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Report Essay
Report Essay
Lauren Beck
Professor Moore
English 1301
7 March 2017
Capital Punishment; The Everchanging Law
Capital punishment is one of the longest standing controversies in United States history.
Because of the controversy, capital punishment has disappeared and reappeared from our laws
numerous times. As stated by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Capital punishment refers to the
process of sentencing convicted offenders to death for the most serious crimes (capital crimes)
and carrying out that sentence (Office of Justice Programs). Capital punishment is also known
as The Death Penalty. The debate over capital punishment execution has become a recurring
issue in the U.S. because of its moral, religious, and effectiveness conflicts.
The death penalty dates back before the 1800s. One of the first times it was called off was
following the American Revolution. Public hangings were then executed inside the prison
systems to keep the public eye from surveying the controversial scene. In the 1840s, Michigan
legislature turned over the right to execution, and terminated it in the state altogether. Fourteen
years later, Vermont made the executions a right by state law instead of local law in hopes of
preventing any eager hangings. Mostly all other states continued to abide by Vermonts new law
(McFeely). In the early 1890s, death by electrocution was introduced. This practice was also
known as the electric chair. However, the electric chair was eventually deemed inhumane, and
was later replaced by the less stressful lethal injection in the 1970s by only a few states. In the
early 20th century, controversy, yet again, made changes in the death penalty in the United
States. At first, nine states dismissed the death penalty from their laws. Later, just after World
War I, five of the nine reversed their dismissal. A few years after, two more of the nine joined
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them in removing the dismissal (McFeely). Of the rest of the states, half have separated from the
death penalty, while the other half had strict requirements for the penalty. Yet again, causing a
divide in the country. By the 1930s, more African Americans had become victim of the death
penalty than any other race. Just around the time of the Civil Rights Movement Era, in the 1950s
and 60s, the death penalty rates dropped significantly and prosecutors ultimately withheld asking
for the punishment. This resulted in zero executions from 1967 to 1972 in the United States
(McFeely). From there, the United States withdraw from the death penalty only grew. In 1972, a
man named William Henry Furman was to be executed until it was deemed unconstitutional by
the Supreme Court. The argument made was that the 8th Amendment deters from cruel and
unusual punishments. This case seemed to establish the end of capital punishment in the U.S.
but like it always has, the death penalty made a comeback (McFeely).
Towards the end of Vietnam War and Civil Right Movement Era, the nation became
considerably more conservative. This in return, made legislatives pass the death penalty as
fairly administered, and required the Supreme Court to review execution cases. In 1979, the
United States held 1,446 executions (Death Penalty Information Center). In that time, capital
punishment was once again, and has remained for most states, legal. Today, only 32 of the 50
states hold capital punishment laws, while 18 of them hold bands (Death Penalty Information
Center). While most states have the laws required to execute persons, few utilize them to their
full benefits. For example, Texas alone is responsible for 540 of the 1,446 (Death Penalty
Information Center). The next higher ranking states include Oklahoma and Virginia at 112,
Florida at 92, Missouri at 88, and Georgia at 69 (Death Penalty Information Center). As of 2017,
there has only been 4 executions, and in 2016 there were 20 (Death Penalty Information Center).
At this rate, the executions are more than likely to surpass the previous years count.
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The controversies on capital punishment are generally the same year after year. The
morality of capital punishment and the effectiveness are the two main arguments when
discussing capital punishment. Starting with the morality of capital punishment, the life of a
human being is, by most religions, highly valuable. This creates a problem for a lot of people
when our government destroys that life. It is also common among religions to accept the idea of
forgiveness, and when the government administers the lethal injection causing death in the
person, they no longer have the option of forgiveness. Their one, or sometimes many, convictions
are answered by a final verdict of death, instead of being given the opportunity to make up for
Some felons, if given the opportunity to correct themselves while being incarcerated or
back on the streets, may not ever turn their life around. This is another argument on capital
punishment. Even if felons are not given the death penalty, it may not make them change. In a
similar way, implementing the death penalty may or may not have effects on the crime rate. In
fact, most people do not believe it effects crime at all. A recent study by Professor Michael
Radelet and Traci Lacock of the University of Colorado found that 88% of the nations leading
criminologists do not believe the death penalty is an effective deterrent to crime (Lacock).
However, this thought can vary through years and people. In 2004, 62% of people said the death
penalty was not a deterrent. By contrast, in 1985, 62% believed the death penalty acted as a
deterrent to murder (Lacock). This just goes to show how unstable the relation between the
public and capital punishment is. It is never the same. It always changes. As far as the future of
Capital Punishment, it is completely unpredictable. Society will always have people who do not
agree with the death penalty, and people who think it is the only option in some cases. The
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legality of the law just depends of the views of those in office at a particular time and how it can
People, states, and governments in general have not ever been able to hold a permanent decision
on the effects and morality of this death penalty. The fact is, it works in taking a killer off the
map (or whatever crime a person is convicted of), but it has shown no real effect in criminal
activity. Supporting the death penalty is completely objective, but as of today, 38 states holds the
capital punishment laws. However, if the law continues as it has in history, it may turn to those in
Works Cited
Death Penalty Information Center. "Number of Executions by State and Region Since 1976."
M. Radelet & T. Lacock, "Do Executions Lower Homicide Rates? The Views of Leading
William S. McFeely, "Trial and Error: Capital Punishment in U.S. History." History Matters. Jan
Office of Justice Programs. "Capital Punishment." Bureau of Justice Statistics. 9 April 2017.
Strine JR., Leo E. "Duty & the Death Penalty." Widener Law Review, vol. 21, no. 1, Jan. 2015,