Lethal Justice

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Recommended: Punishment within the criminal justice system

There are guilty people who walk free every day. It is appalling is that there are people who are responsible for egregious crimes such as premeditated murder, that walk free or are allowed to live the rest of their lives provided with nourishment and clothing. These same people are the people that tax dollars are spent supporting. Some of these people do not deserve to live after the crimes they have committed. For example, Joe Atkin’s was a man who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for murdering his half brother. His adopted father’s constant pleas for parole were ultimately accepted and Atkin’s was released from his sentence on parole. Atkin’s went on to murder 13 year old Karen Patterson by shooting her repeatedly in her bed. Atkin’s then proceeded to kill his adopted father in cold blood (McAdams 1). There must be a more severe form of punishment equivalent to the cruelty of crimes that people like Joe commit. What other retribution is appropriate for this situation other than capital punishment? The death penalty has been used as a form of capital punishment since the early 1600’s and should still be enforced worldwide (Eddlem 4). The death penalty must be enforced and exercised to the full extent of the law because it lowers the amount of premeditated murders and punishes capital crimes. Furthermore, premeditated murders are nearly impossible to stop. It is just a truth that when people have the determination to kill, they will find a way to do just that. The death penalty will not stop a man from doing so, nor will it bring the victim back to life. However, it does give justice to the victim’s family and friends as well as punish the murderer for his blatant crime. For every 1,000 murderers, on average, there are 2,000 v... ... middle of paper ... ..., Pa.. 14 Jul. 2002: P4. eLibrary. Web. 23 Feb. 2011 Dezhbakhsh, Hashem. “The Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment: Evidence from a “Judicial Experiment”.” Economic Inquiry 3(2006):512. eLibrary. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. Eddlem, Thomas R. “Ten Anti-Death Penalty Fallacies.” New American, The. 03 Jun. 2002: 23. eLibrary. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. McAdams, John. “Who Speaks for the Victims of Those We Execute.” Marquette University/Department of Political Science 17 Aug. 2010 eLibrary. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. Mubalama, Passy. “Death Penalty Debate [Analysis].” AllAfrica. 03 Feb. 2011 eLibrary. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. Nduru, Moyiga. “South Africa: Political Parties Want Death Penalty Reinstated.” Global Information Network. 08 Jun. 2006 eLibrary. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. Zimring, Franklin. “Marking Time on Death Row.” World Book Year Books. 01 Jul. 2009. eLibrary. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.

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