Thursday, January 27, 2022

Thiel College-Death Penalty

Death Penalty-Comment No. 1

Why is there a death penalty?

18 comments:

Student #4 said...

I think we have the Death Penalty for many reasons. The first reason that comes to mind is deterrence. If other people see the punishment that people receive for committing these heinous crimes, it would make them think twice before doing something similar. Not only that, but it stops those sentenced from committing future acts of crime. Sometimes jail isn't enough because as we've seen, you can still kill while you're in jail. It also seems as though there is an eye for an eye aspect to it. If you took someone's life, you get your life taken. This may not be the most comfortable reasoning for many people, but it is blatantly in our faces because only those put to death are those who took the lives of someone else by committing first degree murder.

Anonymous said...

Student #13

I believe the United States has the death penalty for a multitude of reasons, including but not limited to retribution, incapacitation, and deterrence. Arguably, I would claim that incapacitation is the driving force behind the installment and continuation of the death penalty. Incapacitation is defined as the act of making an individual incapable of committing a crime. When defined, the strength of the argument is emphasized. Historically, the world's most notorious serial criminals received capital punishment; this list including names such as Aileen Wuornos, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, and Hamilton Howard "Albert" Fish. All were classified as serial murderers, striking fear not only in their state of residence, but across the nation as a whole. Therefore, putting an enormous amount of pressure on law enforcement officers, and the judiciary to remove them from the general public and ensure that they will not have the opportunity to reoffend. Obviously, the "best way" to bring peace to a frenzied nation would be to institute capital punishment, as several people feel that institutionalization is not enough to combat the urges and tendencies of such people. Therefore, in these cases, arguably as a way to "cover their ass", capital punishment is given and is almost always followed through with. To further solidify this argument, I would refer back to Chapter 3 of "The Executioner's Toll" in which murderer and rapist Gerald J. Bordelon stated that if he was not incapacitated through means of death, he would find a way to continue offending. This self-awareness is, at times, shared by other criminals, and can encourage a capital punishment ruling if stated explicitly in a courtroom or correctional institution. Evidently, I believe it is a combination of societal/national pressure, probability of re-offending, self-awareness, and personal preference for death over life that contributes to a ruling of capital punishment; emphasizing that incapacitation is the driving force behind the installment and continuation of the death penalty.

Anonymous said...

Student No. 6

There are definitely right and wrong answers to "Why is there a death penalty?", but there are multiple right answers, no matter what stance you take. The death penalty is a form of punishment for some people who commit first degree murder. These are people who are dangerous and the idea is that we are riddening dangerous people from our society, in order to make society safer. When a criminal is caught it is relieving to the community they commited a crime against, the death penalty takes this a step farther and not only removing them from the community, but the world. Some families' of victims believe that the killer deserves to die, while others would rather them suffer in the prison system for the rest of their life. The death penalty also makes more room in prisons for future and current convicts. It is also used to deter people from commiting capital murder.This is part of the reason some executions are public. The threat of possibly being punished by death is scary to some people, and seeing that it is actually being carried out is scarier. The death penalty has been around a long time, and many people believe in it. This is one of the reasons the US is one of the only countries that still have the death penalty is place.The people who receive the death penalty are people who the court declared there is no chance of rehabilitation.

Anonymous said...

Student #18

I think that we have the death penalty because it is the highest punishment or penalty that is possible for a person that has committed a crime. With that people think feel that execution is a response to a crime that deals with murder, people tend to feel that if they take a life then that person's life should be taken. I think that people also put into consideration that if they take the person that committed the crimes life then it could impact or change the thought of someone that would or was thinking of doing a crime that was similar.

Anonymous said...

16

The death penalty in America is a tool that has been used in the criminal justice system for a very long time. While the practices today are much more humane than old practices such as drowning, hanging, or other extreme things. The death penalty itself has been argued for a very long time. The Death penalty is still used to deter people from engaging in heinous crime, to make people feel safe meaning killing the criminals takes care of the problem very effectively. Also, it is an extremists view on the war on crime. This final destination thought process is the result of people who are less sensitive to the loss of life weather that might be an animal or a criminal. This desensitization most occurs in the South where there is a bigger "red blooded American" mind set, and anyone who strews from that is simply wrong. To give an umbrella answer to this question, the Death Penalty is there to make people feel the full gratification of quick and easy justice to the crime they may have committed. It feels to most people like a very satisfying scratch to their "tough on crime" rash.

Anonymous said...

Student #17

I believe the death penalty is a way to reduce the number of criminals in the justice system. If a person gets sentenced to life in prison with no parole, citizens still need to pay for the criminal to be in prison. It would save money feeding the criminal and can be used to improve the system. It's also a way to scare others from following behind in someone's footsteps because the ultimate punishment is to lose their own life. Some people see the death penalty as an eye for an eye, meaning they should die for their sins. This will put a stop to the criminal being able to hurt someone else. This allows the victim's family to have peace of mind and closure knowing they got justice for their loved one.

Anonymous said...

Student #19:

I think there is a death penalty for a few reasons. The two main reason why there is a death penalty is for deterrence and punishing people for committing a first degree murder. Deterrence to obviously turn people from committing murders and as a punishment for heinous crimes.

11 said...

In my opinion, there is a multitude of reasons for the death penalty. These could include retribution, control and closure. A crime that is deemed to be so "harmful" or "heinous" where the individual must be sentenced to death is an example of retribution. In simple terms, a way to punish the criminal is the death penalty. This is a consequence that the majority of states in America deem as justifiable due to the severity of the crimes committed. Also, the death penalty sets an example for society because it instils the fear of death due to a crime. Furthermore, I believe why others think the death penalty is an option is because of control. Many people want to "play God" to be able to take another's life because of their crime. Government officials may view that the ability of the death penalty allows them to take control back over the criminal who "abused/controlled" the system. Finally, i believe that there is the death penalty because of closure. For example, an individual commits murder and the family is crushed. The judge may deem it is necessary to evoke the death penalty due to the severity of the murder/give closure to the family. Harmful crimes can be heart-wrenching especially when children/destruction of the body is involved. Crimes that make the audience emotional might be a reason why the judge would want to put the criminal to death.

Student 9 said...

When thinking of why some states continue to use the death penalty are perceived deterrence and also retribution for the victim and their family/loved ones. Although the effectiveness of the death penalty to deter crime is debated, most think that using the threat of death as a consequence for first degree murder may deter people from killing others. Also, as mentioned in class, the threat of seeking the death penalty can be used in some cases to get a defendant to take a plea for life in prison rather than going to trial. Another reason that the death penalty is used could be retribution. Some family members or loved ones of someone who was killed may want the perpetrator to have to die as well. However, I am not sure if executing someone provides any comfort to the victims family.

Anonymous said...

Student #8:

I believe that the death penalty was originally created to deter people from committing crimes. Originally there were much more gruesome ways the death penalty was performed. For example, stoning was having a criminal be flat on the ground and they would have stones placed on top of them until death. As society progressed, people saw this as inhumane. This is what let to the change in the death penalty over time and finally reaching the method we have today. Today's death penalty is used mostly as a deterrent, but are not used much. The hope was for people to understand it is a possibility, therefore, they should not commit crimes or it could happen to them. Another reason for the death penalty is for crimes that are so evil that society thinks they should receive the harshest punishment while still trying to be humane. This is where the death penalty can cover that end.

Anonymous said...

Student #15 said...

I believe that the death penalty was originally created for a couple reasons. One reason being deterrence. As one of the major punishment justifications, deterrence prevents further crimes by deterring people away using the threat of punishment. So, when laymen and criminals alike heard of the "ultimate punishment" being used, it is assumed that they would steer clear - at least of that specific crime - so they would not be punished in the same way. Another reason I believe that the death penalty was originally created was as a more permanent form of incapacitation. As another major punishment justification, incapacitation keeps criminals away from further victimizing people in the community. The death penalty could be seen as an extreme form of incapacitation as the wrongdoer cannot harm laymen if s/he is dead. Lastly and yet another major punishment justification, death penalty seems to have also been created as a form of retribution. Similar to the concept of "an eye for an eye," retribution emphasizes matching the punishment to the crime. In this case, the death penalty would have been created in response to someone killing someone else; as morbid as it sounds, it would have ensued taking a life in response to that person taking a life. Although this is definitely not all of them, these are the reasons that I believe the death penalty was originally created.

Anonymous said...

Student #7

The death penalty has been around since the beginning of civilization. The first documentation of this is, of course, the Code of Hammurabi. The belief in retaliation and retribution for wrong-doing was rooted in these practices: if you killed someone, you were killed as well. These societies did not have a justice system the way we do, where incarceration is our primary method of distributing justice; however, one can still see the influence of previous societies. Throughout all of history, one can follow the death penalty for a multitude of crimes. Since many argue that we are becoming a more "humane" society, the death penalty has been simplified to punishment for murder. I believe historic values still bleed into our society today, where the death penalty exists to deter crime and offer a sense of safety for the rest of the population. By punishing a criminal in a way they will be guaranteed to never harm someone again can be comforting to the masses, especially in the case of more heinous serial killers. The death penalty "rids" those deemed unworthy of life itself by the surrounding culture because destroying the life of another individual is believed to be the worst crime to commit. Some may feel that any other punishment would be too kind.

Anonymous said...

Student #2,

I think that the Death Penalty was made to deter crime. The Death Penalty has been around since the start of civilizations and has always been apart of the criminal justice system. The death penalty was made with the idea of only being used as the ultimate punishment as it is as final and irrevocable punishment. It is reserved for ones seemed as irredeemable and not deserving of second chances.

Anonymous said...

Student #5

I believe there is a death penalty for a multitude of reasons. The first of which being that if a criminal is as dangerous as to which to take another person(s) life, then who's to say that they won't kill other inmates? It saves the prison money and from lawsuits pertaining another inmate being murdered. I also believe that there is the death penalty from ideology that dates all the way back to the Bible. Where it exclaims, "Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed." Likewise with Hammurabi's code where it exclaims an eye for an eye. If someone is to kill, then they should have the same happen to them

Anonymous said...

Student #20
I think the death penalty was made to deter people from comminuting crimes. It is used to try and refrain people from doing horrendous crimes. It has been used since the beginning of the criminal justice system. Although it was used in much more vile way. The death penalty is used for people who seem unapologetic, and people who may still seem a risk to other people.

Anonymous said...

Student #21
I believe that the death penalty was created for multiple reasons. The first one being deterrence. People are less likely to commit terrible crimes knowing how serious the consequence is. I believe it's also used for the simple fact that some people who commit these crimes have no sympathy, and can't be trusted outside of a prison.

Anonymous said...

Student #10
The United States has a death penalty for multiple reasons including but not limited to retribution, incapacitation, and deterrence. One of the main reasons I feel we have the death penalty is deterrence. Deterrence is the act of discouraging an action or event through doubt or fear of the consequences. When a potential criminal sees the harsh punishment that one receives for a crime, then they are less likely to do it. Another reason the United States has the death penalty is incapacitation. Incapacitation in terms of the death penalty is making one incapable of committing a crime. Incapacitation is more for the victims and their families as well as the public rather than for the benefit of the justice system. Incapacitation allows for the victims and their families to have the assurance that the person who hurt them will never hurt another person again.

Anonymous said...

Student #1
The death penalty is in place for many reasons. The first reason is that it is taking the lives of the people who killed others. So people could say that it is an eye for an eye punishment. It also prevents those people from harming or threatening the lives of others in the future. The death penalty can can also raise awareness to others. When a person is on death row it shows the public that if actions such as the bad person takes place then you will have to suffer the consequences, which can be the death penalty. The death penalty can also be seen as justice for the families that were hurt by the actions of the offender.

Post a Comment