Death Penalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Death Penalty - Essay Example Many people argue that this type of punishment is unacceptable while others argue that it is not unusual punishment and if someone can kill another human being without remorse then that person should be put to death as well. Many states set a standard in which the Death Penalty is allowed for and which crime the person has committed to get the Death Penalty. During this paper we will learn about the history and the Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty. We will also see why it works or doesn’t work and why people are for and against it. It is my belief that the Death Penalty should be for people who commit harsh crimes and kill other people. History The death penalty is a form of punishment that has been there even before Christ and has been administered by many civilized societies on wrong doers for various offences; however the first ever documented capital punishment case was that of George Kendall, in Virginia. He was a Spanish spy who was convicted in 1608. From then till pr esent, around 20,000 people (documented figure only) have been given death penalties by various courts of laws. (Acker, 2003). When the concept of state prisons was absent, fines and capital punishment were used as a means to discourage crimes and offences. The punishment was normally meted out in public so as to make an example out of it. The European law was stricter and had some 200 offences punishable by death penalty as compared to the American law in the early periods of colonization. The American law had major crimes such as murder, rape, adultery, sodomy, etc. that could result in capital punishment. Another reason for the public show of the punishment in the early years was the simple method of hanging used for the punishment which in later years was replaced by more sophisticated techniques like electric chairs and gas chambers so as to reduce the suffering of the offender. Thus with new techniques and increasing public sensitivities towards such punishments the public dis play was halted in the mid-19th century. (Acker, 2003) The 18th century also saw some changes in people’s opinion regarding the punishment and they began opposing it. Thus with time the crimes for which death penalty could be ordered were reduced and included just serious offences. The European Enlightenment era saw further criticism and the western nations started abandoning the practice with United States as the only exception. Even US law had the punishment abolished for certain period (1973-1977) but it was again legalized for certain crimes and situations (Acker, 2003). Why such serious crimes are committed? There are various reasons for which people commit crimes which are punishable with death. Offenders usually choose to commit such a big crime mainly due to revenge, grudge and greed of property. Research also reveals that murders are usually done by family members, relatives, friends, or by some known person. This may be because that person wants to take revenge from his relative/friend or is interested in his wealth etc. Moreover, as friends and relatives are mostly aware of the schedule of the person so it is easy for them to target the person (Ehrlich, 1975). Other than revenge, unemployment and poverty also result in serious crimes such as murder. The murder rate is directly proportional to the rate of unemployment and inversely proportional to the labor force participation rate (Ehrlich, 1975). Moreover,

Questions&answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Questions&answers - Assignment Example The African Americans in the film are not differentiated from Asian characters as Sonya Valentine (Lexa Doig), Eduardo Kagame (Tony Amendola) and Mathew Kellog (Stephen Lobo) are also part of the villains. The protagonists consist of a Caucasian cast. Nonetheless, in most dramas characters are often differentiated in behavior based on race and social class (Characterization and Narrative 7). The female characters in the crime drama play to the stereotype of most character descriptions in crime drama (Canadian Crime Drama 3). Despite the difference in ethnic characters, all of them conform to the conventions of gender age and sexuality used in creating TV characters (Canadian Crime Drama 4). Rachel Nicholas plays the role of Kiera Cameron who is the lead star of the drama. While Kiera Cameron is a smart and physically capable woman, her character identity consists of vulnerability and sexuality, which is constantly highlighted by the attention she receives from three males in the drama. Jasmine is a psychopathic character in the drama; yet, even her sexuality is enhanced. Her strength and craziness are almost comparable to those of Clara Croft although she is the worst of the villains. Similarly, the Caucasian protagonist, the African-American, and the Asian antagonist male characters are all awarded a certain level of sexuality. There are no indigenous characters on daytime dramas. Apart from characters of Afro-Caribbean and Asian characters, most of the other characters are Caucasians or people of mixed races. Nonetheless, characters with different accents have continuously joined daytime TV and gained the support of individuals. British and Australian accents have become common on TV drama. For instance, most popular epic dramas like Games of Thrones, Merlin, and Salem have various dialects. Additionally, most indigenous characters are unavailable on TV dramas because each group makes its own TV dramas. For