Issue Analysis: Death Penalty AKA Capital Punishment.
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Transcript of Issue Analysis: Death Penalty AKA Capital Punishment.
Issue Analysis: Death Penalty
AKA Capital Punishment
The Two Sides
• In Favor of the Death Penalty– Older People– Conservatives
(Republicans)– Law Enforcement
• Against the Death Penalty– Younger People– Liberals (Democrats)– Very Religious People– Civil Liberties Groups
Arguments in Favor
• Deterrence– Some people believe that if there is a death
penalty people will choose not to commit certain crimes due to fear of the death penalty.
Arguments in Favor
• Eye for an Eye– Some individuals believe that the only
appropriate punishment for those who commit the most horrible crimes is the ultimate punishment. That there is a measure of justice in terminating their life. That the victims and their families would only be satisfied with the death of their offender.
Arguments in Favor
• Safety– Those in favor of the death penalty argue that
it removes the possibility of the same person re-offending or committing the crime again.
Arguments Against
• Innocence– In the last 37 years 138 people in 26 states
have been released from death row due to evidence proving their innocence.
– You cannot un-execute someone, but you can release them from jail.
Arguments Against
Cruel and Unusual Punishment
Why would we, as a society, kill someone to prove that killing someone is wrong?
Arguments Against
• Life without parole more of a punishment.– There are individuals who believe that life
without the possibility of parole is actually more of a punishment than the death penalty. That it is fundamentally better than the death penalty.
Where is it happening?
A political cartoon accusing racial inequality in the death sentence.