The death penalty has faced much opposition as of late. Can the death penalty possibly be a morally acceptable punishment? A popular bumper sticker says, "We kill people to show people that killing people is wrong." The slogan is short, simple, and to the point. But is there really such irony in capital punishment as the slogan implies?
First of all, the slogan misses an important point. The death penalty does not punish people for killing, but for murder. Killing is justified when it is done in self-defense. Killing means to cause death. Murder, on the other hand, is defined as, "the unlawful and malicious or premeditated killing of one human being by another" (for the less observant, this definition cannot be applied to the death penalty, because the death penalty is lawful, non-malicious, and is not carried out by an individual but by the government). "Kill," "murder," and "execute" are not interchangeable terms.
Death penalty opponents would like us to believe otherwise. Just because two actions result in the same end does not make them morally equivalent. If it were so, legal incarceration would be equated with kidnapping, lovemaking with rape, self-defense with assault, etc. Therefore, the slogan is better stated, "We execute people to show people that murder is wrong." Not quite as catchy, is it?
Morality is defined as "the principles of right and wrong." As moral creatures, humans deserve praise for good deeds, and punishment for bad ones. Punishment may range from a slap on the wrist to death, but the punishment must fit the crime. This is known as lex talionis, or in common jargon, "an eye for an eye." Abolitionists often insist that if we argue for lex talion justice we must be prepared to rape rapists, beat sadists, and burn down the houses...
Capital Punishment.
You say that:
"...the abolitionist argues that killing is always wrong, then he must also concede that killing in self-defense is unacceptable and should be punished".
However, this is not true as killing in self-defence is done instinctively as no other choice in order to protect your own life when it is being endangered. Yet the death penalty cannot really be likened to killing in self-defence as the state does not have to execute individuals in order to defend it's citizens. Given the fact the justice system often makes mistakes it is more plausible for the state to defend its citizens by giving convicted murderers life imprisonment. That way citizens are protected if the prisoner is guilty, but the prisoner's rights are protected also if he/she is innocent as there is then the chance of the conviction being overturned.
Also, people have this wonderful view of prison. Perhaps in America this is different, but prison is not the easy ride it is made out to be. First of all your rights are taken away, but mainly all sorts of awful things make prison as terrible as it should be, and these come in the shape of the other prisoners. Rape and violence are everyday occurences in prison as most people who have been inside can tell you. Prison is not a nice place, and it is definitely a punishment. Death is not suffering, but prison is.
Also you say there is no proof of wrongful convictions. This is untrue as there is plently of proof, some of which can be found at:
http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/links/dp links.htm#ng
Although I disagree strongly with your arguments on this issue, this is a very good essay. It is well-structured, your arguments are planned and presented. As advice I would only say that you need more statistics and examples to back up your argument. I also thought you skirted around the argument about innocent people being victims of capital punishment. Other than that - great! A very good essay.
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