Opinion Concerning The Use Of The Death Penalty In The UnitedStates Today

Running head: DEATH PENALTY IN THE UNITED STATES 1

Opinion Concerning the Use of the Death Penalty in the UnitedStates Today

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DEATH PENALTY IN THE UNITED STATES 2

Death penalty is among the most rarely administered sentences. Very few countries in the

world have incorporated the use of the death penalty in their laws. The United States are among

the countries where the death penalty is used. Death penalty in the U.S was introduced during the

days the country experienced the highest number of capital crimes. However, it is clear that the

society has changed since then. I think the United States should consider entirely abolishing the

death penalty. The modern civilized community is expected to uphold the values of humanity.

Despite the fact that individuals might commit hideous crimes, I do not believe that it is in the

power of a human being to determine whether they should live or die. Currently, some States do

not use the death penalty as punishment for any capital offense (Joseph, 2016). This indicates

that even some criminal justice systems in the country have realized the need to abolish the use

of the death penalty.

Currently, the U.S is the only Western country that still uses the death penalty. I believe

that the power and the honor bestowed in the United States by other countries can best be

reflected in its protection of human rights. It is essential to realize that even the capital offenders

have rights. Despite their crimes, they still have people who care for them and who depend on

them. Instead of ending their lives, the government can introduce a more considerate method of

capital punishment. I believe that life imprisonment is the best alternative to the death penalty. It

restrains a capital offender from interacting with the society but retains his right to live.

The death penalty information center depicts that a total of nineteen people have been

executed this year bearing the death sentence. The Execution of Ronald R. Phillips is among the

recent cases of people executed after sustaining the death penalty. Phillips was sentenced in

Lucasville, Ohio for the murder of a three-year-old girl. The victim of the crime was the daughter

of his girlfriend. Based on the case, Phillips was accused of repeatedly beating up the three-year-

DEATH PENALTY IN THE UNITED STATES 3

old girl. He was also charged with raping the little girl on multiple occasions until she collapsed

and died of a heart attack. A lethal injection was used during Phillips’ execution. In this case, the

state applied an amalgamation of drugs that had no longer been consumed before. However, no

complications were experienced during the process (Provance, 2017).

The case against Phillips started in 1993 when he was arrested for the crime. During that

period, Phillips was nineteen years old. Throughout the years of the case, Phillips claimed that he

had grown up and became a better person. He claimed that he was only a stupid teenager at the

time he committed the crime. With a great show of remorse to the family of the victim, he

affirmed that his previous behavior had been caused by the nature of family in which he grew up.

During the execution, Philips offered another statement of remorse to the family members of the

victim. Some witnesses such as the media, some of his family members, and some of the family

members of the victim attended his execution. Compared to previous scenarios, the injection

took a smaller period of twelve minutes to take effect (Provance, 2017).

I believe that the State of Ohio and the other states that still use the death penalty should

stop using it. The United States’ constitution and the rule of law have its foundation on the

respect for human rights and societal values. The criminal justice system is also formed on the

principle of correcting behavior and making people better members of the society. At the same

time, the criminal justice system should promote the religious values of the people of the United

States (Joseph, 2016). The values of all the religious denominations in the United States stands

against the ending of a human life. The state and federal governments must identify appropriate

measures that can be used to rehabilitate capital offenders. Regardless of their crimes, the

execution of capital offenders still imposes social and economic effects on the society.

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However, the death penalty is used in a fair manner. It is not easy for an individual to be

executed even if he commits a capital offense. The court gives the defendant the chance to

appeal against an initial ruling of a death sentence. At the same time, the death penalty is only

used for a set of crimes that are considered to be high profile and against the laws of humanity.

Apparently, I do not believe that the death penalty helps to stop crime. First, it is possible that

not even a quarter of the population would be concerned with the execution of the offender. This

creates an insignificant impact on the other people who commit the same crime. If these

individuals are rehabilitated and turned into productive people, other offenders might be

influenced to change. People can understand that someone can still live a better and productive

life without crime.

DEATH PENALTY IN THE UNITED STATES 5

References

Joseph, T.J. (2016). The U.S., Capital Punishment, and the ICCPR. Journal of Law and

International Affairs

Provance, J. (2017). Ohio completes execution of convicted child killer Ronald R. Phillips. The

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