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Josh Buck
Professor Dursema
English 1010
15 April 2015
Is Death Justice?
What is capital punishment? Capital punishment is more commonly known as the death
penalty. According to Philip Ross, currently thirty-two states in the U.S. still have the death
penalty and eighteen, including the District of Columbia, do not. Additionally Ross states, the
U.S. government and military legal systems can also execute people, and lethal injection is the
most commonly used method of execution. Capital punishment has been used throughout
history. Roger Hood states, it was widely employed in the ancient Greece seventh century BCE.
A Gallup poll in May of 2014 on this topic found that sixty-one percent of Americans view it
morally acceptable while only thirty percent disagreed (Muhlhausen).
The use of the death penalty has long been a topic of debate in the United States. Should
the death penalty remain or be abolished? The death penalty should not be abolished because it
deters capital crimes, reduces the costs of life sentences, and provides closure to victims.
Death Penalty Deters Crime
Does the death penalty deter criminals? A study by Professor Isaac Ehrlich from the
University of Chicago, indicated that “eight murders were deterred by every execution”
(Gottfried 41). Another nationwide study done by Emory University in 2003 found that one
execution deters an average of 18 murders (Alfano). It does not matter the number of return or
ratio, what matters is that there is a deterrence from people committing murder.
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Another question to think about is, does it save lives? People that argue against the death
penalty say that there is no way to prove that it deters people from committing crime. However,
going off of human instinct the will to live is simple and logical. William Tucker argues, “The
remarkable thing about the death penalty is why anyone would think it doesn’t deter murder. No
one wants to die. Why wouldn’t the fear of death make [would-be murderers] think twice?
“(Fisanick 9). This argument is further supported by the fact that, according to Gottfried, ninetynine point nine percent of all convicted capital murderers seek life in prison instead of death
(41). In addition, “prisoners themselves rate the death penalty as the most feared punishment,
much more so than life without parole” (Gottfried 41). These statistics support that the death
penalty deters crime, and would deter more crime if the process was sped up. “Speeding up
executions would strengthen the deterrent effect. For every 2.75 years cut from time spent on
death row, one murder would be prevented, according to a 2004 study by an Emory University
professor” (Alfano). Not having the death penalty has shown an increase in homicides. A study
by Emory University found that when Illinois temporarily banned the use of the death penalty in
the year two-thousand, homicides increased by one-hundred and fifty in four years (Alfano).
The Cost of the Death Penalty
One area that opponents of the death penalty cannot argue is the fact that the cost of
holding an inmate is astronomical. The alternative to the death penalty is life in prison without
parole. According to Gottfried, the cost to feed, house, cloth and care for murderers in prison for
an average of fifty years is $3.01 million dollars per inmate (45). Keeping inmates on death row
is not any cheaper. Death penalty cases average a six year wait on death row, which costs 1.88
million dollars per inmate (Gottfried 45).
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Not only are there economic costs for life in prison, there are also the costs of life when
prisoners that have committed murder continue to do so even in prison. If it were not for the
death penalty, when people are already sentenced to life in prison there is no deterrence for them
not to kill again. This story, told by Gottfried, shows what happens when the death penalty was
found unconstitutional. Bennie Demps was found guilty for two murders he committed in 1971.
Then, he was saved from death row in 1972 when the United States Supreme Court found the
death penalty was unconstitutional, but in 1976 he fatally stabbed a fellow inmate. Then he was
strangely sentenced to death again for that murder, and his execution was carried out 22 years
later in May of 2000 (39). This shows how ineffective the justice system is. All the while (22
years) citizens pay for him to sit on death row.
Gottfried also points out how prison personnel are at risk of the life sentence convicted
murderers. Robert Lynn Pruett was sentenced to life in prison when he was fifteen years old. In
March of 2000, while he was in prison, he participated in murdering a guard. Robert held down
the guard while another inmate stabbed the guard repeatedly (40). Were it not for the death
penalty, what would stop prisoners from killing again?
Providing Closure to Victims
What is justice? According to Wayne P. Pomerleau, “Justice is one of the most important
moral and political concepts. The Oxford English dictionary defines the ‘just’ person as one who
typically ‘does what is morally right’ and is disposed to ‘giving everyone his or her due,’
offering the word ‘fair’ as a synonym. The nature of justice is both a moral virtue of character
and a desirable quality of political society, as well as how it applies to ethical and social decision
making.”
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Justice is what humans seek. When an individual feels they have received justice, there
comes a peace with that closure. There are some things in life that some individuals cannot
understand until it happens to them. “Mark Klaas, had believed that the death penalty ‘was cruel
and unusual punishment’.” That was before Polly, his daughter, was kidnapped during a
sleepover and murdered in 1993. “Now he says he knows ‘you don’t rehabilitate psychopaths’.”
(Gottfried 42)
“‘I am relieved. You just can’t understand what enormous relief it is that all this is
finally over and done with,’ said Traci Freeman when the murderer of her younger sibling was
executed” (Gottfried 44). Betti Shupe, whose father was murdered, was reassured when his
murderer was executed because ‘there’s no more worry that he’s going to get out’” (Gottfried
44). There are many stories like these, showing time and time again that the death penalty brings
closer and justice to families.
Conclusion
Should those that committed murder be put to death? Yes. The death penalty has been
used throughout history as punishment for one of the worst crimes. Death penalty has been
deterring crime for a long time and will continue to, as long as it is enforced. Studies have
shown that for every execution, between eight and eighteen more murders were deterred. Even
more compelling is when Illinois temporarily banned the use of capital punishment, the number
of homicides increased dramatically. Both the cost of life and of the death penalty being
abolished is too high for society. Millions of dollars are wasted keeping inmates on death row
and inmates serving life sentences in prison. If it were not for the death penalty, when people are
already sentenced to life in prison there is no deterrence for them not to kill again and too often
they do. When faced with a choice of mercy or justice, families of victims choose justice to gain
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much needed closure. The risk of not having the death penalty is too pronounced. We should not
just have the death penalty, but need to improve it to deter crime better, save millions of dollars
and lives, and provide justice.
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Works Cited
Alfano, Sean. “Death Penalty Deters Murders, Studies Say.” Cbsnews.com. CBS News, 11 Jun.
2007. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
Fisanick, Nick, ed. The Ethics of Capital Punishment. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven P,
2005. Print.
Gottfried, Ted. The Death Penalty: Justice or Legalized Murder. Brookfield, CT: Twenty-First
Century Books, 2002. Print.
Hood, Roger. “Capital Punishment.” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopaedia
Britannica, 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
Muhlhausen, David B. “How the Death Penalty Saves Lives.” U.S. News and World Report.
U.S. News and World Report, 29 Sep. 2014. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.
Pomerleau, Wayne P. “Western Theories of Justice.” Iep.utm.edu. Internet Encyclopedia of
Philosophy, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2015.
Ross, Philip. “Death Penalty in the U.S.: Which States Still Practice Capital Punishment and
What Methods They Use.” Ibtimes.com. International Business Times, 15 Jan. 2015.
Web. 15 Apr. 2015.