Research and Describe Is the Death Penalty Effective? (Essay Sample)

Is the Death Penalty Effective?
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Is the Death Penalty Effective?
Since the beginning of recorded history, the death penalty debate has been a controversial issue. Opposing factions have continually locked horns as they proffer their arguments for or against the practice as an effective deterrent to crime. On the one hand, proponents mainly comprising of policy makers extol its efficacy in deterring capital crimes. Their arguments are premised on the fact that since one of the society’s fundamental interest is to preclude unlawful actions such as murder, then it is only fitting that the strongest form of retribution available be applicable (Roberts‐Cady, 2010). On the other hand, opponents comprising of law enforcement, the public, and various religious factions vehemently oppose this practice terming it as an inherent violation of the constitutional ban against an unusual and cruel chastisement. Besides, it also contravenes the due process of law and equal protection to all as assured in the constitution. In its place, they advocate for other measures such as swift and appropriate punishments, strengthening families and neighborhoods, and controlling illegal substances in the societies (Roberts‐Cady, 2010). This treatise seeks to oppose the premise that the death penalty is an effective deterrent to crime.
One of the underlying issues of contention is the morality of the death penalty. Murder is in itself an abhorrent action since life is a precious commodity and death is irrevocable. In this regard, the state is not justified to authorize the killing of a person as a punishment for a capital crime. Such an act would only epitomize the viciousness and tragic inefficacy of violence when applied as a solution to intricate social problems (Mooney & Lee, 1999). In fact, a global perspective of the practice is that it is atrocious and anachronistic in a modern civilized society. Furthermore, many murder victims are opposed to such legalized murders as a form of retribution for their loved ones citing the fact that despite the practice being state sponsored does not morally justify it. In the United States, there is a diverse and widespread opposition pioneered by the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty- a movement that is comprised of more than fifty national organizations (Mooney & Lee, 1999).
Another viewpoint for the ineffectiveness of the death penalty is that the practice has been proven to have failed in its primary objective of being a deterrent to capital crimes. Normally, from a scholastic perspective, deterrence is perceived as a function of three elements namely the frequency, certainty, and severity of the punishment. The lack of a consistent and prompt manner through which capital punishment can be executed is what renders it an ineffective crime deterrent despite the plausibility of the claim espoused by proponents that intimidation through execution impacts criminal behavior more efficiently than any other method does (Roberts‐Cady, 2010). One of the reasons for this is the existence of procedural safeguards that seek to govern how the courts function during capital cases, thus making it impossible to establish a considerable time between imposition and execution of the sentence. Additionally, where the capital crime is not premeditated or is conducted in the name of a particular ideology, it becomes difficult to daunt the will of such offenders through capital punishment (Roberts‐Cady, 2010). Therefore, this practice fails in its objective to act as an effective crime prevention measure.
Lastly, the death penalty has been widely condemned as a barbarous tradition. A preponderance of evidence has shown that none of the five methods of execution can be said to be purely humane as usually professed by policy makers. The death penalty is executed by hanging, electrocution, firing squad, suffocation in a gas chamber, or lethal injection. When not correctly executed, death through any of the means can be easily bungled. For example, in the gallows, the right height of the drop must be calculated to avoid strangulation or decapitation of the head. During electrocution, the correct amount of voltage must be applied to avoid an excruciating death ...