Against the Death Penalty

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In the U.S. there has been a debate whether or not the death penalty should be used. It continues to be a controversial issue in the world today. Some are for the death penalty, believing that a punishment should fit the crime and it is the only necessary way to reprimand those who have committed a terrible offense. Others believe that the death penalty violates human rights and that it is inhumane, merciless, and cruel. In Kenneth Jost's article "Death Penalty Controversies", he explains that critics and adversaries of the death penalty are warning that capital trials and sentencing hearings are extremely flawed and inadequate that they risk resulting in the execution of innocent people (Jost 785). "Supporters of capital punishment discount the warnings, emphasizing that opponents cannot cite a single person in modern times who was executed and later proven to have been innocent" (786). Because DNA testing can permit inmates to confirm their innocence years after convictions, the debate over mistaken and faulty convictions has increased in recent years. "The Supreme Court recently opened its term with two closely watched cases pending on rules allowing state inmates to use newly discovered evidence to challenge their convictions in federal courts, based on actual innocence as well as constitutional violations" (786). There is now currently a debate whether or not states should enforce a freeze on executions. Many Americans do indeed support the death penalty. "Nearly three out of four Americans are advocates of the death penalty, but only sixty-one percent believe that it is applied fairly in this country. Americans believe that innocent people have been executed within the past five years, but the percentage who feel that way d... ... middle of paper ... ...ld work while being imprisoned to at least allow some reason and dignity in their lives. If a prisoner is working within the compound than a fraction of the prisoner's earning should pay for their confinement. Also another alternative could be taking away a prisoner's parole. This could supply the public with the protection and safety from repeat criminals. Bibliography Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologica. London: 1920. Connors, Russell; Patrick McCormick. Character, Choices, and Community. New York:1998. Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. Ed. Richard Tuck. London:1651. Jost, K. (2005, September 23). "Death penalty controversies." The CQ Researcher, 15, 785-808. http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2005092300. Document ID: cqresrre2005092300. John Paul II. "XXXI World Day for Peace". Message at theVatican: 1998. Mill, John. Utilitarianism. Adelaide:1998.

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