Life Imprisonment - 1378 Words

| LIFE IMPRISONMENT IS A GOOD ALTERNATIVE TO CAPITAL PUNISHMENT | Can life imprisonment be a good alternative to death penalty? The issue remains unresolved. Even the US Supreme Court that had abolished ‘Death Penalty’ reversed its decision when new and less cruel methods of execution were introduced. Why does a society punish its members for certain acts that are offensive and unacceptable to its laws and codes? This can be a starting point of exploring our dilemma about death penalty vs. life imprisonment. It is argued that fear of death deters people from committing crimes, and the penalty of death exerts a positive moral influence. The American death penalty laws have invited ire and ridicule of human rights activists everywhere,†¦show more content†¦A person who gets caught for killing another individual is usually someone who did not plan to murder in the first place. These individuals fall into the â€Å"crimes of passion† category. Crimes of pass ion are defined as unlawful acts of an individual which are unplanned and erupt as a result of a fit or rage or anger. These illegal actions usually stem from drunkenness or a short term loss of logical thinking, which can be attributed to anger. The death penalty would logically deter crime, but the problem is that most murderers are unplanned and are not a result of logic. During the 1930s the federal government, under the direction of Jack Gibbs, investigated the effectiveness of the death penalty in deterring serious crime. The results of Gibbs investigation is that capital punishment did not deter. However, during the 1970s, Prof. Isaac Ehrlich found out through his research that capital punishment did deter but no one else besides Ehrlich has come up with the same results. The conclusion that researches have drawn up during the past decade is that the death penalty does not significantly have an effect on serious crime, one way or the other. Another reason that many people are against death penalty is that they feel that many a times innocent people are wrongfully executed, all in the name of justice, even though there are many safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing death penalty.Show MoreRelatedThe Merits and Pitfalls of Capital Punishment Today1482 Words   |  6 Pagespunishment, but in our legal system’s ability to carry out in its convictions. Thus, many of the families of the victims of such heinous crimes as murders and rapes fail to find closure and are not adequately ‘compensated.’ While in its current state life imprisonment without possibility of parole is quicker and more streamlined and provides much quicker closure, it is in no way equivalent to the loss that the families of victims have to sustain. If capital punishment were incorporated more frequently intoRead MoreMiller vs Alabama1270 Words   |  6 Pagesconstitutionality of mandatory life sentences without parole enforced upon persons a ged fourteen and younger found guilty of homicide. The court declared unconstitutional a compulsory sentence of life without parole for children. The states have been barred from routinely imposing sentences based on the crime committed. There is a requirement for individual consideration of the child life circumstance or the defendant status as a child. The court rejected the definite ban on life sentences without paroleRead MoreOpponent Of The Death Penalty991 Words   |  4 Pagessome thoughts, life imprisonment without parole has had a bigger effect on inmates simply because they suffer from the feeling of guilt. The US benefits because the cost of the death penalty cost three times more than the cost expense of prison. One central thing about life imprisonment without parole is that they are in prison for the rest of their lives. According to Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, it said, â€Å"In certain cases, imprisonment should be for life, with no possibilityRead MoreJuvenile Crime : The Criminal Justice System1031 Words   |  5 Pagestobacco products, they cannot sign legal documents, they cannot be out after a certain hour, they are deemed too immature to handle their own lives. Juveniles, however can be waived to adult court where they could face sanctions as harsh as life imprisonment. In July 2003, 16 year old Terrance Jamar Graham and three other juveniles attempted to rob a restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida. Graham was arrested and charged with armed burglary with assault and or battery and attempted armed robbery. UnderRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Justified1491 Words   |  6 Pageshave risen in many forms. People tend to commit crimes even though the government clearly states the consequences for such actions taking place. One prime example is murder. Though people commit murder and acknowledge that the penalty for such act is life in prison, which still doesn’t deter humans from undertaking the act. Death penalty could be a solution to stop humans from committing such gruesome acts. Therefore I strongly believe that the death penalty is acceptable in several cases. ThurgoodRead MoreCapital Punishment Essay694 Words   |  3 Pageslegal discussions over history has been the death penalty (capital punishment). There is many people who are against this but there are others who are for. As well there are also many countries that have abolished death penalty and murderers thus get life sentences for their crimes while in other countries like China and many USA states are still cruelly punishing a lot of people in this way. Even though the death penalty has been a controversial subject, it is not acceptable by no means in this eraRead MoreIs the Death Penalty an Effective Deterrent?1677 Words   |  7 PagesDeterrent? Annotated Bibliography PS 223 Forensic Psychology I Research Question: Is the Death Penalty an Effective Deterrent? Honeyman, J. C., Ogloff, J. P. (1996). Capital punishment: Arguments for life and death. Canadian Journal Of Behavioural Science/Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement, 28(1), 27-35. The main purpose of this article was to investigate the effects of the death penalty and the justification for the punishment. ARead MoreMinors and the Death Penalty1049 Words   |  5 Pagesthe family of the juvenile in question. D. Capital punishment is more expensive than a life imprisonment sentence without the opportunity of parole. Florida spent an estimated $57 million on the death penalty from 1973 to 1988 to achieve eighteen executions, that is an average of $3.2 million per execution. It costs six times more to execute a person in Florida than to incarcerate a prisoner for life with no parole. The average cost of a capital trial in Florida is $3.2 million. A study foundRead MoreThe Bet By Anton Chekhov1599 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The Bet† by Anton Chekhov is a short story that focuses on the value of human life with the character’s different viewpoints on the death penalty and imprisonment for life. The author uses elements of literature to show that the definition of prison society accepted may be wrong. The first element of literature the author uses is characterization. In the story, there are two main characters: the banker and the lawyer. The story begins showing how wealth y the banker is, as shown by the way he threwRead MoreReasons For The Death Penalty Essay1458 Words   |  6 PagesThere is nothing humane about killing a human being. The act of committing murder is offensive and cruel (Mappes, DeGrazia Zembaty, 2012). Justice can be served in various ways and will be as effective as the death penalty. Life imprisonment without parole is one such way of dealing with persons convicted of committing a murder (Mappes, DeGrazia Zembaty, 2012). While abolitionists and retentionists continue to discuss their viewpoints on the death penalty, it does appear that the retentionists