Arguementative Essay on Death Penalty

Essay by Babyboi48University, Bachelor'sA+, March 2004

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Argumentative Essay on Death Penalty

There is a controversy over whether capital punishment works or not, or if it is even morally right. Capital punishment is used only in felony cases such as murder or any criminal activity with the outcome of unintentional acts of murder ("Crimes" 1).

There are now 38 states that employ the death penalty (Williams-Harold 1). This high numbers alone shows that the majority of the people have a strong belief in having capital punishment in their system.

However, there are still those against the death penalty. People who favor the death penalty, like me, believe that the criminals deserve to be punished and the death penalty is the only way for murderers to realize that they cannot get away with what they have done.

Capital punishment is justified regardless of what opposing viewpoints may think. Having the death penalty in a state would discourage any violent crimes.

It would allow people walking on the streets to feel safe knowing the fact that there are consequences to those that would try to endanger their life. Eric M. Freedman, a journalist from USA Today, says that according to critics, the death penalty doesn't reduce crime (Freedman 1). There is nothing that can be placed in society that can actually end all murders and violent crime, but having the death penalty is a way to protect society from repeat offenders from committing a crime ("Update" 5).

On the other hand, those whom are against the idea would see the death penalty as immoral, no matter what the circumstances. According to Hugo Adams Bedau, a professor at Tufts University, the death penalty is barbaric, cannot be useful, and he believes that it does not have a place in a civilized society (Bedau 8). His opinion is valid, but we,