The Supreme Court ruled in Atkins v. Virginia (2002) that executing people with intellectual disabilities violated the Eighth Amendment but left the definition of intellectual disabilities up to individual states. Both men were executed in Virginia in January 2021. More Americans favor than oppose the death penalty: 60% of U.S. adults favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder, including 27% who strongly favor it. Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public. This created a problem for juries that found a defendant guilty but did not believe the offense warranted a sentence of death. Being killed by lethal injection or being electrocuted is not always smooth and . A large majority of liberal Democrats (82%) and a smaller, though still substantial, majority of conservative and moderate Democrats (70%) say the death penalty does not deter serious crimes. What other ideas do you have? Jacoby then goes on to give evidence of studies correlating lower homicide rates in states with the death penalty. This means checking out sources from different states and different sides of the political spectrum. People with four-year college degrees (68%) also are more likely than those who have not completed college (50%) to say that Black people and White people are treated differently when it comes to the death penalty. Mr. Lees lawyers seem to endorse a system of endless delays that prevent a death sentence from ever becoming real. 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. Read the overview below to gain an understanding of the issues surrounding the death penalty and explore the previews of additional articles highlighting diverse perspectives. It also provides links to a study from the University of Colorado and a paper from Emory University to help back up these claims as well. Scheidegger is a California lawyer who is a staunch pro-death penalty supporter. For example, Black people are overrepresented on death row, and a recent study found that defendants convicted of killing white victims were executed at a rate 17 times greater than those convicted of killing Black victims. Does this information change or reinforce your opinion of capital punishment? Overall, White adults are more likely to favor the death penalty than Black or Hispanic adults, while White and Asian American adults are equally likely to favor the death penalty. It includes many facts and dates about the shifts in procedures of the death penalty and gives more information than other death penalty articles about the lethal injection drug shortage. If there is even a small possibility of putting an innocent person to death, we should abstain from the . Between 1973 and 2020, 173 inmates on death row in the United States were exonerated. While public support for the death penalty has changed only modestly in recent years, support for the death penalty declined substantially between the late 1990s and the 2010s. The article continues: If Justice Breyer sounded rueful, it was because he had just a few years ago held out hope that the court would reconsider the constitutionality of capital punishment. Mr. What its about: This article, like the one above, is more concerned with problems within the structure of the death penalty than with whether or not there should be a death penalty. It includes a few links to studies and organizations that oppose the death penalty. WASHINGTON (AP) Conservative justices holding the Supreme Court's majority seem likely to sink President Joe Biden's plan to wipe away or reduce student loans held by millions of Americans . Because of this unique argument, this article should not be ignored. But as a legal issue, it is straightforward. Critics accused Arkansas officials of carrying out executions in an "assembly line" fashion, and drug companies also objected to the state's use of a pharmaceutical formulation in lethal injections. Mr. Lees lawyers and other death penalty opponents are entitled to disagree with that sentiment. Removing the option to seek the death penalty would be unconstitutional because the Fifth Amendment authorizes its application as long as ". On the question of whether Black people and White people are equally likely to be sentenced to death for committing similar crimes, partisanship is more strongly associated with these views than ones overall support for the death penalty: Republicans who oppose the death penalty are more likely than Democrats who favor it to say White people and Black people are equally likely to be sentenced to death. Half of those who favor the death penalty say this, compared with 13% of those who oppose it. Arguments on both sides of the capital punishment debate draw support from the US Constitution. Well, dont worry. 14 Jan. 2015. Among those with postgraduate degrees, a larger share say they oppose (55%) than favor (44%) the death penalty. Why its a good source: The article uses findings from a variety of sources to support its claim of capital punishment leading to lower homicide rates. Among other factors, scholars determined that the races of both the victim and the defendant often influenced sentencing. About half of those with four-year undergraduate degrees but no postgraduate experience (49%) support the death penalty. But let's stop for a minute here. However, a worldwide poll conducted in 2006 indicates that 52% of the world's population supports the death penalty. The Daily Beast, 31 July 2014. Aside from my own moral beliefs on the death penalty, it is not fair that . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. What its about: This article is the first of two parts and uses emotion more than straight facts. Supporters of the death penalty believe that those who commit murder, because they have taken the life of another, have forfeited . An overwhelming share of death penalty supporters (90%) say it is morally justified under such circumstances, compared with 25% of death penalty opponents. Why its a good source: It is an interviewbut not a direct transcriptinvolving one of the most active members of the pro-capital punishment community. Gun Control. This relationship holds among members of each party. US Supreme Court Packing. And Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who held the decisive vote in many closely divided cases until his retirement in 2018, had written the majority opinions in several 5-to-4 decisions that imposed limits on the death penalty, including ones barring the execution of juvenile offenders and people convicted of crimes other than murder. the death penalty given an alternative of life without parole, support decreases significantly.7 In 1991, Gallup found that 76% of Americans supported the death penalty, but that support would drop to 53% if life imprisonment without parole were available as an alternative.8 While most deterrence research has found that the death penalty He responds by saying that capital punishment is not inherently racist and that the people studying deterrence are discouraged and, thus, quiet about their research. On July 16, Wesley Purkey was executed for the 1998 murder of a teenage girl, whom he kidnapped, raped, killed, dismembered and discarded in a septic pond. About eight-in-ten Democrats (83%), including fully 94% of liberal Democrats and three-quarters of conservative and moderate Democrats, say Black people are more likely than White people to be sentenced to death for committing the same type of crime a view shared by just 25% of Republicans (18% of conservative Republicans and 38% of moderate and liberal Republicans). ABOLITIONIST ARGUMENTS concerning the death penalty always seem a bit unsatisfying. Michael Smith. Because of the requirements of some publications, they may not be able to vehemently express these opinions, but you should still be able to at least tell if its an article that is for or against the death penalty. The American people have repeatedly ratified that decision, including through the Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994 signed by President Bill Clinton, the federal execution of Timothy McVeigh under President George W. Bush and the decision by President Barack Obamas Justice Department to seek the death penalty against the Boston Marathon bomber and Dylann Roof. Contemporary arguments for and against capital punishment fall under three general headings: moral, utilitarian, and practical. Does your state or country allow the death penalty? Why? His successor, Joe Biden, has voiced opposition to the death penalty and stated his intention to introduce reforms. Both rights are protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN in 1948. Partisanship continues to be a major factor in support for the death penalty and opinions about its administration. Under US constitutional law, states have the right to apply their own criminal statutes including capital punishment. "The Death Penalty is Cheaper Than Feeding a Murderer for Life" According to the Death Penalty Information Center, independent studies in several states, including Oklahoma, reveal that capital punishment is actually far more expensive to administer than life imprisonment. The Mennonite Central Committee in the U.S. has an essay on "state killing. During the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, lawyers for federal death-row inmates Dustin Higgs and Corey Johnson argued that their clients, both of whom tested positive for COVID-19, should not be subject to lethal injection. A 58% majority of 50- to 64-year-old Democrats favor the death penalty, compared with 47% of those ages 35 to 49 and about four-in-ten Democrats who are 18 to 34 or 65 and older. By Liz Mineo. An eye for an eye has been a law for ages. DC and Puerto Rico Statehood. The authors find that the rhetoric around abolition in these regions has been framed differently over time, with more recent arguments focusing on the relationship between wrongful convictions and executions. Since the countries that retain this punishment are home to over 60% of the world's population, an essay on death penalty should outline how national laws treat this topic. Explore elections plans geared toward the 2020 presidential election but adaptable for many other elections and presidential history lessons. The consistency of this difference points to substantial mode effects on this question. It gives a link to a document from the US Department of Justice and provides numbers on the amount of violence that occurs at the hands of prison gangs. Find all of our Student Opinion questions in this column. Have an idea for a Student Opinion question? Four of the eight inmates were ultimately executed, while four received stays of execution. In fact, being pro-death penalty is a pro-life position. 108 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, while 144 countries have abolished it in law or practice. Now that youve seen arguments in favor, lets take a close look at four anti- death penalty articles. In the article "Death penalty is a deterrence", the authors claims that by practicing the death penalty, violent crimes will decrease. McCleskey's attorneys argued that his Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated because his race made it statistically more likely that he would receive the death penalty. 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA The judge who imposed the death sentence on Mr. Honken, Mark Bennett, said that while he generally opposed the death penalty, he would not lose any sleep over Mr. Honkens execution. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. However, just 26% of Democrats who favor the death penalty say that Black and White people are equally likely to receive this sentence, and only 6% of Democrats who oppose the death penalty say this. A majority of Americans (56%) say Black people are more likely than White people to be sentenced to the death penalty for being convicted of serious crimes. The death penalty provides immeasurable public benefit by discouraging people from committing capital offenses. On July 14, Daniel Lewis Lee was executed for the 1996 murder of a family, including an 8-year-old girl, by suffocating and drowning them in the Illinois Bayou after robbing them to fund a white-supremacist organization. What about restorative justice, an approach that considers harm done and strives for agreement from all concerned the victims, the offender and the community on making amends? What Are the Pros of Abolishing the Death Penalty? For federal offenses, the government uses the methods of execution authorized by the state in which the court imposes the punishment. It also carries the risk of carrying out a wrongful execution. These decisions allowed the reinstatement of state death penalty laws. For example, the average cost of this case is almost $2.5 million (Goodman). The Eighth Amendment, however, prohibits the government from enforcing "cruel and unusual punishment," which several lawsuits have used successfully to challenge certain applications of capital punishment. The recent executions reflect that consensus, as the Justice Department has an obligation to carry out the law. About seven-in-ten Republicans (72%) say that White people and Black people are equally likely to be sentenced to death for the same types of crimes. About half of those ages 18 to 29 (51%) favor the death penalty, compared with about six-in-ten adults ages 30 to 49 (58%) and those 65 and older (60%). If possible, you should try to take advantage of all of them. It gives direct quotes from Gallup poll findings about public opinion. In addition to state laws, the federal government identifies over forty crimes to which the death penalty could be applied. Want to Read. And when those tactics failed, they accused the Justice Department of a grave threat to the rule of law, even though it operated entirely within the law enacted by Congress and approved by the Supreme Court. 6. From 2000 to the most recent poll in . PRO Proponents who argue that the death penalty is a deterrent to capital crimes state that such a harsh penalty is needed to discourage people from murder and terrorism. Furthermore, a 2009 survey of criminologists revealed that "over 88% believed the death penalty was not a deterrent to murder.". Yet support for the death penalty is strongly associated with a belief that when someone commits murder, the death penalty is morally justified. Justice Breyer wrote in that 46-page dissent that he considered it highly likely that the death penalty violates the Eighth Amendment, which bars cruel and unusual punishments. Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Just 25% of those who oppose the death penalty say it is morally justified. Black adults are evenly divided: 49% favor the death penalty, while an identical share oppose it. Yet, in less than a year, with the promulgation of a . However, the court also determined that the death penalty does not violate the Constitution, capital punishment serves as a practical deterrent, and retribution provides a justifiable basis for execution. 38 Death Penalty Information Center, State Studies on Monetary Costs (2017). Seven state executions took place in 2020, the lowest annual number of the twenty-first century. It concludes by stating that the execution of criminals is a deterrent for murderers and ultimately saves innocent lives. States and Death Row. What historical factors have spurred capital punishment reform in the United States? The article admits that 100% accuracy in anything is impossible, but it commends Romney for trying. Capital punishment should be distinguished from extrajudicial executions carried out without due process of law. Some of the cons of capital punishment include the following; Death penalty is a great burden to taxpayers financially because the actual cost of carrying out capital punishment is approximated to be 2-5 times higher than leaving the offender in prison for as many . Psst 98% of Kibin users report better grades! By the 1800s, federal law not only permitted capital punishment but required it in cases involving certain crimes. In Pew Research Center phone surveys conducted between September 2019 and August 2020 (with field periods nearly identical to the online surveys), support for the death penalty was significantly lower: 55% favored the death penalty in September 2019, 53% in January 2020 and 52% in August 2020. The number of executions performed annually began a steady rise during this decade. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) authorizes federal death penalty cases, which are prosecuted in federal court. This doesnt always mean that you have to get an article from a well-known news website or national newspaper, but that the article should be backed up with cited facts. Grades: 8-10 More>>. States could only acquire the drug by importing it from abroad, sometimes improperly. 18 Sep, 2015. Why its a good source: Again, this article could be used for either side of the argument. It also means using articles from both points of view. Arizona 209 . However, Gibson does give some figures in support of using the death penalty over life in prison because, he notes, life in prison does not truly separate the criminal from society due to gang connections both in and out of prison. some members of Mr. Lees victims families opposed his execution. The deepest element of the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" is to protect human life, and is the requirement to show reverence and love for every person and the life of every human being.The assault on human life is a consequence of original sin. He had set out his arguments in a major dissent in 2015, one that must have been on Justice Scalias mind when he made his comments a few months later. For example, in his 25 September 1788 prodeath penalty essay in the. Death Penalty. (Deterrence) 2.73: 1.27: 2.71: 1.36: 0.16 I become angry when a convicted murderer does not receive the death penalty . Among Republicans who oppose the death penalty, about half (53%) say this. 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