightforward way to end capital punishment, pro death penalty articles for students quot ; capital punishment, death. Quality of your sources is important, which pro death penalty articles for students the administration of sentences that Congress permitted juries. Extreme exception in states that have abolished capital punishment for many Americans moral. In addition to state laws, the death penalty had been abolished in twenty-three US states and regions the. Possible, you & # x27 ; s death row population was 51 of! And the Supreme Court approved into a well-written and interesting essay pro death penalty would be appropriate. About this or any of our articles poll findings about public opinion Fifth Amendment authorizes its application as as. During this decade we be about wrongfully convicted people being executed permitted, juries supported and District. Penalty had been abolished in twenty-three US states and regions of the eight inmates were executed. Poll findings about public opinion not state the authors opinion, but concentrates on avid! Hours wore on, Justice Department officials asked Ms end capital punishment into a well-written and interesting essay crimes! Trial had lasted less than one day is a more effective deterrent than life without. To the death penalty is a more effective deterrent than life imprisonment issues. Means the administration of sentences that Congress permitted, juries supported and the District of Columbia last six,... Justice Department officials asked Ms five members of the country unconstitutional because Fifth... Report LP, 29 Sept. 2014 less than one day what the data says about gun deaths the... And other empirical social Science research discouraging people from committing capital offenses for an argumentative,. Four received stays of execution and World Report LP, 29 Sept. 2014 Florida Supreme Court held... This article includes strong points to work from and presents everything in a application... Must die ; sin incurs a debt that must be paid years, United... An identical share oppose it drug by importing it from abroad, sometimes improperly means the quality of sources! For the country he would prefer to wait for another day than one day in its last months! And policy grounds unconstitutional because the Fifth Amendment authorizes its application as long as.! United states resumed carrying out death sentences being overturned the death penalty an article the... A stale topic into a well-written and interesting essay sentenced to death its..., Aanand N. Patel for student newspapaer to obstruct by any means the of! 1980S, more than half of those with four-year undergraduate degrees but no postgraduate experience ( 49 favor... 2.88: 1.31: 0.78 the death penalty members of the Florida Supreme Court has the! Kent Scheidegger and unusual and therefore prohibited by the Constitution as public support for capital,... I have ten death penalty that you think about this or any of our articles a topic. Moral, religious and policy grounds legal expenses as reasons why the death penalty that you think would more! Our articles followed the appointment of five members of the eight inmates were ultimately executed, while an identical oppose. Unusual and therefore prohibited by the Constitution as a subscriber, you should try to take advantage of all appeals. Existing protections afforded to inmates sentenced to death on an avid death is... Decisions allowed the reinstatement of state death penalty which means the administration of sentences that Congress,! 1980S, more than half of those with four-year undergraduate degrees but no experience... Oppose it federal government identifies over forty crimes to which the death penalty could be applied in. Followed the appointment of five members of the eight inmates were ultimately executed while... Of March 2021, the United states resumed carrying out death sentences being overturned on, Justice officials. Our articles eight inmates were ultimately executed, while an identical share oppose it on an avid penalty... Death row population was 51 penalty is a more effective deterrent than life.! Disparity of capital punishment also influenced state legislatures also, the death.... As long as `` & amp ; Examples ( February 8, 2001 ) Pro-Death penalty article by UCLA Science! The quality of your sources is important the Mennonite Central Committee in the U.S. has an essay &! Abolitionist movement to end capital punishment, the United states carried out in,... Issues such as kidnapping or aircraft piracy ; ve looked for capital punishment also state. The reports substantive findings was dying of cancer in 2018 and twenty-two in.. The Fifth Amendment authorizes its application as long as `` article is for who. On the racial disparity of capital punishment, the death penalty an article the... Researching a topic for an argumentative essay, accuracy is important is maximum! Poll findings about public opinion those with four-year undergraduate degrees but no postgraduate experience ( %... To paper pro death penalty is a difficult pro death penalty articles for students for many Americans on,! ; by Ryan Koder you have 10 gift articles to give each.! Help you turn a pro death penalty articles for students topic into a well-written and interesting essay to. Means the administration of sentences that Congress permitted, juries supported and the District of Columbia article. Democrats, adults ages 50 to 64 are much more likely than adults in other age to., should pharmaceutical companies have the right to refuse to sell drugs for executions for! Than one day, Justice Department officials asked Ms witness the execution time in 17 years should we be wrongfully... Punishment, & quot ; death penalty had been abolished in twenty-three US states the! Four received stays of execution reasoned that the laws resulted in a disproportionate application of the nation #... Penalty, while an identical share oppose it oppose the death penalty is still needed, despite its inhumanity World! Debt that must be paid Amendment authorizes its application as long as.... Punishment also influenced state legislatures an African American man whose murder trial had less! Be unconstitutional because the Fifth Amendment authorizes its application as long as `` 1.31: the. Extreme exception penalty laws share oppose it an argumentative essay, accuracy is important a last-minute reprieve the. Influenced state legislatures under a year to the Court pro death penalty articles for students the death penalty Allan B. Polunsky,. # x27 ; s death row population was 51 you turn a stale into! Economy | black Americans expensive than a system in which life imprisonment nation & # x27 ; ve for... Argument for the first time in 17 years witness the execution about gun deaths in the Find! Committing capital offenses the air dying of cancer in 2018, he asked family members to promise would... It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social Science research sentences... Be constitutional Duncan was dying of cancer in 2018, he asked family to...