Essay #4 Final Draft

Ben La Scola

Dr. Kerr

EN 101-23

29 November, 2011

The Death Penalty

Capital punishment is viewed by many to be inherently wrong because the taking of another’s life is the ultimate evil. Many actually consider capital punishment to be more humane than solitary confinement which can cause mental illnesses and severe psychiatric harm (Grassian); the death penalty is also considered by many to be more humane than a lobotomy. A lobotomy is an operation in which part of the brain is cut in order to treat some mental disorders. The death penalty is a deterrent, provides a way of retribution, and overall can cost less than life imprisonment.

For years the death penalty has been used as a way to deter crime and to punish those who commit capital crimes. Studies have shown over and over again that there is a strong link between when the death penalty isn’t used and is used to increases and decreases in capital crimes (DeFrancesco). When the death penalty was suspended in 1972 statistics were gathered across the country. In 1960 there were 56 executions and 9,140 murders. In 1969 there were only 15 executions but 9,250 murders. In 1969 there were no executions and a huge rise to 14,590 murders. In 1975 there were 20,510 murders which rose to 23,040 in 1980 ("The Death Penalty in the United States."). Since the death penalty was resumed in 1982, the number of Harris Count, Texas murders dropped from 701 to 241 a year (Lowe).

The other side would say, when one commits a crime either one premeditated on it, which means that they planned out the crime or gave extended thought to committing the crime beforehand, or one didn’t. When a crime isn’t premeditated it is a spur of the moment decision based on large amounts of stress, or being under the influence of drugs (Bedau). They would argue that there is no proof that the death penalty is deterrence to capital crimes and that life sentences are as much deterrence to capital crimes as the death penalty ("Arguments for and Against the Death Penalty."). They would also say that crime rates have not gone down, the murder rate is six times that of Britain and five times Australia and neither countries use the death penalty ("Reasons").

Although opponents against the death penalty claim that most murders are not premeditated and are instead instant decisions based on the situation an individual is currently in and therefore the consequences of murder are not taken into account; Luis Vera, a man who burglarized Rosa Velez’s apartment in Brooklyn and shot her stated “Yeah, I shot her, and I knew I wouldn’t go to the chair.” This man clearly states that he briefly considered the consequence of shooting Velez but knowing he would not be sentenced to death, chose to shoot her. This is also not a premeditated murder because Vera did not expect Velez to be home at the time (Lowe). While opponents do not recognize the statistics that show the death penalty is a deterrent and claim that because some states that do not have the death penalty have lower crime rates than states that do they conclude that the death penalty encourages crime instead of deterring it (Sharp, "Death Penalty Paper."). For example, Texas has twice the murder rate of Wisconsin even though Texas heavily enforces the death penalty and Wisconsin does not enforce the death penalty at all ("Reasons"). The reason some states that enforce the death penalty have higher crime rates than those that do not enforce the death penalty is because the death penalty is enforced because of a high crime rate, not the other way around.

The use of the death penalty provides retribution for those who have been made victims by the actions of a criminal. Louis P. Pojman, author and professor of philosophy U.S. Military Academy states “When someone takes a life, the balance of justice is disturbed. Unless that balance is restored, society succumbs to a rule of violence. Only the taking of the murderer's life restores the balance and allows society to show convincingly that murder is an intolerable crime which will be punished in kind” ("Arguments"). Retribution is often confused with revenge. Revenge is to inflict hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong done to one’s self. Retribution is punishment that is considered to be morally right and fully deserved. Retributivism is the theory that a criminal deserves to be punished in proportion to the magnitude of his or her crime, whether it is desired by the victim or not. When society does not punish criminals in a just way then the public might take the law into their own hands, such as somebody assaulting or lynching a criminal that got away with murder. In Gregg v Georgia, the Supreme Court wrote "The instinct for retribution is part of the nature of man" (Gill).

There are two major arguments against the death penalty as retribution; the first, that retribution is just another excuse for revenge, and the second, that punishment equivalent to the crime isn’t morally correct. People argue that retribution is just another word for revenge and that revenge is not enough to justify the taking of one’s life ("Arguments for and Against the Death Penalty."). Daughter of Robert Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, wrote: “I was eight years old when my father was murdered. It is almost impossible to describe the pain of losing a parent to a senseless murder [....] But even as a child one thing was clear to me: I didn't want the killer, in turn, to be killed” (Bedau). The death penalty as punishment in proportion to the crime committed is considered wrong by some because society doesn’t torture someone who committed torture, or rape a rapist, so it is wrong to murder someone who committed murder. In order for punishment to be equal to the crime, execution does not have to be the end result (Reppert).

Retribution by definition is punishment that is considered to be morally right and fully deserved. Revenge by definition is the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for a wrong suffered at their hands. The difference in definition is clear; retribution is morally right and fully deserved. However, vengeance is not inherently wrong, victims should be avenged, just in a morally and just way (Avery). Whether or not the victim or the victim’s family wants retribution it is the government’s duty to avenge victims of crime and to protect society. The death penalty is necessary for capital crimes because even if a criminal is sentenced to life without parole (LWOP) they can still receive clemency and be released. An instance of such was in 2009 when the governor of Michigan freed a 71 year old man who was sentenced to LWOP in 1967 for murdering a man (Sharp, "Life Without Parole.").

The potential cost of death penalty cases is much less than that of life without parole cases. A common argument against the death penalty is that it costs significantly more than life imprisonment. According to a study used in many arguments against the death penalty, an execution in Maryland costs up to $37 million and life imprisonment costs about $1 milling a year (Avery). The problem with these figures is that because somebody on death row only has a limited number of appeals so they are factored into the cost. However, someone with life imprisonment without parole has an unlimited amount of appeals so the costs of their appeals are not factored in (Sharp, "Death Penalty Paper.").

Opponents of the death penalty advocate that the cost of the death penalty is much greater than life without parole. They believe that because the death penalty has so many appeals, reviews, and post-trial hearings that it ends up costing around 6 times the amount of life without parole ("Death Penalty Arguments & Resources."). Opponents of the death penalty argue that not only does it cost much more than incarceration but the difference in cost could better be used to increase the number of police which would lower violent crime rates better than the threat of being executed ("The Case Against the Death Penalty - Cons, Anti Death Penalty Arguments.").

Although the death penalty is widely perceived to overall cost more than life without parole; the death penalty costs more in the beginning, but over time the cost of life without parole cases end up topping the costs of the death penalty by $1.2 to $3.6 million (DeFrancesco). If the death penalty was taken away completely, then abolitionists would try to take away life without parole next and it would hike up the costs of appeals because there would be no execution to end the process of a life without parole (Lowe). Also, a way to minimize the costs for the death penalty would be to only allow appeals that were relevant to proving one’s innocence (Lowe).

The death penalty is a very controversial and much debated topic mostly based off its deterrence to crime, the moral factor of retribution, and the cost. The death penalty has been proven through multiple studies and history as deterrence to capital crimes. Retribution is a basic instinct and need of every human being and it is the government’s duty to provide retribution for the victims of a crime. The cost of the death penalty at a quick look costs more than life imprisonment without parole, but overtime LWOP costs more than the death penalty.

Works Cited

"Arguments for and Against the Death Penalty." The Death Penalty. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://deathpenaltycurriculum.org/student/c/about/arguments/arguments.PDF>.

Avery, Luther. "Top 10 Arguments for the Death Penalty." Akorra.com. 4 Mar. 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://akorra.com/2010/03/04/top-10-arguments-for-the-death-penalty/>.

Bedau, Hugo Adam. "The Case Against The Death Penalty." Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://users.rcn.com/mwood/deathpen.html#Deterrence>.

"Death Penalty Arguments & Resources." NCWC: Faculty Pages. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://faculty.ncwc.edu/mstevens/410/410lect26.htm>.

DeFrancesco, Tracey. Death Penalty ProCon.org. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://deathpenalty.procon.org>.

Gill, Kathy. "Death Penalty in the United States - Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty." US Politics. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://uspolitics.about.com/od/deathpenalty/i/death_penalty_2.htm>.

Grassian, Stuart. "Psychiatric Effects of Solitary Confinement." Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://www.prisoncommission.org/statements/grassian_stuart_long.pdf>.

Lowe, Wesley. "Pro Capital Punishment Page." Wesley Lowe - The Necromancer Wars. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://wesleylowe.com/cp.html>.

"Reasons to Be Against the Death Penalty." Anti-Death Penalty Information. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://www.antideathpenalty.org/reasons.html>.

Reppert, Victor. "The Death Penalty and Retribution." Dangerous Idea. 20 Nov. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://dangerousidea.blogspot.com/2011/11/death-penalty-and-retribution.html>.

Sharp, Dudley. "Death Penalty Paper." Pro-death Penalty.com. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/dp.html>.

"Life Without Parole." Pro-death Penalty.com. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/lwop.htm>.

"The Case Against the Death Penalty - Cons, Anti Death Penalty Arguments." American Civil Liberties Union. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://www.aclu.org/capital-punishment/case-against-death-penalty>.

"The Death Penalty in the United States." Welcome to the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/dpusa.htm>.

Essay #4 Second Draft

Ben La Scola

Professor Kerr

EN 101-23

27 November, 2011

The Death Penalty

Capital punishment is viewed by many to be inherently wrong because the taking of another’s life is the ultimate evil. Capital punishment is in fact more humane then solitary confinement which can cause mental illnesses and severe psychiatric harm (http://www.prisoncommission.org/statements/grassian_stuart_long.pdf). The death penalty is also more humane than a lobotomy. A lobotomy is an operation in which part of the brain is cut in order to treat some mental disorders. The death penalty is a deterrent, provides a way of retribution, and overall can cost less than life imprisonment.

For years the death penalty has been used as a way to deter crime and to punish those who commit capital crimes. Studies have proven over and over again that the death penalty is a successful deterrent to crime by showing a strong link between when the death penalty isn’t used and is used to increases and decreases in capital crimes (http://deathpenalty.procon.org). When the death penalty was suspended in 1972 statistics were gathered across the country. In 1960 there were 56 executions and 9,140 murders. In 1969 there were only 15 executions but 9,250 murders. In 1969 there were no executions and a huge rise to 14,590 murders. In 1975 there were 20,510 murders which rose to 23,040 in 1980 (http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/dpusa.htm). Since the death penalty was resumed in 1982, the number of Harris Count, Texas murders dropped from 701 to 241 a year (http://wesleylowe.com/cp.html#deter).

The other side would say, when someone commits a crime either they premeditated on it, which means that they planned out the crime or gave extended thought to committing the crime beforehand, or they didn’t. When a crime isn’t premeditated it is a spur of the moment decision based off large amounts of stress, or being under the influence of drugs (http://users.rcn.com/mwood/deathpen.html#Deterrence). They would argue that there is no proof that the death penalty is deterrence to capital crimes and that life sentences are as much deterrence to capital crimes as the death penalty (http://deathpenaltycurriculum.org). They would also say that crime rates have not gone down, the murder rate is six times that of Britain and five times Australia and neither countries use the death penalty (http://www.antideathpenalty.org/reasons.html).

Although opponents against the death penalty claim that most murders are not premeditated and are instead instant decisions based on the situation an individual is currently in and therefore the consequences of murder are not taken into effect; Luis Vera, a man who burglarized Rosa Velez’s apartment in Brooklyn and shot her stated that “Yeah, I shot her, and I knew I wouldn’t go to the chair.” This is a statement that clearly disproves the theory that people do not consider the consequences of their actions. This man clearly states that he considered the consequence of shooting Velez but knowing he would not be sentenced to death, chose to shoot her. This is also not a premeditated murder because Vera did not expect Velez to be home at the time (http://wesleylowe.com/cp.html#deter). While opponents do not recognize the statistics that show the death penalty is a deterrent and claim that because some states that do not have the death penalty have lower crime rates than states that do they conclude that the death penalty encourages crime instead of deterring it (http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/DP.html#D.Cost). For example, Texas has twice the murder rate of Wisconsin even though Texas heavily enforces the death penalty and Wisconsin does not enforce the death penalty at all (http://www.antideathpenalty.org/reasons.html). This conclusion is not only flawed but completely ridiculous; the reason some states that enforce the death penalty have higher crime rates than those that do not enforce the death penalty is because the death penalty is enforced because of a high crime rate, not the other way around. So if the states with lower crime rates had higher crime rates then they would probably start enforcing the death penalty.

The use of the death penalty provides retribution for those who have been made victims by the actions of a criminal. Louis P. Pojman, author and professor of philosophy U.S. Military Academy states that “When someone takes a life, the balance of justice is disturbed. Unless that balance is restored, society succumbs to a rule of violence. Only the taking of the murderer's life restores the balance and allows society to show convincingly that murder is an intolerable crime which will be punished in kind” (http://deathpenaltycurriculum.org/student/c/about/arguments/arguments.PDF). Retribution is often confused with revenge. Revenge is to inflict hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong done to oneself. Retribution is punishment that is considered to be morally right and fully deserved. Retributivism is the theory that a criminal deserves to be punished in proportion to the magnitude of his or her crime, whether it is desired by the victim or not. When society does not punish criminals in a just way then the public might take the law into their own hands, such as somebody assaulting or lynching a criminal that got away with murder. In Gregg v Georgia, the Supreme Court wrote that "the instinct for retribution is part of the nature of man" (http://uspolitics.about.com/od/deathpenalty/i/death_penalty_2.htm).

There are two major arguments against the death penalty as retribution; the first, that retribution is just another excuse for revenge, and the second, that punishment equivalent to the crime isn’t morally correct. People argue that retribution is just another word for revenge and that revenge is not enough to justify the taking of one’s life (http://deathpenaltycurriculum.org/student/c/about/arguments/arguments.PDF). Daughter of Robert Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, wrote: “I was eight years old when my father was murdered. It is almost impossible to describe the pain of losing a parent to a senseless murder.... But even as a child one thing was clear to me: I didn't want the killer, in turn, to be killed” (http://users.rcn.com/mwood/deathpen.html#Retribution). The death penalty as punishment in proportion to the crime committed is considered wrong by some because we don’t torture someone who committed torture, or rape a rapist, so it is wrong to murder someone who committed murder. In order for punishment to be equal to the crime, execution does not have to be the end result (http://dangerousidea.blogspot.com/2011/11/death-penalty-and-retribution.html).

Retribution by definition is punishment that is considered to be morally right and fully deserved. Revenge by definition is the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for a wrong suffered at their hands. The difference in definition is clear; retribution is morally right and fully deserved. However, vengeance is not inherently wrong, victims should be avenged, just in a morally and just way (http://akorra.com/2010/03/04/top-10-arguments-for-the-death-penalty/). Whether or not the victim or the victim’s family wants retribution it is the government’s duty to avenge victims of crime and to protect society. The death penalty is necessary for capital crimes because even if a criminal is sentenced to life without parole (LWOP) they can still receive clemency and be released. An instance of such was in 2009 when the governor of Michigan freed a 71 year old man who was sentenced to LWOP in 1967 for murdering a man (http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/lwop.htm).

The potential cost of death penalty cases is much less than that of life without parole cases. A common argument against the death penalty is that it costs significantly more than life imprisonment. According to Deathpenaltyinfo.org, an execution in Maryland costs up to $37 million and life imprisonment costs about $1 milling a year (http://akorra.com/2010/03/04/top-10-arguments-for-the-death-penalty/). The problem with these figures is that because somebody on death row only has a limited number of appeals so they are factored into the cost. However, someone with life imprisonment without parole has an unlimited amount of appeals so the costs of their appeals are not factored in (http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/dp.html).

Opponents of the death penalty advocate that the cost of the death penalty is much greater than life without parole. They believe that because the death penalty has so many appeals, reviews, and post-trial hearings that it ends up costing around 6 times the amount of life without parole (http://faculty.ncwc.edu/mstevens/410/410lect26.htm). Opponents of the death penalty argue that not only does it cost much more than incarceration but the difference in cost could better be used to increase the number of police which would lower violent crime rates better than the threat of being executed (http://www.aclu.org/capital-punishment/case-against-death-penalty).

Although the death penalty is widely perceived to overall cost more than life without parole; the death penalty costs more in the beginning, but over time the cost of life without parole cases end up topping the costs of the death penalty by $1.2 to $3.6 million (http://deathpenalty.procon.org). If the death penalty was taken away completely, then abolitionists would try to take away life without parole next and it would hike up the costs of appeals because there would be no execution to end the process of a life without parole (http://wesleylowe.com/cp.html#cost). Also, a way to minimize the costs for the death penalty would be to only allow appeals that were relevant to proving one’s innocence (http://wesleylowe.com/cp.html#cost).

The death penalty is a very controversial and much debated topic mostly based off its deterrence to crime, the moral factor of retribution, and the cost. The death penalty has been proven through multiple studies and history as deterrence to capital crimes. Retribution is a basic instinct and need of every human being and it is the government’s duty to provide retribution for the victims of a crime. The cost of the death penalty at a quick look costs more than life imprisonment without parole, but overtime LWOP costs more than the death penalty. 

Essay #4 First Draft

Ben La Scola

Dr. Kerr

EN 101-23

November 23, 2011

The Death Penalty

Many actually consider capital punishment to be more humane than solitary confinement which can cause mental illnesses and severe psychiatric harm. The death penalty is a deterrent, provides a way of retribution, and overall can cost less than life imprisonment.

For years the death penalty has been used as a way to deter crime and to punish those who commit capital crimes. In 1969 there were only 15 executions but 9,250 murders. In 1969 there were no executions and a huge rise to 14,590 murders. In 1975 there were 20,510 murders which rose to 23,040 in 1980 ("The Death Penalty in the United States."). Since the death penalty was resumed in 1982, the number of Harris Count, Texas murders dropped from 701 to 241 a year (Lowe).

The other side would say, when one commits a crime either one premeditated on it, which means that they planned out the crime or gave extended thought to committing the crime beforehand, or one didn’t. When a crime isn’t premeditated it is a spur of the moment decision based on large amounts of stress, or being under the influence of drugs (Bedau). They would argue that there is no proof that the death penalty is deterrence to capital crimes and that life sentences are as much deterrence to capital crimes as the death penalty ("Arguments for and Against the Death Penalty.").

Although opponents against the death penalty claim that most murders are not premeditated and are instead instant decisions based on the situation an individual is currently in and therefore the consequences of murder are not taken into account; Luis Vera, a man who burglarized Rosa Velez’s apartment in Brooklyn and shot her stated “Yeah, I shot her, and I knew I wouldn’t go to the chair.” This man clearly states that he briefly considered the consequence of shooting Velez but knowing he would not be sentenced to death, chose to shoot her. This is also not a premeditated murder because Vera did not expect Velez to be home at the time (Lowe).

The use of the death penalty provides retribution for those who have been made victims by the actions of a criminal. Louis P. Pojman, author and professor of philosophy U.S. Military Academy states “When someone takes a life, the balance of justice is disturbed. Unless that balance is restored, society succumbs to a rule of violence. Only the taking of the murderer's life restores the balance and allows society to show convincingly that murder is an intolerable crime which will be punished in kind” ("Arguments"). Retribution is often confused with revenge. Revenge is to inflict hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong done to one’s self. Retribution is punishment that is considered to be morally right and fully deserved. Retributivism is the theory that a criminal deserves to be punished in proportion to the magnitude of his or her crime, whether it is desired by the victim or not. When society does not punish criminals in a just way then the public might take the law into their own hands, such as somebody assaulting or lynching a criminal that got away with murder. In Gregg v Georgia, the Supreme Court wrote "The instinct for retribution is part of the nature of man" (Gill).

There are two major arguments against the death penalty as retribution; the first, that retribution is just another excuse for revenge, and the second, that punishment equivalent to the crime isn’t morally correct. People argue that retribution is just another word for revenge and that revenge is not enough to justify the taking of one’s life ("Arguments for and Against the Death Penalty."). The death penalty as punishment in proportion to the crime committed is considered wrong by some because society doesn’t torture someone who committed torture, or rape a rapist, so it is wrong to murder someone who committed murder. In order for punishment to be equal to the crime, execution does not have to be the end result (Reppert).

Retribution by definition is punishment that is considered to be morally right and fully deserved. Revenge by definition is the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for a wrong suffered at their hands. The difference in definition is clear; retribution is morally right and fully deserved. However, vengeance is not inherently wrong, victims should be avenged, just in a morally and just way (Avery). Whether or not the victim or the victim’s family wants retribution it is the government’s duty to avenge victims of crime and to protect society. The death penalty is necessary for capital crimes because even if a criminal is sentenced to life without parole (LWOP) they can still receive clemency and be released. An instance of such was in 2009 when the governor of Michigan freed a 71 year old man who was sentenced to LWOP in 1967 for murdering a man (Sharp, "Life Without Parole.").

The potential cost of death penalty cases is much less than that of life without parole cases. A common argument against the death penalty is that it costs significantly more than life imprisonment. According to a study used in many arguments against the death penalty, an execution in Maryland costs up to $37 million and life imprisonment costs about $1 milling a year (Avery). The problem with these figures is that because somebody on death row only has a limited number of appeals so they are factored into the cost. However, someone with life imprisonment without parole can have as many appeals as they can find grounds for so the costs of their appeals are not factored in (Sharp, "Death Penalty Paper.").

Opponents of the death penalty advocate that the cost of the death penalty is much greater than life without parole. They believe that because the death penalty has so many appeals, reviews, and post-trial hearings that it ends up costing around 6 times the amount of life without parole ("Death Penalty Arguments & Resources."). Opponents of the death penalty argue that not only does it cost much more than incarceration but the difference in cost could better be used to increase the number of police which would lower violent crime rates better than the threat of being executed ("The Case Against the Death Penalty - Cons, Anti Death Penalty Arguments.").

Although the death penalty is widely perceived to overall cost more than life without parole; the death penalty costs more in the beginning, but over time the cost of life without parole cases can end up topping the costs of the death penalty by $1.2 to $3.6 million (DeFrancesco). If the death penalty was taken away completely, then abolitionists would try to take away life without parole next and it would hike up the costs of appeals because there would be no execution to end the process of a life without parole (Lowe). Also, a way to minimize the costs for the death penalty would be to only allow appeals that were relevant to proving one’s innocence (Lowe).

The death penalty is a very controversial and much debated topic mostly based off its deterrence to crime, the moral factor of retribution, and the cost. The death penalty has been proven through multiple studies and history as deterrence to capital crimes. Retribution is a basic instinct and need of every human being and it is the government’s duty to provide retribution for the victims of a crime. The cost of the death penalty at a quick look costs more than life imprisonment without parole, but overtime LWOP costs more than the death penalty. 

Essay #4 Topic Sentences:

1. Punishment has always been used as a deterrent to crime.
2. when a heinous crime is committed and the one who committed it is sent to prison and allowed to live with the chance to become free once again, there can be no peace or balance.
3. In the long run a life sentence can amount to costing greater than the death penalty.
   

Essay #4 Thesis

Thesis:

   

The death penalty is a deterrent, provides a way of retribution, and overall can cost less then life imprisonment.

Essay #4 Finding a Focus:

I am going to argue for the death penalty

Essay #4 What i need to know:

• Does it deter crime?
• benefits
• consequences
• arguments for and against

Essay #4 What i know

I know that there are many reasons for and against the death penalty but not much other than that

Essay #4 Topic:

The Death penalty

Quotations

Andreas Marx, an antivirus software specialist at the University of Magdeburg in Germany, believes that Trojan horses are “the future of malware attacks.”

 Manny Carvalho, an author at ComputerHaven.info and awardee of the Microsoft MVP in the Windows Shell/User category in October 2003 and again in 2004 says “Imagine if someone had all of their credit card receipts in different manila folders split amongst 7 filing cabinets.  They would have to go from cabinet to cabinet to track down information they might need.”

Lawrence Abrams, the creator of BleedingComputer.com and awardee of a Microsoft MVP in Windows Consumer Security, states that the registry database is a “key component of the Windows operating system. It is so important, that without it, Windows would not even run.”

what i found

• the registry database is a huge cause if it gets corrupted
• file fragmentation is a big cause
• malware is a big cause
• what each of those are
• slowing down of the computer is an effect

what i need to know

• top 3 causes of performance degradation
• what they are
• effects

What i know

• Malware is big performance degradation
• wear
• amount of programs running
• corruption of files

Essay #3 Final Draft

Ben La Scola

Dr. Kerr

EN 101-05

October 25, 2011

Computer Performance Degradation

A common issue for anyone who uses a computer is performance degradation. Sometimes performance degradation goes unnoticed or is assumed inevitable. Performance degradation is when it takes a computer longer to accomplish a task than it has in the past. A freshly installed Windows operating system will boot in under one minute; over time it will slow and take a substantially longer time to boot. The term boot is used describe the process by which the computer goes through when it turns on to load the operating system and prepares the system for use. This is an excellent example of performance degradation. Malware, file fragmentation, and the registry database are the three main reasons for performance degradation.

Malware is not only the biggest problem of performance degradation but it can cause a computer to completely freeze or shutdown. Malware is a term that describes malicious software installed on a computer. Malware is spyware or adware (Holetzky). Key loggers, worms, and trojan horses are all types of malware. Key loggers do exactly what the name depicts, it records everything typed and sends the data back to whoever placed it on that computer (Holznagel). Key loggers are looking for passwords or bank account information (Holznagel). Worms are self-contained malware that can copy themselves across networks or servers. A worms purpose is to slow down or shutdown a computer. The worm accomplishes this by copying itself up to 250,000 times over a period of three hours (Holetzky). This can slow down a computer because the process of copying itself so many times can occupy a large amount of bandwidth and ram (Holetzky). Trojan horses are files that appear to be legitimate and safe however when opened they will put other malware on one’s computer or even leave a “back door” for someone who wants to access one’s personal information (Holetzky). Andreas Marx, an antivirus software specialist at the University of Magdeburg in Germany, believes that Trojan horses are “the future of malware attacks.”

File fragmentation is one of the major causes for performance degradation. As Manny Carvalho, an author at ComputerHaven.info and awardee of the Microsoft MVP in the Windows Shell/User category in October 2003 and again in 2004 says “Imagine if someone had all of their credit card receipts in different manila folders split amongst 7 filing cabinets.  They would have to go from cabinet to cabinet to track down information they might need.” File fragmentation is when files are split into separated parts and stored in multiple locations (What Is File). Fragmentation can occur when files are added, deleted, or changed (Carvalho). The best way to store files on a disk is to keep each piece of a file near each other. This is best because then the disk reader can find the location of the first piece and simply read straight through (What Is File). As files are added, removed, or changed, gaps appear where the data used to be (Carvalho).

The registry database is commonly an unsuspected cause of performance degradation. Lawrence Abrams, the creator of BleedingComputer.com and awardee of a Microsoft MVP in Windows Consumer Security, states that the registry database is a “key component of the Windows operating system. It is so important, that without it, Windows would not even run.” The registry database is used in Microsoft Windows to store information that is essential in configuring the system for the users, applications, and hardware devices (Windows Registry). The registry database can overtime become unoptimized or corrupted from malware, excessive deleting, or incorrect management of files (Kent). The more data that a computer is subjected to the more the database grows (Kent). An example of this is if a flash drive is plugged in the information might remain on the registry even after disconnecting it.

There are many causes of performance degradation. Malware, file fragmentation, and registry database corruption are some of the biggest causes. An effect of performance degradation is the slowing down of a computer and an increased time in accomplishing tasks such as booting the operating system, running an application, and running a program. Malware can be prevented by use of antivirus software and a good firewall. File fragmentation can be fixed by running a defragment program. The registry database can be corrected by following these steps at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545.

Works Cited

Carvalho, Manny. "What Is Fragmentation?" Computer Haven Home. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. <http://www.computerhaven.info/defrag.aspx>.

Holetzky, Sherry. "What Is Malware?" WiseGEEK: Clear Answers for Common Questions. Ed. Lindsay D. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-malware.htm>.

Holznagel, Fritz. "20 Things I Learned About Browsers And The Web." 20 Things I Learned. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.20thingsilearned.com/en-US/malware/2>.

Kent, Hugh. "Windows XP Performance Degradation." Ezine Articles. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. <http://ezinearticles.com/?Windows-XP-Performance-Degradation&id=1170432>.

"What Is File Fragmentation?" Of Zen & Computing - Clear Answers to Common Computing Questions. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.ofzenandcomputing.com/zanswers/985/>.

"Windows Registry Information for Advanced Users." Microsoft Support. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. <http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986>.

Essay #3 Second Draft

Ben La Scola

Dr. Kerr

EN 101-05

October 22, 2011

Computer Performance Degradation

A common issue for anyone who uses a computer for any reason is performance degradation. Sometimes performance degradation goes unnoticed or is assumed inevitable. A computer is experiencing performance degradation when it takes longer to accomplish a task than it has in the past. A freshly installed Windows will boot in under one minute; over time the boot time will slow and take a substantially longer time to boot. This is an excellent example of performance degradation. The three main reasons for performance degradation are malware, file fragmentation, and the registry database.

Malware is not only the biggest problem of performance degradation but can cause your computer to completely freeze or shutdown. Malware is a term that describes malicious software installed on ones computer. Malware is spyware or adware (Holetzky). Key loggers, Trojan horses, worms, viruses, and tracking cookies are all examples of malware. Key loggers do exactly what the name depicts, it records everything one types and sends the data back to whoever placed it on one’s computer (Holznagel). Key loggers are looking for passwords or bank account info (Holznagel). Trojan horses are files that appear to be legit and safe however when opened they will put other malware on one’s computer or even leave a “back door” for someone who wants to access one’s personal information (Holetzky). According to Andreas Marx, an antivirus software specialist at the University of Magdeburg in Germany, "This is the future of malware attacks."

File fragmentation is one of the major causes for performance degradation. As Manny Carvalho, an author at ComputerHaven.info and awardee of the Microsoft MVP in the Windows Shell/User category in October 2003 and again in 2004 says “Imagine if you had all of your credit card receipts in different manila folders split amongst 7 filing cabinets.  You’d have to go from cabinet to cabinet to track down information you might need.” This is essentially what file fragmentation is. File fragmentation is when files are split into separated parts and stored in multiple locations (What Is File). Fragmentation can occur when files are added, deleted, or changed (Carvalho). The best way to store files on a disk is to keep each piece of a file near each other. This is best because then the disk reader can find the location of the first piece and simply read straight through (What Is File). As files are added, removed, or changed, gaps appear where the data used to be (Carvalho).

The registry database is commonly an unsuspected cause of performance degradation. Lawrence Abrams, the creator of BleedingComputer.com and awardee of a Microsoft MVP in Windows Consumer Security, states that “the registry is a key component of the Windows operating system. It is so important, that without it, Windows would not even run.” The registry database is used in Microsoft Windows to store information that is essential in configuring the system for the users, applications, and hardware devices (Windows Registry). The registry database can overtime become unoptimized or corrupted from malware or excessive deleting and incorrect management of files (Kent). The more data you put subject your computer to the more the database grows (Kent). An example of this is if you plugged in a flash drive or USB mouse the information might remain on the registry even after disconnecting them.

There are many causes of performance degradation but malware, file fragmentation, and registry database corruption are some of the biggest causes. An effect of performance degradation is the slowing down of one’s computer and an increased time in accomplishing tasks such as booting the OS, running an application, and running a program. Malware can be prevented by antivirus software and a good firewall. File fragmentation can be fixed by running a defragment program. The registry database can be corrected by following these steps here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545.

                                               

Works Cited

Carvalho, Manny. "What Is Fragmentation?" Computer Haven Home. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. <http://www.computerhaven.info/defrag.aspx>.

Holetzky, Sherry. "What Is Malware?" WiseGEEK: Clear Answers for Common Questions. Ed. Lindsay D. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-malware.htm>.

Holznagel, Fritz. "20 Things I Learned About Browsers And The Web." 20 Things I Learned. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.20thingsilearned.com/en-US/malware/2>.

Kent, Hugh. "Windows XP Performance Degradation." Ezine Articles. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. <http://ezinearticles.com/?Windows-XP-Performance-Degradation&id=1170432>.

"What Is File Fragmentation?" Of Zen & Computing - Clear Answers to Common Computing Questions. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.ofzenandcomputing.com/zanswers/985/>.

"Windows Registry Information for Advanced Users." Microsoft Support. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. <http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986>.

Essay3 Thesis and Topic Sentences

Thesis:
The three main reasons for performance degradation are registry database corruption, file fragmentation, and malware.

Topic sentence for paragraph:

1. Registry database corruption is commonly an unsuspected cause of performance degradation.
2. File fragmentation is one of the major causes for performance degradation.
3. Malware is not only the biggest problem of performance degradation but can cause your computer to completely freeze or shutdown.

Essay #3 First Draft

Ben La Scola

Dr. Kerr

EN 101-05

October 18, 2011

Computer Performance Degradation

A common issue for anyone who uses a computer for any reason is performance degradation. Sometimes performance degradation goes unnoticed or is assumed inevitable. A computer is experiencing performance degradation when it takes longer to accomplish a task than it has in the past. A freshly installed Windows will boot in under one minute; over time the boot time will slow and take a substantially longer time to boot. This is an excellent example of performance degradation. The three main reasons for performance degradation are the registry database, file fragmentation, and malware.

The registry database is commonly an unsuspected cause of performance degradation. The registry database is used in Microsoft Windows to store information that is essential in configuring the system for the users, applications, and hardware devices (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986). The registry database can overtime become unoptimized or corrupted. The more data you put subject your computer to the more the database grows (http://ezinearticles.com/?Windows-XP-Performance-Degradation&id=1170432). An example of this is if you plugged in a flash drive or USB mouse the information might remain on the registry even after disconnecting them.

File fragmentation is one of the major causes for performance degradation. File fragmentation is when files are split into separated parts and stored in multiple locations. Fragmentation can occur when files are added, deleted, or changed. The best way to store files on a disk is to keep each piece of a file near each other. This is best because then the disk reader can find the location of the first piece and simply read straight through (http://www.ofzenandcomputing.com/zanswers/985/). As files are added, removed, or changed, gaps appear where the data used to be (http://www.ofzenandcomputing.com/zanswers/985/).

Malware is not only the biggest problem of performance degradation but can cause your computer to completely freeze or shutdown. Malware is a term that describes malicious software. Malware is spyware or adware.

There are many causes of performance degradation but the registry, file fragmentation, and malware are some of the biggest causes. An effect of performance degradation is the slowing down of one’s computer and an increased time in accomplishing tasks such as booting the OS, running an application, and running a program.