"Violence in Our Society, Death is Not the Answer"

Essay by DaNcEiSLiFeHigh School, 11th gradeA+, April 2004

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The death penalty, whether it is right or not, is a very controversial subject in today's society. Death is used as a quick and desperate attempt to solve human problems. It may not be the correct way to solve a problem, but it is still being done. At the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, bishops decided that there is a more responsible way to address the growing incidence of murders and other acts of violence in our midst. I believe this statement is true. Death is definitely NOT the right means of punishment for criminals guilty of committing homicide.

Our Catholic moral teaching states that capital punishment plunges us farther into the culture of death. I believe God is the only person who has the authority to take a person's life. Executioners act as God during the execution because they are physically taking away someone's life. We should not be able to kill people just because they committed a capital offense. These offenders should be given a life sentence in prison. This way, they will be able to repent for what they did and become better people. Everyone should be given the chance to change for the better. God forgives all of our mistakes no matter how big they are, as long as we are truly sorry for them. Also, how will we ever know if we killed the right person? The fact is we will never know if we executed the right person. Any human error in judgement pertaining to a death sentence is irreversible. Once a person is executed, they can never come back even if they were truly innocent. Death is final and irreversible. We do not have the right, as humans, to say who should live or who should die. That is to be left...