Persuasive Essay On Supporting The Death Penalty

I support the death penalty, also known as capital punishment. It is the legal

process where the state sends a death row inmate to execution as a punishment for a

grave crime committed such as murder, rape, or treason. Although not all crimes are

punishable by death, there are strong opinions shared by both pro-death penalty and

anti-death penalty supporters. Many countries still practice the death penalty, but in

the United States, it is decided by each state as to whether they will allow it. Today, 31

of the states do allow the death penalty while 19 states do not, Mississippi being one

of those that do. Whether it should be carried out or not has been argued many years

between those who favor it and those who don’t. My opinion

in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon, which enforced the death penalty

for 25 different crimes. Since then death sentences have been carried out by such

means as crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, hanging, firing

squads, electric chairs, and gas chambers. Today the most common method is lethal

injection.

The death penalty helps cut down on crime. Everyone has the basic instinct to want to

live. If someone realizes he may be put to death for committing a crime, he is less likely

to carry it out. One of many studies that support this is a study done by Naci Mocan, an

economics professor at the University of Colorado in Denver. "The conclusion is there is

a deterrent effect." His 2003 and 2006 studies found that each execution results in five

fewer homicides, and commuting a death sentence means five more homicides. Since

2001, dozens of studies like his support that capital punishment has deterrent effects.

They are all based on the theory that if the cost of something, whether it be the purchase

of an apple or the act of killing someone, becomes too high, people will change their

behavior - forego the apples or shy from murder. Some take it a step further by

Added to those costs is

the cost of the lethal injection itself, which is how most states execute today. All of these costs

added together normally are more than the cost of lifetime confinement. Another argument is

that by executing a murderur, there is no hope for him to eventually feel sorry for the crime and

to be rehabilitated.

For me, there is no question as to whether the death penalty should be used or not. It is

common sense that if a person knows he will be put to death himself should he take someone

else’s life, then he is less likely to commit the murder. Therefore, the death penalty helps prevent

crime as proved by the study done by Naci Mocan. Also, as we say today “what goes around

comes around”. If a person takes the life of another intentionally, then it is only fair and just that

his life be taken from him. That helps to balance right from wrong in society.

I believe in the death penalty, and for anyone who still needs convincing that the death

penalty should be used, I would suggest that they read about the Oklahoma City bombing that

was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown