Within the realms of the American laws, criminal justice system comprises of the law creators (legislative), courts (adjudication), and correctional facilities such as probation, parole, prisons, and jails. American criminal justice system comprises of the jurisdictional, normative, functional, and institutional components.
These components work simultaneously in defining the goals of procedural laws and decision to be taken by the court of law. Factually, these activities take place at different points. This paper analyses impact of death penalty at the Walnut Street Jail of Philadelphia.
Actually, capital punishment refers to a death sentence on individuals who have committed unlawful deeds. Indeed, such punishment arises due to capital offences. Death penalty is normally conducted by knocking out head from an individual’s body. Initially, death penalty was practiced by many countries but currently several nations have abandoned the practice.
Indeed, many positions have been raised due to religious and cultural explanations, and political principles. In fact, the Holy Bible justifies death penalty against criminal offenses such as murder. This paper examines death penalty from an impartial view by considering disadvantages and advantages of capital punishment in society.
Advantages of Capital Punishment
First, according to Teeters, death penalty eradicates criminal activities in a community. Indeed, capital punishment is an important mission for every person simply because it instills moral while discouraging criminal activities in society[1]. Actually, dead victims would not commit more illegal actions either when freed from jail or in jail.
Secondly, money is ever a limited commodity. In this case, nations would utilize wisely their scarce resources to care their citizens who need help rather than spending such resources in imprisoning criminals for long term basis. Capital punishment is hence cost-effectual. Indeed, infinite appeals would spend much time and more resources in resolving death disputes.
Death penalty is therefore cost-valuable. Thirdly, Teeters views that death penalty is a retribution action in which a victim is punished because of offenses committed[2]. In fact, capital punishment is an eye for an eye formula which is revengeful with no forgiveness. Lastly, capital punishment is a deterrent device that has discouraged crimes. Actually, before committing crimes, criminals have to perceive possible impacts of their actions because they are aware of what death penalty justifies.
Disadvantages of Capital Punishment
Teeters explains that there is a conviction that innocent persons would be killed and therefore there would be no alternative manner for compensating and rehabilitating such people[3]. Secondly, death penalty is an unkind, barbaric and unashamed inhuman act, regardless how atrocious offense is.
Indeed, human being has self-respect to exist which is a natural law from religious perspective. In addition, human being has dignity to exist with self-respect which should be key priority for any government objective for people. Moreover, there has been a big concern how a government would tread on persons’ dignity and right.
Third, according to Teeters, death penalty never gives a victim possibility to be regretful of his actions[4]. Actually, capital punishment has never treated criminals with a just prospect to recover their deeds. Lastly, there is no tangible proof that death penalty has been capable to prevent latent victims from performing offensive acts.
Furthermore, mitigating capital punishment as way to prevent future unlawful acts is likely to be an obvious one-dimension justification to several people. Indeed, this should not be the case. Actually, people should look for objective justifications that support every person, even criminal offenders.
Though parole and probation are community correction strategies which functioning on the concept of community supervision, they are different in many aspects. Despite these differences, they were initiated to mitigate the magnitude and severity of the punishment process. Parole was introduced in America in the mid 19th century.
Under this arrangement credit marks are awarded for behavior change, and release from detaining heavily relies on the cumulative score per prisoner. After probation, the suspected offender is passed through criminal justice system, and if found guilty, may be sentenced to a jail term. Since these detention camps have parole officers, prisoners are registered in parole programs and the best behaved released before full jail term. Generally, these processes are designed to promote positive behavior change initiated by the suspect.
Conclusion
Capital punishment had been a controversial dispute since ancient era, though remains certainty in some nations in the world. Actually, India and other countries still endow death penalty for most terrible unlawful acts. However, Human Right Advocates have remained persistent to resist against capital punishment in order to restore human dignity. However, some States have embraced death penalty as an eventual sentence so long as unlawful deeds typifies intense brutal act.
Bibliography
Teeters, Negley. “The Cradle of the Penitentiary: The Walnut Street Jail at Philadelphia 1773-1835.” Temple University, 2001
Footnotes
- Negley Teeters, “The Cradle of the Penitentiary: The Walnut Street Jail at Philadelphia 1773-1835” (Temple University, 2001), 129-139.
- Negley Teeters, “The Cradle of the Penitentiary: The Walnut Street Jail at Philadelphia 1773-1835” (Temple University, 2001), 129-139.
- Negley Teeters, “The Cradle of the Penitentiary: The Walnut Street Jail at Philadelphia 1773-1835” (Temple University, 2001), 129-139.
- Negley Teeters, “The Cradle of the Penitentiary: The Walnut Street Jail at Philadelphia 1773-1835” (Temple University, 2001), 129-139.