Death Penalty Essay

Submitted By djblue420
Words: 651
Pages: 3

Emily Wilson
Mrs. Whaley
English III
07/29/2013
The Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty in America The ’Death Penalty’ is a problem of much concern; many countries favor the ‘Death Penalty’ and apply that, while many other object strongly to this punishment. My opinion is that the death penalty should be banned as a form of punishment. What is Capital punishment? Capital punishment is the death penalty. It is used today and was used in ancient times to punish a variety of offences. The death penalty has no place in a civilized society. It is none of the things that its proponents say it is. It is not fairly administered, it does not prevent crime, it does not save the state money, it does not bring closure to families, it does not allow for the innocent to be reclaimed, and it is not based on Biblical teaching. The history of the Death Penalty in America dates as far back as the 1600’s. When European settlers came to the new world, they brought the practice of capital punishment. “The first recorded execution in the new colonies was that of Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of Virginia in 1608.” (Randa, 1997) Kendall was executed for being a spy for Spain. Kendall was executed by the U.S. firing squad. “In 1612, Virginia Governor Sir Thomas Dale enacted the Divine, Moral and Martial Laws, which provided the death penalty for even minor offenses such as stealing grapes, killing chickens, and trading with Indians.” (Randa, 1997) Laws regarding the death penalty varied from colony to colony. Under these laws from different colonies, offenses such as striking one's mother or father, or denying the "true God," were punishable by death.
Even though, I am against the Death Penalty. There are some pros for the Death Penalty. For instance, the Death Penalty is very cost effective. “The cost of imprisoning a criminal, serving a life term or otherwise long term is at least 30,000 per inmate.” (Mandery, 2005) This is very expensive when compared with the costs involved in execution of the same person. Capital punishment is, therefore, considered to be cost-effective. Also, even though it is argued that capital punishment is cost-effective, most penalty cases are appealed in higher courts, which incur more expenses than execution. Another positive effect of the Death Penalty is that it rids society of criminals becoming a threat. Imprisonment keeps the possibility of a hardened criminal from coming out on parole and becoming a threat to civil