Murder Classification Essay

Words: 1138
Pages: 5

Murder can be classified in several ways. There are the more severe cases such as first and second degree murder, which were intentional and usually planned ahead of time, and often result in the death penalty or life in prison. There are also involuntary manslaughter and self defense cases, which are less drastic and not planned ahead. Despite self defense being intentional, it is only performed when the person being attacked has a serious chance of losing their life. We as Americans rely on our justice system to deal with the people who are a threat to society, and to acquit those who have done nothing wrong. In most court cases, the person accused of murder receives the appropriate sentence, but there have been instances of wrongful incarceration. …show more content…
Murder is considered the killing of one person by another, no matter how the crime was committed or by who. There are multiple ways a murder is classified, such as first or second degree. Most of the time, different sentences are assigned based on the type of murder. According to HG.org, first degree murder is the most serious, and is when a person plans to intentionally kill another person, and follows through with it. The second most common type of murder is second degree, which is similar to first degree, is when a person wants to kill another, but does not have the time to plan, and it ends up as a spontaneous murder (1). However, in some people’s eyes, a murder is a murder, and it does not matter how or why the person was killed. In this circumstance, the person is guilty regardless of motive, even if it was accidental. They might say that the accused person is a danger to society, and that they do not deserve to walk free amongst other people. This statement has truth in some cases, but not every time. People can kill by complete accident, with no intention or motive to do so. This is considered involuntary manslaughter, and in most cases, unless the accused person is proven entirely innocent, results in some form of prison sentence. These sentences are typically not as long and severe as voluntary manslaughter, but it is a punishment all the