Capital Punishment 2 Essay, Research Paper

Since man has been around, the death penalty has been used as a way to deter crimes and as a way to punish those who choose to commit a crime deemed by their legal system or leader as punishable by death. In recent years a moral dispute has been raging over whether capital punishment should be used to punish criminals. Some would argue that we do not have the right to take another person s life, regardless of the crime they commit (Sanders 1). Others take the position that the punishment should fit the crime, and in the case of murder, capital punishment is the only option that is just. Justice demands a punishment as severe as the crimes committed. Capital punishment is perfectly legal, and therefore not a crime, and therefore should be a suitable punishment for convicted murderers (Labbe 1, 6). Considering all of the heinous crimes criminals commit, we cannot just ask for, but must demand, the ultimate punishment for murder.

Opponents of the death penalty feel that the state has no right to take the lives of these criminals, no matter how horrible or devastating the crime they commit. Some say it is a horrible, arbitrary, cruel, and immoral act that no one should allow in today s sophisticated society. As Anton Chekhov stated in his story, The Bet, The state is not God. It has no right to take away that which it cannot give back, if it should so desire (Sanders 1). In addition, some feel the death penalty is wrong for religious reasons. A major belief of many religions is that, it is a sin to kill, and killing someone who has already murdered another person does not make things right. Another viewpoint brings up the fact that people are able to change and therefore should be rehabilitated instead of having their life taken away by the whim of a judge (Sanders 1, 6). Often the death penalty can be racially influenced and, therefore, unfair. Between 1977 and 1998, approximately 82 percent of those executed were convicted of killing a white person, even though evidence shows that the number of black and white homicide victims is approximately equal (Elliott 39). In addition opponents of the death penalty say that each person has a right to live and that no one should be able to take that away. Plus, the death penalty is final and if the convicted person is later found to be innocent, there is no way to correct the mistake. There have been many cases where people have been convicted of murder but were proven innocent minutes before they were scheduled to die. However, approximately 23 people were not as lucky and actually did die, because their innocence was discovered too late (Sanders 6). Finally, the death penalty could be considered just state-sanctioned murder (Sanders 1). From this point of view we are just stooping to their level, and continuing this chain of death makes us no better than them. Hence, the feelings of opponents of the death penalty are very strong, stating how morally reprehensible this conduct is. However, these reasons are still not enough to allow these murderers to go without proper justice being served.

Conversely, there are many reasons why capital punishment is religiously supported and morally right. Ever since ancient times, capital punishment has been a way to punish criminals and is still a lawful punishment. Even in the Old Testament of the Bible, the death penalty was imposed for murder. In addition, nowhere is it forbidden in the Constitution to punish murderers for their crimes. If anything, our laws show too much leniency by allowing such a long time between the conviction and execution of the criminals (Labbe 6). If convicted of death with obvious evidence, there is no reason to go through years of appeals trying to save a murderer who broke written laws by his will and should, therefore, be justly punished. Too much money and time are wasted on lawyers and appeals of obviously guilty criminals (Elliott 39). There is no reason to keep murder convicts in jail for long periods of time, which wastes food, space, and money, and compromises the safety of others. A person serving a life sentence without parole is considered beyond redemption and not safe enough to be allowed back into society however many years later (Labbe 6). After serving numerous years in prison, criminals often are changed, but not for the better. They are all the more determined to commit another heinous crime with all of the anger and rage they have built up in their many years of prison time. Optimists want to believe they live in a world where each criminal will be reformed and will not think to commit another crime, but the grim reality is that certain criminals should never be able to walk our streets again (Labbe 6). Currently, capital punishment has become common and is generally accepted by four out of five Americans (Elliott 39). Opponents of the death penalty might show you the picture of a criminal and say that no matter how tough or brutal this person might look they do not deserve the awful punishment of death (Sanders 1). However, do they look at the picture of those murdered by the felon or the victim s family? Did the victim deserve a fate of being cruelly murdered? Did the victim s family deserve to have their loved one viciously ripped from their lives? For no reason do they deserve leniency for their crime; Instead, they deserve the fate that they asked for themselves. Who is to say that no one deserves to die by the death penalty? Well, it is sure that no one deserves to die by the hands of some cold-blooded killer. Therefore, since the death penalty is a completely legal and just punishment, it should be utilized more often to keep our people safe and to save taxpayer money.

Further proof of the necessity to maintain capital punishment is that justice must be served for those who choose to break the laws set by the country. The main job of this country and each state is to protect the citizens within whether from outside forces or even from its own citizens (Labbe 6). In the Bible, it states that it is the duty of the leaders to protect its citizens in order for the society to grow and exist. There has to be an ultimate punishment if we are to show that we mean business and will not tolerate murder in this country. If we just give the felons a slap on the wrist that will not deter them from committing another crime and, if anything, will only make them think they can get away with even more crimes. If a person repents all of their sins and insists that they are now a changed person and not the same person they were many years ago when they killed that person, that s great. They can save their souls but that does not erase their crime or spare their lives (Labbe 6). An example of this is Karla Faye Tucker, who was executed last year. She had repented all of her sins and had found God. Certainly she was changed, but she was the same woman who hacked a man with a 3-foot pickaxe until he died (Labbe 1,6). The death penalty only reinforces the authority of the community and is a deterrent for others thinking of committing crimes. If someone gets angry or is treated unfairly, hopefully they will think twice before they do anything violent and will recognize that whatever they do will cause even more problems for them self and is not worth it. Also, if we didn t have just punishment, that might cause more problems, because then the victims families might try to seek their own revenge upon the killers. This could ultimately lead to a country of complete chaos, with justice being enforced by vigilantes bent on seeking revenge for crimes against their family or friends. If anything, the death penalty is lenient to these criminals. In the past, convicted criminals could be tortured for what they did wrong. The death penalty, administered by lethal injection, is a quick, painless way to die. The victims of these murderers were no so lucky (Labbe 6). Therefore, the justice system today is very lenient while still doing the job needed to exact the justice deserved by criminals.

In conclusion, the facts obviously show that because of all of the crimes these felons commit, it is only right that they be severely punished for their wrongdoings. The death penalty is legal, more humane than early practices, enforces justice, guarantees the safety of others, and so much more. Some plead that the death penalty is morally reprehensible, but in reality, the morally reprehensible act was really committed by the killers themselves. The death penalty is a method of making sure justice is done and peace is kept in society.