Death Penalty in Georgia
Capital punishment has been reported in Georgia for a long time. Some cases of the death penalty in Georgia are dated as early as 1735. However, the form of capital punishment has gone through several changes, and the sentence still stands in the Georgian state. However, the cases of the death penalty have significantly reduced with restrictions being set to avoid the wrongful execution of people, as witnessed in previous cases. A debate has always ensued on whether the death penalty should be allowed with supporters believing that some crimes can only be punishable by death if justice was to be followed. The death penalty is founded on the belief that an individual should pay with their life for the mistakes they have done, but such a claim should not be given as it gives a human being the power to end the life of a fellow human being.
Background
Capital punishment in Georgia is dated back to colonial times. Individuals would be executed for crimes such as murder, rape, aiding runaway slaves, robbery, or even stealing horses. The colonial era was characterized by discrimination, and enmity was evident among the slaves and the masters (Moore, n. p). The introduction of capital punishment was meant to protect the colonial masters from the slaves who would strike anytime they got an opportunity. Capital punishment, however, did not end with colonization, but the policies continued to be applied in solving criminal cases several years after independence. Several adjustments have, however, been put in place to avoid costly mistakes that are always associated with death penalties. For example, individuals may be wrongly accused, yet the death penalty cannot be reversed after an individual has been executed.
The first significant adjustment came in 1924 when the execution was changed from hanging to using an electrocuting chair. In 1972, the US Supreme Court termed death punishment as unconstitutional, forcing Georgia to make amendments to the capital punishment policy that was later accepted by the Supreme Court. Furthermore, the Supreme Court in Georgia termed the use of electrocuting chair as unconstitutional, and Georgia turned to use lethal injection to execute offenders. Also, the cases that would be punishable by death were reduced to treason, airplane hijacking, and murder.
Body
The combination of two wrongs does not necessarily lead to the right action. Punishing an individual does not make sense because they do not live to feel the intensity of the punishment given to them. For example, when an individual is executed for having killed another person, the dead person is not brought back to life (Silverman, 251). Besides, society is made to lose two people instead of having one corrected person who will not be able to kill again. Generally, killing an offender only shows the rate at which the responsible systems are unwilling to take responsibility for effecting correctional services. Moreover, advocates for capital punishment have argued that reducing the number of offenders is essential in lowering the crime level.
One of the arguments presented for advocates of capital punishment is that the reduction of offenders should be made through execution. According to advocates, the probability of capital offenses increases with an increase in the number of potential offenders (Gross, 763). The targeted individuals include people who have previously been found guilty of capital offenses. Therefore, the advocates for capital punishment stand for the claim that offenders should be executed by death to reduce the probability of experiencing similar offenses in the future. The arguments passed by the advocates of capital punishment are based on several weaknesses and strengths, as well.
Among the strengths of the arguments by the advocates for the death penalty is that no alternative appears sufficient for punishing offenders (Nuxoll, 230). Punishing an individual for a case of murder would involve cruelty, which is worse than terminating the individual’s life. Also, leaving an offender free may be risky for the safety of other people. Generally, people who have committed capital offenses have a higher probability of committing similar offenses in the future. Execution appears as the only solution towards avoiding similar offenses in the future. Besides, the judicial service is saved from unnecessary costs that would be required to offer correctional services to the offenders. Also, the correctional services, when given, do not give a hundred percent guarantee that the offender will be transformed. However, the arguments overlook crucial humanity concerns, such as false accusations.
The arguments by advocates for the death penalty overlook crucial details in the criminal justice systems. Several cases have in the previous witnessed victims of false accusation suffering from heavy punishments (Hurley, n. p). The case of false accusations may also happen in the case of the death penalty. Unfortunately, the decision to execute an offender through death cannot be reversed if the court discovers that the accusations made were false. Advocates for the death penalty do not consider the impact that such penalties could have on the trust given to the judicial systems. Wrongful execution could lead the judicial systems in dilemmas, for example, where an individual falsely accuses another one leading to their execution. Therefore, alternative methods, such as life sentences, should be employed to avoid regrettable decisions.
In sum, the Death penalty is founded on the belief that an individual should pay with their life for the mistakes they have done, but such a claim should not be given as it gives a human being the power to end the life of a fellow human being. Advocates for capital punishment have argued that reducing the number of offenders is essential in lowering the crime level. However, the arguments overlook crucial humanity concerns, such as false accusations. Alternative methods, such as life sentences, should be employed to avoid regrettable decisions. Therefore, the death penalty should not be used as a method of punishing offenders since mistakes in the process could prove costly.
Works Cited
Gross, Samuel R. “The Death Penalty, Public Opinion, and Politics in the United States.” . Louis ULJ 62 (2017): 763.
Hurley, Connor N. “A Measured Approach to the Death Penalty.” (2018).
Moore, Zachary. “Capital Punishment in Georgia Research Guide.” (2017).
Nuxoll, Analise. “A Comparative Study on Death Penalty Statutes and Their Effects on Certain Minority Groups in Light of Furman v. Georgia.” J. Nat’l Ass’n Admin. L. Judiciary 38 (2018): 230.
Silverman, Michael E. “Toward a Modern, Apolitical Death Penalty Abolition Movement in Georgia (and Other Conservative States).” Savannah L. Rev. 3 (2016): 251.