The death penalty is given for a variety of reasons that vary from state to state. Examples of acts that can earn a criminal the death penalty include murder of an on-duty police “officer or judge, murder for hire, murder committed in connection with a rape or kidnapping, murder committed during certain drug offenses, murder committed while the defendant is already serving a life sentence, and murder during a burglary or home invasion” (Tuohy). These crimes are definitely vicious and must be punished appropriately. If a person has no problem committing the above crimes once, what is to stop them from committing these same crimes again if they are released from prison? Criminals who commit crimes of this magnitude cannot be rehabilitated and must be put to death to stop them from killing again and to serve as a deterrent to potential murderers.
The death penalty is extremely rare according to Dudley Sharp. This fact alone is enough to support the death penalty. For example, for every 1,600 murders, there is only one execution (Sharp). This is a percentage of just .06 (Sharp). Obviously, the United States Court System does not sentence every murderer to death. In fact, this percentage shows that a great deal of deliberation goes into every death sentence. The court system reserves the death penalty for those who deserve it. Some defendants on trial admit that they would kill again if released into society. What else are we supposed to do with these hardened criminals? The court system in the United States is set up so that defendants receive a fair trial. The law allows for the death penalty in certain states, so obviously, much thought has gone into whether to even have a death penalty. After a thorough trial, a verdict is reached. This is fair. It is not as if we just take people out and lynch them anymore like what happened to some African Americans in the Deep South many years ago. As long as the death penalty is rarely and thoughtfully used, it is a necessary option in today’s society.
The second argument in favor of the death penalty is that prior crimes are taken into consideration when deciding whether to sentence a prisoner to death. For example, if this is the prisoner’s first murder, perhaps a sentence of life is appropriate. On the other hand, if a prisoner has a long list of prior convictions of vicious rapes that get progressively more vicious and eventually lead up to a murder, perhaps it is time to take this person off the street and sentence them to capital punishment. In Texas, the District Attorney reviews the file to see if the death penalty is appropriate (“A Prosecutor Speaks”). Sometimes the prisoner himself or herself asks for the death penalty. An example of this type of situation just occurred in South Dakota. Three inmates murdered a prison guard during an escape attempt. One of the inmates, Eric Robert, admitted he would kill again in prison if he were not put to death (Caudill). He asked for the death penalty and Judge Bradley Zell granted his request and sentenced Robert to death (Caudill). Robert had been serving an 80-year sentence for kidnapping (Caudill). Sometimes even the inmate knows that the death penalty is the best option. In this case, Robert took into consideration his own past history.
The third argument in favor of the death penalty is that it really does prevent future murders. One example is Robert Lee Massie from San Gabriel, CA. In the process of robbing Mildred Weiss and her husband, he killed Mildred Weiss (Nevin). “In 1972, all death sentences were commuted to life, so in 1978 Massie was paroled” (Nevin). It didn’t take long for Massie to return to his life of crime. “On January 3, 1979,” Massie “shot and killed” “a San Francisco liquor store owner” named Boris Naumoff during a robbery (Nevin). If Massie had stayed in prison, Naumoff would still be alive or at least not killed at the hands of Massie. To add insult to injury for friends and family of Naumoff, “San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan” refused to “set the execution date” for Massie (Nevin). The “California State Attorney General’s office” had to step in and set Massie’s date of execution.
On the other side of the continent, in New York State, after twenty years of no death penalty, George Pataki reinstated the death penalty. After the reinstatement of the death penalty, murders dropped by one-third. Another story in New York is the story of Arthur Shawcross. In 1973, Shawcross was convicted of the “rape and murder of two children” (Pataki). At this time in history, the death penalty had been declared unconstitutional. Shawcross served fifteen years in prison and then received parole in 1988 (Pataki). After a twenty-one month “killing spree”, Shawcross killed eleven more people (Pataki). If he had been sentenced to death back in 1973, those eleven people would not have died at his hands. Clearly, the death penalty prevents future murders.
In conclusion, it is well known that the death penalty is a controversial subject. No one likes the thought of taking a life, even the life of a violent criminal. Taking someone’s life is a huge responsibility to bear. Since the evidence shows the death penalty is awarded sparingly, it considers past criminal history, and it has been proven to prevent future murders, the death penalty is necessary in today’s society. Unfortunately, for those individuals who cannot be rehabilitated, the death penalty is the only answer.
Works Cited
“A Prosecutor Speaks.” Pro Death Penalty. 18 April 2003. Web. 1 December 2011.
http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/prosecutor.htm
Caudill, Jack. “Robert Given Death Sentence for Guard Slaying.” Black Hills Fox. 27 October
2011. Web. 1 December 2011.
http://www.blackhillsfox.com/2011/10/27/Robert-given-death-sentence-for-guard-slaying
Nevin, Michael. “Death Decisions.” American Daily. 8 April 2003. Web. 1 December 2011.
http://www.americandaily.com/article/584
Pataki, George E. “Death Penalty is a Deterrent.” Pro Death Penalty. 30 August 1996. Web. 1
December 2011.
http://hosted2.ap.org/ALDEC/TDNational/Article_2011-11-26-
Death%20Penalty%20Bill/id-5202b3addaee4a98bdef14b6b850af90
Sharp, Dudley. “Death Penalty and Sentencing Information.” Pro Death Penalty. 1 October
1997. Web. 1 December 2011.
http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/dp.html
Tuohy, Lynne. “Proposal Makes All Murders Death Penalty Eligible.” The Associated Press
State & Local Wire. 26 November 2011. Web. 1 December 2011.
http://hosted2.ap.org/ALDEC/TDNational/Article_2011-11-26-
Death%20Penalty%20Bill/id-5202b3addaee4a98bdef14b6b850af90
