Capital Punishment

Essay by frucciUniversity, Bachelor'sA, August 2014

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Frucci 1

Jennifer Frucci

FS 141

Dr. Baker

December 10, 2011

Capital Punishment:

Is the Death Penalty an Ethical Way to Deter Crime?

The debate over the death penalty and if it is morally acceptable to execute someone may be as old as the death penalty itself. Ethics play a huge role in the capital punishment argument and the points debated have not changed much throughout its history. There are both the unethical and ethical sides of the argument but there is also the thought that reforming the death penalty will make it an ethical crime deterrent which would be most beneficial for the United States. Crime is a part of society and many people agree something must be done about it, however the method in which it is handled is something many people question. There are many ethical issues involved when dealing with the death penalty including the moral issues of punishment and also if it is right to deny someone the right of life.

The purpose of the criminal justice system is to shelter the rights of liberty, property and most importantly, the life of all people. To do this, the punishment for crimes must be severe enough to discourage people to commit them. The criminal justice system is often put down by citizens for how they handle criminals and the punishments that they are given. The death penalty has become a very controversial issue across the world and many debates bring up the questions of deterrence, public safety, sentencing costs, the execution of innocents, and many others. There are several different topics to look at when talking about capital punishment, however, the main question here is whether or not the death penalty is an ethical way to deter crime?

The United States is still one...