Pros And Cons Of Capital Punishment - 1303 Words

Capital Punishment: The Benefits and Downfalls Taylor M. Osborne Charleston Southern University Abstract The following essay explores the pros and cons of capital punishment. A brief history of how capital punishment was introduced into modern society is included. Various resources have been used for research which include online articles, studies, and textbook references. This paper suggests the costs of capital punishment to be very high, but brings closure and justice to families, and even brings forth new evidence in some cases. While this form of punishment is seen as inhumane to some, it has been a successful method in various cases that are mentioned in this essay. This paper will conclude with the authors personal viewpoint†¦show more content†¦When the time came around for colonists to discover America, death being a form of punishment was brought and introduced. The first recorded execution in America was in Virginia in 1608. Captain George Kendall was executed for being a spy in Spain. (DeathPenaltyinfo.org) Virginia’s death penalty laws in the early colonial times were a bit extreme. For example, one could be sentenced to death for stealing grapes, or trading with an Indian. In the late 1700’s following the abolitionist movement, capital punishment was being viewed differently in some cases. Cesare Beccaria released an essay titled â€Å"On Crimes and Punishment† it immediately shook the world and had a big influence. It was first released it Italy, before making it to America this essay influenced Austria and Tuscany to abolish capital punishment laws. (Deathpenaltyinfo.org) The essay influenced Thomas Jefferson to consider revising Virginia’s death penalty laws. Over the years, capital punishment was always debated as justifiable form of punishment, and it still is to this day. Benefits of Capital Punishment This form of punishment brings ultimate closure the victims and their families, because the offender is being permanently moved from society and will never be able to hurt anyone again. However, in some cases, it can bring forth evidence that has been missing for years and can help solveShow MoreRelatedPros And Cons Of Capital Punishment1608 Words   |  7 Pageswhere capital punishment is legal. As of April 2016, there have been 1,431 executions in the United States, but the number of executions in recent years has been steadily decreasing (Timmons 2017). The death penalty can be put up for moral debate, and one can ask oneself whether the death penalty is ever morally permissible. There are some pros and cons to having capital punishment. For example, deterrence and prevention are good reasons to have the death penalty, but, in reality, the cons far outweighRead MorePros And Cons Of Capital Punishment1237 Words   |  5 PagesPros and Cons of Capital Punishment INTRODUCTION Each year there are around 250 people added to death row and 35 executed. The death penalty is the most severe method of penalty enforced in the United Sates today. Once a jury has condemned a criminal of a crime they go to the following part of the trial, the punishment phase. If the jury recommends the death penalty and the judge coincides, then the criminal will face some form of execution. Lethal injection is the most common process of executionRead MorePros And Cons Of Capital Punishment1319 Words   |  6 PagesPeople and courts often justify capital punishment as society’s moral duty to safeguard the safety and well-being of its citizens. According to Miriam-Webster, capital punishment is the practice of killing people as punishment for serious crimes. Murder is the unlawful killing of another human being. There is much controversy in the punishment of offenders who have committed murder. It is the maximum sentence a person can receive if the crime of murder is com mitted. Some would say it is inhumaneRead MorePros And Cons Of Capital Punishment1471 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Capital punishment is one of the most controversial ethical issues that our country faces these days. Capital punishment is the legal penalty of death for a person that has performed heinous acts in the eyes of the judicial system. Discussion on whether capital punishment is humane or considered cruel and unusual punishment has been the main issue this of debate for years. Recent discussion goes far beyond the act itself but now brings into question whether medical personal shouldRead MorePros and Cons of Capital Punishment3687 Words   |  15 Pages1.  Morality PRO: The crimes of rape, torture, treason, kidnapping, murder, larceny, and perjury pivot on a moral code that escapes apodictic [indisputably true] proof by expert testimony or otherwise. But communities would plunge into anarchy if they could not act on moral assumptions less certain than that the sun will rise in the east and set in the west. Abolitionists may contend that the death penalty is inherently immoral because governments should never take human life, no matter what theRead MoreThe Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment Essay855 Words   |  4 PagesThe Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment Since the mid 1900’s, capital punishment has brought many individuals into many diverse view points throughout the years. Capital punishment is a way of punishing a convict by killing him or her because of the crime he or she committed. Capital punishment will always have its pros and cons. There are opponents who absolutely disagree with capital punishment. And then there are advocates who support the idea. In the advocates view point, capital punishmentRead MoreEssay on The Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment1208 Words   |  5 PagesThe topic of capital punishment is one that is highly debated in our society today. Capital punishment is the ultimate punishment our society can give one for their actions. On the other hand, it is viewed as a denial of human rights that promotes more violence in our society. Religious Tolerance.org states that in the United States, over 13,000 people have been legally executed since colonial times. (Religious Tolerance) Is capital punis hment a moral act? It is not a moral punishment as it deniesRead MoreDeath Penalty: The Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment Essay527 Words   |  3 Pagesto you about these problems with the death penalty in my paper. Everyone should ask themselves what they believe. Do you believe that by killing people using the death it will save lives. The death penalty is called capital punishment. You get sentenced with capital punishment for really bad crimes. Some of the ways they do the death penalty are with lethal injection, deadly gas. In some of the foreign countries they will kill people that have been given the death penalty by a firing squadRead MoreCapital Punishment Essay667 Words   |  3 PagesAdvent Catholic Encyclopedia, Capital Punishment is the infliction by due legal process of the penalty of death as a punishment for crime. Capital Punishment, also known as, the Death Penalty has been around for centuries. The first established death penalty laws date as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon, which codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org). Not only is Capital Punishment ancient, it is highly controversialRead MoreBureau Of Justice Statistics : The United States Primary Source For Criminal Justice1439 Words   |  6 PagesCapital Punishment. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). U.S. Department of Justice. 25 Nov. 2014. Web. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. Bureau of Justice Statistics is the United States primary source for criminal justice statistics. The website has published information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. According to Bureau of Justice Statistics, â€Å"The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is a component of the Office

Media Influence On Women And Girls - 919 Words

Media Influence on Women and Girls Every day we are exposed to some type of media. Whether you know it or not, the media that you view each day affects you in some way. This is especially true for women and girls. The media puts a huge emphasis on how women are supposed to look to be considered beautiful, liked, and successful. All around the world women and girls look in the mirror and think that they are not thin or pretty enough to be accepted by the world. Would you want your sister, niece, best friend, or even your mother to think of themselves in that way? The media puts way too much emphasis on looks, and it needs to stop. In the media, women are constantly made to look almost perfect. There are never any blemishes, wrinkles, cellulite, and the women always look extremely thin. No wonder women of all ages might have some type of body image issue, including eating disorders. A study showed that almost half of girls ages six to eight want to be skinnier. These girls are too youn g to be worrying about if their body and how it looks. When girls this young are already having body image issues, it is obvious that this is getting to be a major problem. Extreme photoshopping on magazines contributes greatly to the negative body image that women and girls have. Kelly Clarkson is an example of a woman who was used as a photoshop tool. Days before she came out on the cover if SELF magazine, she appeared on Good Morning America. When the magazine came out, people were shockedShow MoreRelatedSocial Media Allows People To Share Pictures And Ideas1057 Words   |  5 PagesSocial media allows people to share pictures and ideas with others across the world. Women and girls can use social media to earn approval for their appearance and compare themselves to others. Women during this time period that are so heavily impacted by the media can link their self-worth to their looks. I used scholarly articles all relating to how social media affects body image to decide what m y view point was. After research, we can conclude that social media has a negative effect on a woman’sRead MoreThe Effects of Media on Adolescent Girls Essay1029 Words   |  5 PagesMedia has become a significant component within society. While media provides many pros, it supplies various cons as well. One very prominent fault that the significance of media has is its visual depiction of women. There is an abundance of media portraying women to have ideal bodies, and this undoubtedly has a negative effect on adolescent girls. Two of the many effects of media on females are depression and self esteem issues, as well as eating disorders. Unfortunately, body dissatisfaction causedRead More The Medias Influence on Eating Disorders Essay example1100 Words   |  5 PagesThe Medias Influence on Eating Disorders The National Eating Disorders Association states that eating disorders are conditions that arise from factors including physical, psychological, interpersonal, and social issues. Media images help define cultural definitions of beauty and attractiveness and are often acknowledged as one of the factors that contribute to the rise of eating disorders (NEDA). The National Eating Disorders Associations website, The Effect of the Media on Body SatisfactionRead MoreImpact Of Media On Gender And The Media1303 Words   |  6 PagesImpact of Media on Gender Annie Hernandez Keiser University August 13, 2014 Abstract Boys and girls have for long spans of time considered themselves to be different. The media and advertising has played a significant role to make sure that they influence the way that boys and girls view themselves. Society has always had a main focus on getting people to behave in certain ways, the media has been magnificent at causing each gender to classify themselves in particular waysRead MoreTeenage Girls and Body Image Essay1291 Words   |  6 PagesTeenage girls are at an impressionable time in their lives. Mass Media is a key idea in one of the factors of socialization that become important to teenagers. Teenagers look to the media for a sense of entertainment. Whether it is movies, magazines, or even some aspects of social media, teenagers get a lot of influence from the media’s message. The problem with this is the media has a specific way of doing things and can be negative to a susceptible teenage girl. Media’s way of portraying a womanRead MoreThink Of A Beautiful, Ten-Year-Old Girl Standing In The1281 Words   |  6 Pagesten-year-old girl standing in the mirror, clutching her stomach and tears rolling down her cheeks because she is being teased for not being as skinny as the other girls in her class. She looks at the models on TV and envies their skinniness. She wants to look just like them. At ten years old, she starts running after dinner and not eating as much as she use to eat. That beautiful little girl is just like every woman all over the world; she is pressured to by the media to have a â€Å"perfect body.’ Women all overRead MoreThe Media s Influence On The Body Image804 Words   |  4 Pagesher! Why can t I be like those girls? How many times have you watched television, searched the web, looked at magazines, or used your cell phone and have thought those things about a woman/teen girl that you have seen? Media has photoshopped, airbrushed, and tweaked pictures and videos to appear as perfect! The media has mad e young women feel as if their bodies are not good enough. Young women are being convinced that if they do not look like the â€Å"perfect† women on television then they aren t goodRead MoreThe Media’s Negative Influence on Society1100 Words   |  5 PagesNegative Influence on Society There is a lot of controversy about how the media affects people, but in my opinion I think the influence we get is more negative than positive. The media is one of the things that impact people the most because in today’s society it is impossible to ignore. It influences the ways in which we dress, speak, act and think. Media is fed to us through movies, television, radio, social media, music, and magazines. I believe mass media is pressuring the way woman and girls wantRead More Enjoyment of Being a Girl: Overcoming Industry Standards Essay1489 Words   |  6 Pagesthat you felt depressed? Many women in today’s world experience these same feelings each time they come in contact with some type of media. The media has always used women as a way to sell products or used them as propaganda, but how far is too far? The media is a large source of entertainment for women of today. Women spend the majority of their time looking at magazines for latest fashions or trends. Th ese media sources all share one subject: negative images of women. These places all share one thing;Read MoreThe, Beauty And The Beast, By Dave Barry1227 Words   |  5 Pages Throughout their lives, women of all ages are constantly being bombarded with advertisements convincing them they must meet an ideal of the perfect body image. This is all thanks to companies that share a common goal to influence the mainstream population into believing they need to purchase certain products in order to compare to the impossible standards set by the beauty industry. In Dave Barry’s â€Å"Beauty and the Beast† he displays that it is planted in young girls minds that they need to look

Port Chicago Disaster Free Essays

The Port Chicago Disaster On the 24 of July 1944, a memorandum was written from Captain W. S. Parsons, USN to Rear Admiral W. We will write a custom essay sample on Port Chicago Disaster or any similar topic only for you Order Now R. Purnell, IJSN. It was a report on the most destructive explosion on United States soil at that time. It was known as the Port Chicago Explosion. Captain Parsons worked in the Bureau of Ordnance as their Liaison Officer. So he was a prime candidate for the Job. Rear Admiral Purnell was the head of the Military Policy Committee. This memorandum was not intended to incarcerate people, determine its cause, nor report defects in the design of munitions depots. Its sole urpose was to collect data from the damage done and to find the exact time when the explosion happened. Captain Parsons determined the exact time based on seismic activity. He determined the time of detonation occurred at approximately between 2218-2244 on the 17 of July, 1944. It was found that approximately 2000 tons of high explosion were present on the dock at the time of the explosion. He also determined that light damage extended approximately 1500 yards from the explosion. This was minor damage but significant none the less. From ground zero and out to approximately 1000 feet it was determined that there was total destruction. However, at 1000 feet there were 3 civilians that remained alive; these were the closest survivors to the blast. This horrible disaster could have been prevented, only if certain factors were addressed accordingly. Within the confines of the munitions depot at port Chicago, there was racism. Akers states: The general classification test employed at this time placed the black ratings at Port Chicago ‘in the lowest twelfth of the Navy. According to their superiors, these men were unreliable, emotional, lacked capacity to understand or remember orders or instructions, were particularly susceptible to ass psychology and moods, lacked mechanical aptitude, were suspicious of strange officers, disliked receiving orders of any kind, particularly from white officers or petty officers, and were inclined to look for and make an issue of discrimination. For the most part, they were quite young and of limited education. 1 Black men, no matter what they scored on their classification test were put into these laborious work parties. If they scored high enough and there were empty billets, they would be transferred to another duty station. Therefore, there was a lack of good leaders to be had. This is a prime example of discrimination. Another example of racism at this munitions depot is that: Negroes in the Navvy don’t mind loading ammunition. They Just want to know why they are the only ones doing the loading! They want to know why they are segregated; why they don’t get promoted. 2 This stated that the racism was severe and the moral of the black sailors was very low. When morale was low, they started to ask question and the quality of work that and more prone to accidents. In addition, white officers were put in charge of these loading parties and the black sailors did not like them. On top of that, the commanding officer, Captain Kinne, demanded a quota often tons per hatch per hour. These white officers deemed this goal, of the commanding officer, too high. But they had to fulfill it nonetheless or else their Jobs were on the line. Allen stated, â€Å"†¦ officers sometimes raced working divisions against each other to speed up loading. 3 This caused workers to work at an unsafe speed and often times a shell would drop to the deck. Allen also stated: As Carr [the wench maintenance personnel] looked on, one man lost his grip on a shell; it dropped two feet and hit the deck with a thud. This showed that the rate at which they loaded ammunition onto the ships was unsafe. It made the possibility for a disaster very high. Still the Captain Kinn e, the white officers had quotas to fill so they ignored these ominous signs and kept on pushing. Only if they could have slowed down the load rate, this disaster could have potentially been avoided. Another factor that could have prevented this disaster would be training. According to Julius J. Allen in his court martial trial he stated, â€Å"There was no training in ammunition handling. â€Å"5 These black Junior sailors were not trained to handle igh explosives, at the same time, the white officers were inadequately trained to supervise the loading process of high explosives. According to Freddie Meeks: When those bombs, slathered in grease, bounced down the plank, theyd bang into other bombs and everyone would pray to Almighty God. They made terrible sound. Sometimes, you thought they would explode. You’d almost have a heart attack to hear those bombs hitting together†¦ I’d ask the lieutenant about it and he’d say don’t worry. 6 The black sailors were weary of working with these explosives but were told by fficers that the larger munitions were not active and could not explode and that they would be armed with their fuses upon arrival at the combat theater. Because of the inadequate training of the white officers, they disillusioned the black sailors. The black sailors would believe them because of their lack of training with explosives as well. Therefore, this made for carelessness in the handling of the high explosives because all personnel apart of the loading parties did not know that the shells had the potential to explode because the training was negligent. Another aspect is the equipment used for handling of the high explosives. Handling of these larger explosives such as bombs and shells involved breaking individual munitions out with levers and crowbars from boxcars. The shells were packed in tightly with packing material, and they were heavy cylindrical shapes. The black sailors would roll them along the wooden pier, packing them into nets, lifting them with a winch and boom, lowering the bundle into the hold, and then dropping the individual explosives a short distance by hand into place. This series of actions was rough enough that naval shells were sometimes damaged and began leaking identification dye from their ballistic caps. This should have been a major warning that an explosion was explosives. Therefore, the explosives were more prone to damage because of the kind of crude equipment they were using. In addition, the powered winches used on cargo ships were used to speed up the handling of heavy loads. One winch was operated at each of the ship’s five cargo holds. During loading operations, the winches were worked hard, requiring steady maintenance in order to remain operable. Winch brakes, a safety feature provided for stopping the load from falling if the winch’s main power was lost, were not often used by a skilled winch operator s the load could be more quickly maneuvered using various power settings than by application of the brakes. Disused brakes sometimes seized up and stopped working. Additionally, the winches on the SS E. A. Bryan were steam-powered and showed signs of wear, even though the ship was only five months old. Equipment could have been a factor, but also the lack personal protective equipment was another factor. In many cases there was no personal protective equipment provided by the munitions depot. In an interview with Carl Tuggle, he stated that: If you wanted to wear gloves, you purchased them. That was the only way you had gloves o wear and to use while you were working. At night we were provided clothing to keep us from the elements on the dock at night because it was cold, but otherwise we supplied everything else ourselves. 7 Since the black sailors often were not promoted they remained stagnant with the position of Junior sailor. Therefore, they would not make a lot of money and not have money to buy proper personal protective equipment. This made the work parties more prone to accidents. It was so dangerous that even Commander Paul B. Cronk, head of a Coast Guard explosives-loading detail tasked with supervision of the orking dock, warned the Navvy that conditions were unsafe and ripe for disaster. The Navvy refused to change its procedures and Cronk withdrew the detail. The Navvy still put a blind eye to the munitions depot at Port Chicago therefore the disaster was waiting to happen. This may have been the most destructive explosion, but it was almost expected as Captain Parsons reported, â€Å"†¦ Port Chicago was designed for large explosions. â€Å"8 He stated that the munitions depot designed at Port Chicago was designed for large explosions and because of the design; there was a very minimal loss of life outside of the munitions depot. Nonetheless, it was eventually determined that 320 of the men on duty at the pier died instantly, and 390 civilians and military personnel were injured, many seriously. Surprisingly, this was a major loss for the black sailor community in which, â€Å"†¦ roughly 15 percent of all the black casualties in the US Navvy during the entire war. â€Å"9 Shortly after the disaster, Port Chicago assigned white sailors to work alongside black sailors loading ammunition. This was the first step towards desegregation. To fix the lack of training, the Navvy instituted new training and safety procedures for the handling of high explosives. If and only if the Navvy listened to the Coast Guard Explosives-Loading detail supervising the loading of the explosives, the Port Chicago explosion would have never happened and this memorandum would have never been written. 1. Regina T. Akers, â€Å"The Port Chicago Mutiny, 1944,† in Naval Mutinies of the Twentieth Century: An International Perspective, ed. Christopher M. Bell and Bruce A. Elleman (London: Frank Cass, 2003), 200. 2. Robert L. Allen, â€Å"Final Outcome? Fifty Years after the Port Chicago Mutiny,† American Visions 9 (1994). http:// search. ebscohost. com. http://search. ebscohost. com http://montfordpointmarinesandhonor.blogspot.com/2013/09/ http://search.epnet.com/Login.aspx?lp=login.aspref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2Eua%2Fauthtype=ip,uid https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9D%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88%E3%82%B7%E3%82%AB%E3%82%B4%E3%81%AE%E6%83%A8%E4%BA%8B How to cite Port Chicago Disaster, Papers