The Death Penalty
Life is a precious gift from God. Even when a person has no material possessions, life is still
possessed. In light of these observations it is logical to assume that murder, the taking of another's
life, is the most heinous of crimes. Undeniably, penalties imposed upon criminals should match the
crimes committed. Therefore, the worst crime possible, murder, should receive the worst penalty
possible, death.
One argument against the death penalty is the Bible tells us not to murder. Murder is the
unlawful killing of one human being by another. The death penalty is the lawful killing of a
human being after a trial by peers. So by definition the death penalty is not murder, but justice.
Furthermore, as stated by Ed Koch, a former US Government official, 'the execution of a lawfully
condemned killer is no more an act of murder than is legal imprisonment an act of kidnaping'.
Finally, the same Bible that condemns murder also advocates 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a
tooth'. This statement could be further developed to include a life for a life.
It is argued, the death penalty should be banned to prevent the execution of innocent individuals
unjustly convicted of capital murder. Statistically this has occurred; however, given the lengthy
appeals process, all but few ultimately die, innocent or guilty. The above statistic applies to all
crimes, from theft to kidnaping. Should no one be punished because of shortcomings in the judicial
system? Obviously, society could not function within a system devoid of law enforcement, because
where there is no law, there is chaos.
Some argue that death is too good for capital offenders. This position favors inhumane and
unlawful disciplinary actions like torture and life imprisonment. Though some think it not harsh
enough, the death penalty delivers...
More Death Penalty
essays:
Reviving The Death Penalty
... the death penalty for the crime of murder in all 50 states and to carry out the executions of those sentenced to death. Capital ... own criminal did to us they would be appalled. Let them consider this a war on crime' (Draper,121). They do not deem it right for the government to execute it ...
Minors and the Death Penalty
... for heinous crimes. (Heinous crimes being: murder 1, rape, and sexual assault with murder on children.) Of the 38 States with the death penalty, 22 States allow the execution of ...
OPPOSING VIEWS ON THE DEATH PENALTY IN THE U.S
... is governments business to protect its people, and I think they wouldn't execute unless the crime was really bad. Like i said before, different people have different views on the Death Penalty and ...
Term paper opposing the death penalty.
... the death penalty should be imposed. Granted, revenge is easily confused with retribution, and most would agree that the punishment should fit the crime, but can society really justify murdering someone else simply on the basis that they deserved it? Government ...
Death Penalty: For or Against?
... the death penalty is to be enforced on convicted criminals for: crimes against the government such as treason, deserting from the Armed Forces during War time, kidnapping and murder that ... and imprisonment for all crimes saving the death penalty for murder. In ...
The Death Penalty: Just Punishment or Murder
... a crime. Early challenges to the death penalty focused mostly on moral, ethical and religious reasons why it was wrong to execute someone for any reason. Opponents argued that murderers treat ... the bible accepts the death penalty as a legitimate form of punishment. The Federal Government, as ...
Capital Punishment, the road to a corrupt criminal justice system, must be abolished for the sake of society. The death penalty is unfair towards society members, such as tax payers, innocent people, and the criminal as well.
... crime, and it shows how the United States criminal justice system has sunk to a new low. The death penalty is cruel, and unusual. Before 1972, the death penalty was widely accepted, especially during the American Revolutionary War; 162 documented executions ...
Death Penalty
... been executed by mistakes or murderers redeem themselves for their crimes. Capital punishment or the death penalty is an execution authorized by the government to prosecute a criminal who ...