The practice of capital punishment is as old as government itself. For most of history, it has not been considered controversial. Since ancient times most governments have punished a wide variety of crimes by death and have conducted executions as a routine part of the administration of criminal law. However, in the mid-18th century, social commentators in Europe began to emphasize the worth of the individual and to criticize government practices they considered unjust, including capital punishment. Should the government be able to take the life of a human being? I think it should not.
The death penalty is not justice. By allowing the government and the legal system to decide who lives and dies is bestowing upon them a power not meant for mankind. Family and friends of the victim often say that the criminal deserves the death penalty. Is justice the motive here, or is it revenge? If death penalty advocates favor executions because they believe justice is being served, would they still be for the death penalty if one of their family members or friends was on death row? It is doubtful.
English: Total number of executions carried out in...
Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of ...
An ad from the Ecologist Green Party in Mexico pro...Why do we have the death penalty? Officially, it is to protect society from these criminals. However, a criminal who is behind bars for the rest of his or her life can do no harm to society. Besides, in my opinion, to live with guilt and a future consisting of a small prison cell for the rest of one's life is the worst punishment. If the government is committing legalized murder, then we are forced to regard the government as a higher being, not subject to the laws that govern it's own people. It is frightening to think that our government has the power to order an individual's death. Anyone who has read Orwell's...
Several things...
First off, let's try to give constructive criticism here. I may not have been here as long as you, but that doesn't give you the right to take pot shots at my work. Write your own if you don't like it. Secondly, my entire point about the family thing is that justice would be served but it the death penalty shouldn't be out of revenge. Another thing, what is this mess about abortion? Yes I'm against it but I never used it as an example in my essay. Legalized murder is in here which is used to show that murder should not be legalized. No man or woman should have the right(especially one protected by the government) to take a life. Finally, NEVER EVER DID I SAY THAT EXECUTIONS RAISED CRIME RATES. I merely stated that the death penalty isn't lowering crime rates. And if a homeless man wants to commit murder so he can get his asshole raped every time he drops a bar of soap then by God let him. Any man that is willing to be someone's bitch for a place to sleep go ahead. And I think that we should not let them back out. I think that life impisonment with out parole would be a worse punishment and then he would not get out to commit the murder again. And finally I would like to say that I am against abortion but for the death penalty. I just wrote this paper because it was required of me for my Research and Writing course and I thought someone might benefit from it.
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