The Economic Significance of Capital Punishment

The Economic Significance of Capital Punishment Introduction The survival of any civilization hinges on the establishment of laws and codes of conduct and the subsequent obeying of the same by the society’s members. Due to the fact that not all members of the society are going to follow the law on their own accord, forms of punishment for wrongs done may be used both for retribution and deterrence purposes. The Criminal Justice System of a country fulfils this role by providing a legal means through which offenders can be punished.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The Economic Significance of Capital Punishment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the realities about the United States Criminal Justice System is that it is a hugely expensive system that takes a considerable amount of government revenue. One of the controversial aspects of the criminal justice system is that it allows for the use of capital punishment. This is used as the harshest form of retribution for the society’s most vicious offences. Many people believe that the death sentence is not justifiable despite the brutality of the crime that a person may have committed. Advocates of the death advocate on the other hand argue that the death penalty has numerous benefits and should not be abolished. This paper shall argue that the death penalty should not be abolished since it is not only the most efficient means for deterring future offenders but it also saves the federal government millions of dollars and is therefore economically astute. A Case for the Death Penalty Increased crime rates are almost invariably connected to a diminished economic well being of the people affected. It is therefore the chief objective of all governments through their law enforcement agencies to mitigate crime. The most desirable function of punishments should be to act as a deterrence to would be criminals. In an ideal environment, punishments should never have to be executed but their mere presence should cause all to abide to the rules and regulations in place therefore peacefully coexist. Capital punishment presents the highest level of deterrence since death is indeed the ultimate punishment. This is especially so in cases where the criminal feels immune to the other forms of punishment such as restriction on freedom of movement or even hard labor. A study by Dezhbakhsh and Shepherd on the deterrence effect of capital punishment revealed that capital punishment resulted in a significant reduction of homicides (30). This is because people were less likely to engage in this crime with the probability of a death sentence on the table Citizens of all countries agree to abide by the laws and regulation set by their government and pay taxes in return for certain rights and privileges from their government. One of the services that the government offers is protecting its people from both local and foreign threats. In instances where the government is unable to protect its people from rampant crime, political instability may follow. Instability is characterized by riots, assassinations and even outbreak of civil wars.Advertising Looking for term paper on criminal law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Such a state is detrimental for the economic wellbeing of a country since it discourages investments therefore reducing the nation’s earnings. The death sentence results in a perception of justice especially when it is carried out against murderers. This perceived justice will result in more faith in the justice system and by extension the government. There is a relationship between the incarceration rates and the presence and implementation of the death sentence. Maintaining of prisons is an expensive affair and the cost is borne by the taxpayer. If criminals do not perceive the punishments they stand to face as being threatening enough, they will continue to commit crime and on prosecution, serve sentences in federal prisons at a cost to the taxpayer. Texas is one of the cities which experienced a crime peak which resulted in building of more jails to house the inmates. Spelman reveals that the Texas prison buildup was estimated to cost the State $1.5 billion per year (137). Texas responded to this increase in crime by reviving executions, a move which resulted in a 49.6% decline in homicide rates from 1992-2003. In addition to this, the rates of incarcerations reduced significantly therefore saving the state a significant amount of money. Crimes such as murder result in the loss of economic assets by the community. The loss is unjustifiable since in most cases, the crimes which carry the death sentence are perpetrated by hardened criminals. These characters are of little economic value to the society and their contribution to the economy or general well being of the country is minimal. The death sentence has been proven to be a significant de terrence to murder since this is one of the crimes which carries the death sentence. The society can therefore better preserve its economic assets through the death sentence by executing murderers. In trying to consider whether an execution was worthwhile or not, Donohue and Wolfes declared that invariably, the life-life tradeoffs were large than zero (61). In addition to this, the death sentence removes the risk that criminals pose to economically valuable members of the society. A study by Sunstein and Vermeule argued that each execution as a result of the death sentence resulted in the life of at least one would be murder victim being spared (706).Becker goes as far as to propose that executions should be allowed if the lives of the murderers were less socially valuable than the lives of their victims (1).Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The Economic Significance of Capital Punishment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn Mor e The alternative to capital punishment which is proposed by opponents of the death penalty is life imprisonment without possibility of parole. These opponents propose that this punishment is more humane and therefore the preferred option. As it currently stands, the annual cost of maintaining prisoners in the correctional facilities is high (Gottschalk 925). Life imprisonment translates to the prisoner having to be maintained in the penitentiary for his entire life. These costs will include healthcare and any other service offered to prisoners. This is a very costly and economically unsound affair considering the fact that the society will never reap any economic benefits from the person who has been imprisoned for life. Capital punishment as executed by methods such as the lethal injection is not only radically cheaper but it also spares the state of the resources it would have utilized to ensure that the prisoner is maintained for a lifetime. Case for Abolishing the Death Penalty One objection to the use of capital punishment would be the possibility of wrongfully executing a person. Such an action would results in the psychological distress of not only the surviving members of the executed person but also to the jurors who made the call. Such distress would significantly reduce the individual’s efficiency hence decreasing their contribution to the economy. Gottschalk reveals that this likelihood has resulted in a change of heart by jurors in capital punishment cases since people are unwilling to make the mistake of sentencing an innocent man to death (925). A suitable response to this objection would be that the justice system is thorough and always strives to ensure that the correct verdict is passed and that the innocent are not punished. Nevertheless, there exist possibilities of passing wrong judgments regardless of whether the capital punishment is involved or not due to human error or other unavoidable circumstances. As such, this shou ld not be used as a justification for scraping the death penalty entirely since the likelihood of making mistakes in the justice process is not entirely isolated to capital punishment. The number of wrong judgments made is also so minimal and is a worthwhile risk considering the merits inherent in the death sentence. Conclusion This paper set out to argue that the death penalty should not be abolished since it is an economically sound form of punishment with great benefits to the entire community. This paper has revealed that there is strong evidence of crime deterrence through execution. A criminal justice system that exposes criminals to the risk of capital punishment will deter crimes and especially murder significantly.Advertising Looking for term paper on criminal law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The paper has especially demonstrated that the death penalty would have a positive economic impact starting from deterring crimes, reducing the cost of running prisons and reducing the risk to economically valuable people posed by murderers. While some people do contend that the death penalty should never be imposed on anyone, regardless of their crimes, it can be authoritatively stated from the above discussions that capital punishment serves a significant role in the society and may indeed have a positive impact on the economic well being of the society. Becker, Gary. On the Economics of Capital Punishment. The Economists Voice, 3:3, art. 4. 2006. Dezhbakhsh, Hashem and Joanna M. Shepherd. The Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment: Evidence from a Judicial Experiment. Working Paper No. 18, 2004. Donohue, John and Wolfes, Justin. Estimating the impact of the death penalty on murder. Working paper No. 12, 2007. Gottschalk, Marie. â€Å"The Politics of the Death Penalty†. Pe rspectives on Politics, vol. 7/No. 4, 2009. Spelman, William. â€Å"Jobs or Jails: The Crime Drop in Texas.† Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 24:1. pp. 133–165, 2005. Sunstein, C and Vermeule, A. â€Å"Is Capital Punishment Morally Required?† Stanford Law Review, 58. p. 706, 2005.

Decline of the Qing dynasty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Decline of the Qing dynasty - Essay Example First theory is concerned with China ¡Ã‚ ¦s internal problems, including corruption, poverty and abuse of powers of the ruling class.† (34) But another sect of the historians argues that even though the Qing Dynasty was wearing out due to the heavy internal troubles, the western influences were at the center of these internal adversaries. Indeed the western influences were not the military interferences and threats to the dynasty in its concrete sense. Rather the western industrial revolution, rapid urbanization, growing individualism and the rapid changes and reorganizations of the socio-economic fields, as again Stanley says, â€Å"The theory supported by the Western World is that imperialism and introduction of western ideas in China ultimately caused the disintegration of Qing† (). Fairly in the early twentieth century Chinn’s socioeconomic and political cultures began to be influenced by the European Industrial Revolution. The pro-western influence school o f historians purports that even if there were no internal conflicts, the Qing Dynasty would have to respond to the demand of the age. But though the Dynasty took initiative to adapt itself with the new trend of the age by the â€Å"Hundred Days’ Reform† and â€Å"Late Qing Reform† in the late 19th Century and early 20th century, it was too late to recover from the loss of Opium War. The pro-western influence school of historians purports that even if there were no internal conflicts.

Marketing Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Plan - Research Paper Example It is quite profitable to establish a restaurant in the area where this industry is actually flourishing. Buenos Aires has a large tourist influx each year. Not only are the tourist influx, but there several business people who travel to this busy city every now and then. The main concern for the tourists and business people from different parts of the world is the food that they will be getting in the foreign country. The marketing plan is basically for a restaurant that has to be opened in the busy city of Buenos Aires. The restaurant will be situated in the city of Buenos Aires and will provide with the high-quality food. It will not only provide with quality food but also with a place that will be full of comfort. In a hospitality industry servicescape plays a major role. It is the ambience that attracts the customers. It is the servicescape that helps the target market to relate to a particular restaurant or any other service industry. The new restaurant will be targeting the to urists and business people and also the locals. The target market is further discussed under the heading of the target market of the marketing plan. Market Segmentation For any industry, market segmentation is a really important aspect. It helps to make a clear map of the target market and helps to trace out those segments that can provide with the maximum profits. Similarly for this restaurant market segmentation is done on the basis of profits. The target market has been segmented into tourists, locals, business people, children, adults, old age and minorities from different ethnic backgrounds. The market segment of tourists, locals and business people provide with the highest profitability. Thus these market segments have been targeted and are further discussed in the marketing plan. Target Market As mentioned earlier in the introduction and the market segmentation, the target market of the new restaurant will be the tourists and business people from all around the world who visi t Buenos Aires. Business people do not mean that they will be businessmen but it means people who are visiting the city for some official or work purpose. The age segment that the restaurant will be targeting is 16 years and above. The restaurant will not cater to the children market. In addition to the tourists and the officials, the restaurant will also be targeting the locals. The question arises that how will the restaurant target such diverse market segments. The answer lies in the set up of the restaurant and the menu that it will serve. The menu will include a wide variety of dishes. These dishes will belong to different cuisines. The restaurant will basically serve the Chinese, Italian, Mexican and Lebanese cuisines. The restaurant will be partitioned according to the different cuisines that it will offer. In addition to this partition, each parted portion will carry the respective theme. For example the part of the restaurant where Chinese is served will have a Chinese ambi ence and same goes for the other cuisines. This will give an exotic touch to the food and can also be the differentiation point for the restaurant. In order to serve the local target audience the restaurant will also provide with the local cuisines in addition to the world famous cuisines. Localization The restaurant will focus on the local trends as well. It will incorporate local culture along with the international cultures on the basis of which

Managing In Hospitality Essay Example for Free

Managing In Hospitality Essay To convince the management, the owner must be able to communicate his ideas and perceptions clearly. The owner might face a bit of difficulty doing this, since the managers have been around for long, and they probably know their trade well. It is still possible, however. One of the things that the owner can do is gain the trust of his managers. However, it cannot be the calculus-based trust or identification-based trust—it has to be through organizational citizenship behavior. Specifically, he has to make sure that each member of the management is treated fairly. For instance, with this issue, he must give each and every one a chance to voice out their opinion regarding the upgrading of the hotel, and explain why they are against it. This will let them know that even though the owner’s ideas may be in conflict with those of the management’s, the owner still values their knowledge and respects their position as managers. Once they all get their chance to share their thoughts, the owner should then explain his side, but trying not to compete with his managers as to which is the better plan, as this will only create friction, in the form of substantive conflict, and it will be even more difficult to convince the management to upgrade the hotel. Instead, the party should negotiate, or bargain, and try to find a common ground. Since everyone has had his side heard by this point, they can address the questions surrounding the issue of why upgrading to a 5-star hotel might be a bad idea, and what can be done to turn this around or to compensate for it. Lastly, the owner should try to control his emotions when explaining his side. No matter how harsh or how blunt the management may be, regarding his decisions as â€Å"unnecessary†, the owner must remain emotionally stable. The same goes for the management—if one of them suddenly starts raising his voice, he should be calmed down before proceeding with the meeting. They should also be reminded of their positions—they are managers, not owners—and should respect the owner’s authority over them. The owner himself should not push his weight around. Works Cited Hunt, Courtney. â€Å"Interpersonal Behavior in the Workplace.†

Essays --

This section of the paper incorporate the types of analyses, which are fundamental in the systems engineering approach in undertaking elaborate products, new systems and services. These analyses were comprised of feasibility studies, alternative analyses, and trade studies. The design team is able to acquire the desired information to select feasible approaches through investigating the requirements, by which through feasibility studies, they can uncover potential technical approaches and methods quantitatively and qualitatively to qualify feasibility. Alternative analyses allocates accurate methodologies and reasonable objectives, while trade studies allocates administrative processes in enhancing system configurations and the distribution of resources necessary for the system’s intended purpose, by which these approaches will respond and regulated based on stakeholder’s needs, input and the aspects of the system’s duration. Knowing the feasibility of the system will provide the advantage of ensuring the system’s configuration before its production to avoid assumptions and trouble i...

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Analysis Essay

Joseph Stalin strategically came into power in communist Russia in the 1930’s. Within just a few years, he turned Russia from a communist state into a totalitarian dictatorship. Few people chose to speak out against Stalin, but those who did were put into Siberian work camps or gulags. Alexander Solzhenitsyn was one of the few that chose to speak out against Stalin and his totalitarian regime. He used his years in the work camps to illustrate a vivid portrayal of what camp life was like in his book, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. The novel is a criticism against Stalin’s communism, and is a commentary on why a communistic system will never work. Three of the biggest ways the novel critiques communism are: by attempting to dehumanize Russian society, displaying forms of unjust punishment, and arguing the importance of faith. Solzhenitsyn propagates the radical idea that communism doesn’t work. Communism is the idea that everyone in society receives equal shares of the benefits resulting from labor. It teaches the poor to rise up and attain financial and social status equal to that of the middle-class. In order for everyone to be on the same level, wealth is redistributed so the members of the upper class are brought down to the same financial and social level as the middle class (Coffin 660-665). In theory, communism is presented as to be a utopia where everyone has adequate food and shelter but in the novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, it is clear communism in practice is very different from communism in ideology. The communism Solzhenitsyn presents in this novel actually tries to take away any form of human dignity. The story takes place in a Russian prison camp after World War II. The protagonist is a man named Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, but referred to as Shukhov for most of the novel . The author refers to Ivan as Shukhov to emphasize the how the camp sets him at a cold, official distance. â€Å"Ivan† is Shukhov’s first name and Denisovich is his patronymic, a name that is derived from one’s father’s name. In Russian society, addressing someone by his or her first name and patronymic is cordial but respectful. The early Soviet Communist regime tried to eradicate this form of address because the respect it entails suggested class differences among people, something communism seeks to destroy. On the other hand, addressing someone by his or her last name has an official meaning. The Soviet manner of addressing people as â€Å"Comrade† followed by their last name was an attempt to replace the old way of addressing someone with a new one better adapted to a class-free nation. â€Å"Even in the camp they were polite to people and addressed them by their full name† (Solzhenitsyn 26). The prison camp workers always addressed each other with the same degree of respect in order to preserve each other’s dignity. The labor camp in which Ivan is imprisoned is designed to oppress and dehumanize its prisoners. The living conditions are simply unbearable. The mattresses do not have sheets, prisoners share tiny portions of bread and porridge per meal, and the guards force the prisoners to undress in sub zero temperatures for body searches. The camp replaces the prisoner’s names with letter and number to erase all hints of individuality, â€Å"S 854†¦three days penalty work,† says the new warden to, Ivan as punishment for not getting up on time (Solzhenitsyn 7-8). The camp gives everyone numbers and makes them all dress identically take away their identities, â€Å"from the outside, everyone in the squad looked the same- their black coats were identical-but within the squad there were great distinctions† (Solzhenitsyn 15). However, Denisovich does not accept the camps attempts to dehumanize him. He shows maintaining human dignity does not have to be achieved through violent rebellion but rather, through developing a system of personal rules. For example, at meal time, no matter the conditions, he always removes his cap before eating, â€Å"then he removed his hat from his clean-shaven head- however cold it might be, he could never bring himself to eat with his hat on† (Solzhenitsyn 16). From his childhood, this practice gives Ivan a sense that he is behaving in a civilized manner. No matter how famished he becomes, he never stoops to Fetyukov’s level, begging for scraps. He scorns Fetyukov’s behavior, which he believes is inhuman. Ivan may be treated like an animal by the Soviet camp system, but he subtly fights back and refuses to submit. In one instance, Shukhov is tempted to ask a fellow prisoner for a cigarette which the other man has already half smoked but, â€Å"but he would never lower himself†¦ he would never look at a man’s mouth† (Solzhenitsyn 27). Ivan never allows the labor camp to get the best of him but gets punished for things one in his control on top of being imprisoned. Another criticism of communism throughout the novel is the description of unjust punishment upon the prisoners. In the beginning of the novel, Shukhov does not get up on time because he is sick and is then threatened with three days in the hole. Similarly, Buynovsky receives ten days in the hole for trying to bundle up against the cold with a flannel vest. Neither Shukhov’s illness nor Buynovsky’s attempt to stay warm harm anyone, but the camp treats both as strict violations of the law, worthy of severe punishment. Such harsh punishment for such petty offenses is absurd. These men are already locked into arduous prison sentences, heaping on unfair and illogical punishment upon them is just a brutal exercise of power by the guards. Through this unjust treatment one thing that help the prisoners survive was having faith in something whether it is a strict moral code or faith in god. One of the main goals of communism was to eradicate religion from society. According to the founders of communism religion hinders societal progress; it was Marx who said â€Å"religion is the opium of people.† Solzhenitsyn implies it is much easier to get through hardships with faith in something rather than without. During a march, Shukhov thinks of Alyosha, the devout Baptist, he wonders, â€Å"What had he to be happy about? His cheeks were sunken, he lived strictly on his rations, and he earned nothing. He spent all his Sundays with the other Baptists. They shed the hardships of camp like water† (Solzhenitsyn 38). Shukhov is making the point when you believe in something, like religion, it is much easier to keep a positive attitude and survive a terrible situation. Although Ivan does not mention religion for most of the novel, his final conversation with Alyoshka, reveals faith can be a means of survival in the oppressive camp system. Ivan adheres to a strict set of rules, like always taking off his hat before eating or trying to waste as little as possible. Alyoshka, has faith in god and the human spirit â€Å"for my part I am not ready merely to be bound but even to die for the name of the Lord Jesus† (Solzhenitsyn 163), this comment really affects Shukhov to a point where he begins to reflect on his own philosophy. Shukhov’s s sense of inner peace in the novel’s last paragraph, which resembles Alyoshka’s sense of inner peace throughout the novel, demonstrates that religious faith offers strength in the face of difficulty. Having any type of faith can carry someone through hardship, religious faith is simply one type of such a faith. Though the labor camps were filled with suffering and misery, the men continued to exhibit acts of humanity in their day to day lives. The only way these men could have survived this inhuman treatment was by subtly fighting the system in their own personal way. Solzhenitsyn uses three simple yet powerful ideas: the dehumanization of the human society, displays of unjust punishment, and the importance of having faith in no matter how awful the situation is, to speak out against Stalin and the terrible consequences of Russian communism. Works Cited Coffin, Judith G., and Robert C. Stacey. Western Civilizations: Their History & Culture. New York, NY: W. W. Norton, 2008. Print. Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr Isaevich. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. New York: Dutton, 1963. Print.

Right, Rite, Wright, and Write How to Choose the Right Word

The  homophones  right, rite, wright, and write are pronounced the same but have very different meanings, histories, and uses. Many definitions are associated with these terms, especially with right. All were inherited from a Germanic form. How to Use Right The most common of the four words in the English language is right, which can be a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb. As a noun, right means something proper or morally or socially correct (right versus wrong); appropriate (to do right); a politically conservative position (speaking on the Right); legal, moral, or natural entitlement (has the right); the copyright ownership of something, usually plural (the movie rights to a novel); or a position or direction (as opposed to left). As a verb, right can mean to make straight; to recover ones balance, especially after a fall (right oneself); to set in order; to avenge, redress, or rectify an injustice or injury; or to turn to the right. As an adjective, right means that which is done in accordance with justice or goodness (the morally right choice to make); correct or true (the right answer); of a particular religious belief or principle (the right doctrine of God); leading in the correct direction (the right road); perfectly suited for (Mr. or Ms. Right or the right person for the job); or to be normal, natural, or sound in mind (in his right mind). And, of course, right also refers to something on the right-hand side of an object from the perspective of the observer. Finally, when used as an adverb, right can mean in a direct course or line (stepped right), immediately following (right after), occurring soon in time (Ill be right with you), or in a fitting or appropriate manner (it must be done right). How to Use Rite The noun rite, borrowed from Latin ritus, refers to a formal act or observance in religious or other solemn ceremonies, or a ceremony itself (the rite of baptism). In a nonreligious sense, rite means a custom or habit. How to Use Wright The noun wright is an Old English word, and it always refers to a person who builds, creates, or repairs something (as in playwright or shipwright). In American English, wright is mostly seen as a suffix to whatever is being worked on. How to Use Write The verb write comes from Middle English and was first used in the 15th century. It means the action of forming letters, symbols, or words on paper or the like, whether with pen or pencil, typewriter or computer; to set down in written form; to frame a written statement; or to convey information by a letter (he wrote me today); to express ones feelings or thoughts in written form; or to compose or set down on paper a literary composition, narrative, verse, or the like. Examples Right as a noun primarily refers to entitlement or ownership. I was thrilled when the producer bought the rights to my novel.He has a right to make his own decisions now. Right as an adjective refers to immediacy or to justice or fairness. The only right thing to do was to go back home and apologize.She had to run right home after school every day to do her chores. As a verb, right means to set in order or recover ones balance. The furious man tripped and then tried to right himself.After the storm, Allen righted the room. As an adverb, right refers to direction: The bear looked right at me and then slowly walked away.Turn right at the next corner and walk three blocks to the library. The noun rite is a celebration or custom thats often tied to religion. The rite of passage was a three-day ritual to welcome the young people of the village into adulthood.Two important  rites  of  Protestantism are baptism and communion. Write also refers to the practice of authorship: I write to my mother every other Sunday.Every spring, he writes a celebratory poem. Wright means an artisan or a person who creates or manufactures things; the term is frequently seen in American English as a suffix or a persons surname. My great-great-grandfather was a shipwright in London.Lorraine Hansberry was an African-American playwright whose most famous work was A Raisin in the Sun. How to Remember the Differences Remember that right always means something similar to correct or true—the word right as in right hand, means strong or correct in many languages, including English. Some scholars believe thats because most people are right-handed, meaning their right hand would be stronger or more adept than their left. Rite is from Latin and refers to mostly religious events—these days, the only place where Latin is regularly spoken is in some Christian churches. Wright is obscure unless its used as a suffix—think of it as referring to the Wright brothers (who made planes) or Frank Lloyd Wright (who made buildings). Write always refers to the action of creating language appearing on a page or screen (or in your head); remember that its spelled like white, the color of paper. Sources New York Theater. â€Å"Book Review: Looking for Lorraine Hansberry.†Ã‚  New York Theater, 17 Feb. 2019, newyorktheater.me/2019/02/15/looking-for--the-radiant-and-radical-life-of--hansberry/.â€Å"Right.†Ã‚  Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/right.â€Å"Rite.†Ã‚  American Heritage Dictionary Entry: Rite, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?qrite.â€Å"Wright.†Ã‚  Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wright. â€Å"Write.†Ã‚  American Heritage Dictionary Entry: Write, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?qwrite.