Death Penalty

When New York State’s governor George Pataki took office in 1995, crime dropped in total of 45%, and the murder rate dropped by 1/3. As of September 1st 1995, the death penalty was reinstated in the state of New York, assuring safer communities and fewer victims, and an over all drop in crime rate. People have used a number of arguments to support their views regarding the death penalty. Among the arguments used include deterrence, incapacitation, religious viewpoint, rehabilitation and cost. Yet it is suggested that the true judgement of a persons position on capital punishment is determined by emotional and moral beliefs.

The primary questions raised by the death penalty are whether it is an effective deterrent to violent crime, and whether it is more effective than the long-term incapacitation. Defenders of the death penalty believe that by taking an offender’s life is a more severe punishment than any prison term, it must be the better deterrent. “A life term is commonly a short vacation at State expense with nothing to do but eat the fruit of others industry.” (Opposing, p43.) The term deterrence is used to suggest that with the execution of murderers, there will be a direct decrease in homicide rate, due to the idea that potential murderers will fear for their own lives.

Under some states’ death penalty law offenders involving: murder of a police officer; a probation, parole, court, or corrections officer; a judge; or a witness or members of witness’s family. Also those who murder while already serving life in prison, escaping from prison, or committing other serious felonies, as well contract killers, serial murderers, those who torture their victims, and those who have murdered before. It is criminals and crimes like these that impose fear in our communities. Due to change in sentencing laws, and other weaknesses in the system, society is not protected from acts of crime.

In 1962, James Moore raped and murdered a 14 year old girl. He was not sentenced to death, but instead life imprisonment. Twenty years later, due to a change in our system, Moore is eligible for parole every two years. It is criminals like Moore, who do not deserve the right to live, certainly not amongst innocent communities. In 1868, in a debate before England’s Parliament one man stated “It is better that the murderer should parish than that innocent men and women should have their throats cut.” (Opposing, p57.)

It are those individuals who commit a crime so grave, that they relinquish their right to life. On a religious and moral standpoint, it is said that the death penalty is a fitting punishment. Written in the bible by Luke: “a certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might gave him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent a third; and they wounded him and cast him out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘what shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him..’ But when the vinefressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance