death penalty2 essays

death penalty2 essays The death penalty or as it is formally called capital punishment should be totally abolished for many reasons. First and foremost no one should have the right to take anyone elses life, neither individually nor as a society representative, has the right to take another mans life, even apart from the seriousness of his guilt. (Thinkquest,). Killing is a sin under God. Thou shall not kill is one of the ten commandments. Although not everyone in this country is Christian our constitution was founded on the principle that we are one country under God. Throughout history there have been a number of arguments in favor of capital punishment. These arguments include the deterrent argument, the retribution argument and the protection of the public argument. The deterrent argument claims that the death penalty serves as a deterrent to criminals because it instills fear sufficiently to stop criminals. However, statistically this has been found not to be true. None of the many studies about the matter has been able to show the death penalty is more deterrent than other punishments. (EZ,). Most people who commit the most serious crimes do so under unnatural circumstances. Fear is not even present. Most serious crimes such as murdersare committed when the criminal is blinded with passion, when emotions prevail over reason. (Collegain,). Even those who plan crimes such as murders do so thinking that they are not going to be discovered. Criminologist assert that the best way to discourage murderers isnt by increasing the severity of punishment but by increasing the possibility of discovering the crime and condemning the culprit.(Thinkquest,). Retribution as a reason for capital punishment assumes that the public wants revenge. Although victims of crimes and their relatives deserve to know that the criminal is being punished for th...