Should the Us Abolish the Death Penalty?

Should the US Abolish the Death Penalty?

LEG 500

May 29, 2010

Abstract

Death Penalty is still a form of capital punishment in the United States where many countries have long abolished it. Some consider death penalty as being against American Values and barbaric. Others see it as a necessary tool in fighting against pre-meditated murder. While it was proven in the recent years, numerous incidents with innocents being victims of wrongful executions, we need to consider the appropriate punishment for terrorism and its perpetrators. The debate around the necessity and impact of capital punishment remains and will continue to exist for the years to come.

Capital punishment laws in the US were redefined with the Greg vs Georgia case in 1972. With the case of Gregg v. Georgia, however, death penalty laws have changed. The case of Gregg v. Georgia is about the murders and armed robbery of Fred Simmons and Bob Moore by Troy Gregg. Floyd Allen who was with Troy Gregg at the time of the murder, told police that Gregg had first intended to rob the victims before he shot them. This was contrary to Gregg’s self defense saying that he first shot then robbed the victims (Knappman, Edward W., ed., 1994).

According to the Amnesty International (AI), in the Americas, the USA was the only nation to carry out executions in 2009. There are approximately 100 countries in the world declaring their refusal to put people to death. To demonstrate its side in the matter, AI states: “The organization believes that the death penalty violates the right to life and is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to kill the prisoner. Amnesty International believes that the death penalty legitimizes an irreversible act of violence by the state. Research demonstrates that the death penalty is often...