What crimes get the death penalty in the United States? There are many arguments for and against capital punishment. For instance, there are arguments for and against killing the killer. Others believe it is a cruel and unusual punishment and should only be used as a last resort.
Criminal Offenses That Are Punishable By Death in The United States
Capital punishment is a controversial topic in the United States. Although many states have banned it in recent decades, the federal government still keeps the practice alive.
While the death penalty is not the sexiest thing you’ll ever see, the fact is that it works. It also prevents lynch law and vigilante justice. In addition to ensuring public safety, it is a fitting retribution to the victims of the crimes it punishes.
Capital punishment has been around for centuries. The ancient Hebrews, for example, instituted the lex talionis – a legal mandate for the execution of a person found guilty of a particular crime. One of the earliest examples of this proclamation, the retributive retribution, was the legal demise of a Jewish man. Likewise, the United States remains the only western “industrialized” nation that retains the death penalty.
A more complex and nuanced subject, the debate over whether capital punishment is an appropriate response to severe crimes remains. This is not to say that the practice is not morally justified, just that it’s not without its detractors. Some contend that the penalties imposed are unjust and arbitrary. Others argue that they are ineffective in reducing homicide rates. Nonetheless, they are more effective than imprisonment.
Whether the death penalty is a good idea has been a hot-button issue for the better part of a century. Several Supreme Court decisions have dealt with the merits of capital punishment, and a few cases have sparked discussion about how to improve the criminal justice system. People are put to death and given death sentences by the state every day as punishment for a wide range of crimes, sometimes for actions that shouldn’t be considered crimes.
It is only allowed for terrorism-related crimes and murder in some nations, while drug-related offenses are prohibited in others. The death penalty in America is a costly, biased, and ineffective policy. It preys on the most defenseless members of our society and taints the fairness of our criminal justice system. Americans, from law enforcement officials to the families of murder victims seeing the death row overview, realize that the death penalty does not make us safer.
Involuntary Manslaughter
Involuntary manslaughter is a crime that carries serious consequences. If you are accused of it, it is essential to hire a lawyer to help you build a strong defense.
Involuntary manslaughter charges may brought against someone for a variety of reasons. Typically, it is the result of reckless or negligent behavior. Additionally, an accident could cause it.
Generally, involuntary manslaughter is charged as a Class C felony. This is because the legal definition states that it is unlawful to kill another human being through reckless or negligent actions. The penalties for involuntary manslaughter include up to ten years in prison, probation, fines, and license suspension.
Depending on the circumstances, the defendant may face a civil lawsuit. These charges are often triggered by the victim’s family filing a wrongful death case.
Even if you convicted of involuntary manslaughter, you can still held liable for the decedent’s estate in a civil wrongful death lawsuit. However, if you found innocent of the charge, you may be able to have the charges dismissed.
The penalty for aggravated manslaughter is a mandatory one-year prison sentence. If you convicted of involuntary or voluntary manslaughter, you must serve a minimum of three years.
Non-Homicidal Rape
It’s been a few years since a non-murder death sentence imposed on a deserving individual. A few years ago, a slew of states adopted non-homicide-related crimes in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling in a high-profile case. Although many of these gimmicks have gone stale, the court has yet to scuttle them.
In short, the number of rape and sexual assault victims is increasing. While this is not surprising considering the societal ills of child abuse and exploitation, it does raise an eyebrow. Perhaps the best way to combat these atrocities is to introduce some accountability. This is not to say that a crime of a lesser magnitude does not warrant the same treatment, but that a death sentence should not be a blanket response to an alleged victim. Despite the recent wave of reform, this is by no means a done deal.
Arguments Against Capital Punishment
When it comes to arguments against capital punishment for crimes that get the death penalty, there are many. Some people may see it as an essentially moral issue. Others may argue that the death penalty is arbitrary and unjustified.
Utilitarian approaches see the execution of a criminal as a means to communicate the message that they have committed a serious crime. They rely on the idea that if the punishment is not promoting the overall happiness of society, then it is not justified.
Retributivists, on the other hand, reject any benefits of capital punishment. Their defense consists of a theory that retribution is the only effective method for resolving a person’s wrongdoing. However, they also admit that constructing scales of crime and punishment is a formidable challenge.
Another defending factor is the denunciation theory. This type of argument presupposes that it is morally permissible to express the feelings of popular opinion and that the emotions are distinct. It is not wrong to express anger or rage, but it is wrong to use a person to express these feelings.
