Death Penalty-Fair, Just and Moral

Essay by buttkicker568University, Bachelor's November 2004

download word file, 4 pages 4.4 3 reviews

The death penalty has been a controversial issue for many years. Its opponents provide numerous arguments in support of its abolition. Fundamentally, they contend that capital punishment is a racist, immoral act that is nothing more than a legal murder (Sharp par 1-4). In my opinion their statements are either word games or powerful claims that are wrongly accepted as fact. In this paper I will critically evaluate the arguments presented by those that oppose the death penalty. I contend that their arguments either overlook the facts or simply present them in a negative manner.

There is a common argument that death penalty is racist, only punishes the poor and, therefore, is applied unfairly. This argument is logically flawed. Those that perpetuate it are arguably asserting that if the death penalty were imposed fairly it would be acceptable. Consequently, this argument is lends support more to improvement of the justice system than abolition of the death penalty.

Now, suppose that this argument is in fact about the racism in death penalty. Please note, however, that "statistical analysis demonstrates no consensus that wealthy capital murders are less likely to be executed than their poorer ilk". In fact, statistics indicate that "wealthy capital murderers may be more likely to be executed" (Sharp par 39); demonstrating that a murderer's social class is not determinative of their likelihood to be executed. . Furthermore in regards to the racist aspect of the argument, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense Fund (NAACP LDF ) has shown that "the majority of those on death row are white"(Sharp par 39). The argument that the death penalty is racist or unfair is easily refuted. It is a logically flawed argument lacking factual substantiation.

The next common argument is that death penalty is a legalized...