Death Penalty: The Pros and Cons

Paper Summary:

This paper presents arguments pro and con the death penalty based on religious, political and social considerations. Factors against the punishment are that it is anti poor, racist, condemns innocent people to death, does not deter serious crime and that it is a cruel punishment. Factors for the death penalty include that it is not racist, that miscarriages of justice are unavoidable, it is feared as a punishment and that it is cheaper than life imprisonment.

From the Paper:

"I. There are five main reasons why the death penalty should be abolished throughout the world:

"It is racist. Statistics show that African Americans comprise 12% of the entire US population, yet 43% of those in the death row are Blacks. Figures also reveal that about half of all murder victims are Blacks, 83% of those who are now in the death row are there because their victims were white. (Campaign to End the Death Penalty 2002). And in 18,000 executions in American history, only 37% involved a white person who killed a Black person. Over 75% of those in the federal death row are non-white, and of the 156 federal death penalty prosecutions approved by the Attorney General since 1988, 74% of the accused were not white. (Campaign) The death penalty makes a crime out of being Black.."

More papers on Death Penalty: The Pros and Cons:

• Argumentative Essay # 5810 : "Capital Punishment: The Pros and Cons"
• Analytical Essay # 110837 : "The Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty"
• Term Paper # 128894 : "The Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: