U.S. Supreme Court and the Death Penalty

In the 1990s, close to eighty percent of people in the United States favor capital punishment, in the absence of alternatives (such as life in prison without parole). They view it not as violence but as a form of justice (Kaminer 30). Often these same people are against the death penalty as a concept--but when faced with the reality of a particularly brutal murder, many will state that the death penalty is justified.

For example, during the jury selection of a man about to be tried for a brutal murder, a woman of upright character was asked what she thought of the death penalty. Her response was that she was against it--but not in this case ("Crime and Punishment 3). This phenomenon occurs because people have been taught that it is wrong to kill and religion has taught them that they should be merciful. However, when reality sets in, they realize that some crimes are so terrible that

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strated that the death penalty is no deterrent to commit murder, they would have to agree that prison officials have to have some way of ensuring the safety of their staff and the other inmates. Instituting capital punishment for committing murder within a prison would ensure that the culprit would not kill again. Opponents of the death penalty often forget that the victim's family--notably the mother, wants the murderer to be sentenced to death. As Justice Stewart said in Furman, the instinct for retribution is part of the nature of man, and channeling that instinct in the administration of criminal justice serves an important purpose in promoting the stability of a society governed by law. When people begin to believe that organized society is unwilling or unable to impose upon criminal offenders the punishment that they deserve, then there are sown the seeds of anarchy--of vigilante justice and lynch law (Zimring and Hawkins 161). Opponents of the death penalty encounter their stiffest objections when they try to explain why even the multiple or serial or recidivist murderer should not be executed. It is hardly surprising that many who generally oppose the death penalty would be willing to make an exception for such kil
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Approximate Word count = 2222
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

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