Capital Punishment - Death Penalty

Capital Punishment

The idea of putting another human to death is hard to completely imagine. The physical mechanics involved in the act of execution are easy to grasp, but the emotions involved in carrying out a death sentence on another person, regardless of how much they deserve it, is beyond my own understanding. I know it must be painful, dehumanizing, and sickening. However, this act is sometimes necessary and it is our responsibility as a society to see that it is done. Many Americans will tell you why they are in favor of the death penalty. It is what they deserve. It prevents the murderer from ever murdering again. It removes the burden from taxpayers. We all live in a society with the same basic rights and guarantees. We have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness with equal opportunities. This is the basis for our society. It is the foundation on which everything else is built upon. When someone willfully and flagrantly attacks this foundation by murdering another, robbing them of all they are, and all they will ever be, then that person can no longer be a part of this society.

The only method that completely separates cold-blooded murderers from our society is the death penalty. Many places all over the world have used the death penalty at one point or another. The Ancient Romans and the Judaic cultures practiced retributive justice. That type of justice uses the rule "an eye for an eye." The United States picked up the act of capital punishment from the culturally similar continent of Europe. We picked it up in the 17th century. "An eye for an eye," is what some Americans would say concerning the death penalty. Supporters of the death penalty ask the question, "Why should I have to pay to support a murderer for the rest of their natural life? Why not execute them and save society the cost of their keep?" Many Americans believe that the death penalty is wrong. However, it seems obvious to some Americans that the death penalty is a just and proper way to handle convicted murderers. Capital punishment is sometimes unfair in its administration. Statistics show that the poor and minorities are more likely to receive the death penalty. It can't be disputed. Sadly, the rich are more likely to get off with a lesser sentence, and this bias is wrong. However, this is yet another problem of our current court system. The racial and economic bias is not a valid argument against the death penalty. It is an argument against the courts and their unfair system of sentencing.

One argument of capital punishment is that there is a possibility of error. However, the chance that there might be an error is separate from the issue of whether the death penalty can be justified or not. If an error does occur, and an innocent person is executed, then the problem lies in the court system, not in the death penalty. Furthermore, most activities in our world, in which humans are involved, possess a possibility of injury or death. Construction, sports, driving, and air travel all offer the possibility of accidental death even though the highest levels of precautions are taken. These activities continue to take place, and continue to occasionally take human lives, because we have all decided, as a society, that the advantages outweigh the unintended loss. We have also decided that the advantages of having dangerous murderers removed from our society outweigh the losses of the offender.

Crime in today's world has become more gruesome with the times. With the crimes comes jail, so more jails are being built for the prisoners. More criminals are being sent to jail and getting the death penalty. Some feel that the death penalty is also a gruesome act of murder. People who commit crimes get what they deserve and if that's the death penalty then they should get it, mostly because they are taking up our space and our time. Crimes have become a major pollution in this country. If people want to commit crimes so badly then they should pay for what they do. Gangs and organized crime have added more to this country's problems. Some people think it is fun and some are just deranged. To put it simply, they shouldn't do the crime if they can't do the time, even though some people are committing crime and some of them are getting away with it.

Today's law system has many loop holes in it. This is what is putting gangs, drug dealers, and bad people on the streets. Lawyers are key weapons for these types of people, the lawyers help them get away with anything. A lot of people have been convicted of crimes and got away with it, due to their lawyers. The death penalty is a good punishment because people in this country deserve to feel safe. Some countries have had their crime rates lowered due to the abolishing of the death penalty, but