History and the Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment

Essay by BiggyBoyJunior High, 9th gradeA+, April 2004

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Capital Punishment

Capital punishment is a death penalty for committing a crime. This is a very controversial topic. Some people find this law barbaric and unethical. Others agree with this law because they think it deters crime. Some people ask themselves: Is it really a deterrence? The New Testament says God commands the use of capital punishment, then why is it that some states forbid it? What effect does it have on society?

Common reasons in support of capital punishment:

The Bible- The Bible requires the death penalty for a wide variety of crimes, including sex before marriage, adultery, homosexual behavior, doing work on Saturday and murder. It even calls for some criminals (e.g. prostitutes who are the daughters of priests) to be tortured to death by being burned alive.

Justice/Vengeance- Many people feel that killing convicted murderers will satisfy their need for justice and/or vengeance. They feel that certain crimes are so dreadful that executing the criminal is the only reasonable response.

Deterrence- Many people feel that the death penalty will deter criminals from killing. This does not seem to be confirmed by a study of the available data. Even Richard Dieter who is the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center said, "The issue of deterrence has been studied for decades, and the overwhelming conclusion is that the death penalty has failed to be a deterrent and certainly is no more of a deterrent than life without parole...." However, it feels naturally correct for many people.

Value of human life- "It is by exacting the highest penalty for the taking of human life that we affirm the highest value of human life." (Edward Koch).

Cost- Once a convicted murder is executed and buried, there are no further maintenance costs to the state.

Safety- Once a convicted murderer...