Arguments For Capital Punishment And Specific Retribution

Arguments for capital punishment include general and specific deterrence and retribution. At the foundation of the support of capital punishment is deterrence. Specific deterrence states that if a condemned individual is put to death, then they will not break the law ever again. General deterrence states that if the rest of society sees a murderer being executed, then everyone in society will refrain from committing murder due to fearing the ramifications of the act. Retribution is punishing an offender as severely as possible for a crime, and in this case, death is the most severe punishment.

Arguments against capital punishment include religious and spiritual concerns about killing; belief that it does not deter; race, gender, and class

issues about who is selected for death; and fear of executing the innocent. Many people hold religious beliefs in which it is morally wrong to kill another person, regardless of the reason behind them being killed. Others believe that seeing the execution of violent offenders does not actually deter others from committing violent crimes. There is plenty of evidence to support the claim that racial and gender biases come into play with the death penalty; Blacks and Hispanics are executed more than whites, those who killed whites are more likely to be executed than those who killed minorities, women are less likely to be executed than men, and those who killed men are less likely to be executed than those who killed women. Additionally, social class can be a factor. Those who are impoverished often find themselves lacking the necessary resources to provide a first-class defense, and those who are wealthy can hire private lawyers and investigators. Fear of executing the innocent is a straight forward concern; some people are worried that innocent people will be executed.