CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Essays (1317 words) - Capital Punishment

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Capital Punishment deters murder, and is just Retribution Capital punishment, is the execution of criminals by the state, for committing crimes, regarded so heinous, that this is the only acceptable punishment. Capital punishment does not only lower the murder rate, but it's value as retribution alone is a good reason for handing out death sentences. Support for the death penalty in the U.S. has risen to an average of 80% according to an article written by Richard Worsnop, entitled "Death penalty debate centres on Retribution", this figure is slightly lower in Canada where support for the death penalty is at 72% of the population over 18 years of age, as stated in article by Kirk Makir, in the March 26, 1987 edition of the Globe and Mail, titled "B.C. MPs split on Death Penalty". The death penalty deters murder by putting the fear of death into would be killers. A person is less likely to do something, if he or she thinks that harm will come to him. Another way the death penalty deters murder, is the fact that if the killer is dead, he will not be able to kill again. Most supporters of the death penalty feel that offenders should be punished for their crimes, and that it does not matter whether it will deter the crime rate. Supporters of the death penalty are in favour of making examples out of offenders, and that the threat of death will be enough to deter the crime rate, but the crime rate is irrelevant. According to Isaac Ehrlich's study, published on April 16, 1976, eight murders are deterred for each execution that is carried out in the U.S.A. He goes on to say, "If one execution of a guilty capital murderer deters the murder of one innocent life, the execution is justified." To most supporters of the death penalty, like Ehrlich, if even 1 life is saved, for countless executions of the guilty, it is a good reason for the death penalty. The theory that society engages in murder when executing the guilty, is considered invalid by most supporters, including Ehrlich. He feels that execution of convicted offenders expresses the great value society places on innocent life. Isaac Ehrlich goes on to state that racism is also a point used by death penalty advocates. We will use the U.S. as examples, since we can not look at the inmates on death row in Canada, because their are laws in Canada that state that crime statistics can not be based on race, also the fact that there are no inmates on death row in Canada. In the U.S. 16 out of 1000 whites arrested for murder are sentenced to death, while 12 of 1000 blacks arrested for murder were sentenced to death. 1.1% of black inmates on death row were executed, while 1.7% of white inmates will die. Another cry for racism, as according to Ehrlich, that is raised by advocates of the death penalty is based on the colour of the victim, for example "if the victim is white, it is more likely that the offender will get the death penalty than if the victim had been black". This is true, if you look at the actual number of people who are murder. More people kill whites and get the death penalty, then people who kill blacks and get the death penalty. The reason for this is that more whites are killed, and the murders captured. Now if we look at the number of blacks killed it is a lot less, but you have to look at these numbers proportionately. Percent wise it is almost the same number for any race, so this is not the issue. In a 1986 study done by Professor Stephen K. Layson of the University of North Carolina, the conclusions made by Ehrilich were updated, and showed to be a little on the low side as far as the deterrence factor of capital punishment. Professor Layson found that 18 murders were deterred by each execution is the U.S. He also found that executions increases in probability of arrest, conviction, and other executions of heinous offenders. According to a statement issued by George C. Smith, Director of Litigation, Washington Legal Foundation, titled "In Support of the Death Penalty", support for the death penalty has grown in the U.S., as the crime rate increased. In 1966, 42% of Americans were in favour of capital punishment while 47% were

Serial Offender Profile Example

Serial Offender Profile Example Serial Offender Profile – Essay Example Serial Offender Profile Our case will involve a serial offender profile by the Kristen Gilbert, 33 years old who was a nurse by professional at Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Setauket an incidence that happened during the year 2000 and resulted to death of four patients. Due to the psychological stress of being divorced by her boyfriend who worked in the same hospital she decided to create attention to her coworkers and her ex-boyfriend by killing four patients. She was charged with the murder of four patients at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Setauket, and her action portrays one among other serial killers targeting their victims. During her trial, it was realized that she injected her patients with large doses of adrenaline, causing a hyper and uncontrollable heart beat. The patients suffered from a severe illness that ultimately caused their death.Kristen Gilbert acts as a serial killer by confessing killing the four patients to her ex-boyfriend and ex-husband when align ed at the court even before the prosecutor. Therefore, she fits a serial killer because a serial offender is one who murders more than two people in cold blood for psychological gratification and Kristen murdered the four patients because of psychological stress of being divorced by her boyfriend and within a very short time.However, Kristen was not convicted of her crime because the initial review did not find sufficient evidence to pursue the case, no eye witness was found, the weapon used was usually a sudden chemical readily available on the ward and often considered non-detectable or not checked at autopsy. Additionally, there was not consent contract that was signed and in absence of any agreement before treatment, a patient’s risk of harm is significantly greater when treated by the subject and the latter is uncommonly accurate in predicting patient’s demise. However, the resolution of the case could be to hold Kristen in bars until adequate evidence was collect ed to convict her for guilty.ReferencesEric W. Hickey. (2009). Serial Murderers and Their Victims. Oxford. Oxford Press.Jeff Mariotte. (2004). Criminal Minds: Sociopaths, Serial Killers, and Other Deviants. New York; Cambridge Publishers.