The Death Penalty Deters Crime and Saves Lives

1155 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Death penalty does it deter crime

“I don’t think you should support the death penalty to seek revenge. I don’t think that’s right. I think the reason to support the death penalty is because it saves other people’s lives.” -- President George Bush

Many who disagree with the death penalty believe it is immoral, discriminates, is very expensive, increases crime, and is only a way to carry out revenge. This, however, is not true. Capital punishment should be legal because it is moral, by not allowing criminals to roam the streets once again. It does not discriminate against those of color or the poor, and is actually less expensive than life imprisonment. The most important reason why the death penalty should be legal is because it deters crime.

In past centuries, the problem was how to find the most painful way to execute a criminal, not whether criminals should be executed or not. Killing alone wasn’t an acceptable way of punishment (McCuen 8). Nowadays, 97.5% of crimes go unpunished in the United States, and the 2.5% who are punished are not being treated harsh enough (90). The death penalty honors human dignity by treating the defendant as a free moral actor to control his own destiny for good or for ill; it does not treat him as an animal with no moral sense (Kurtz). Criminals who murder, rape, kidnap, torture others, or commit treason should not have the same punishment as crimes of lesser value (Kurtz). This point is backed up by the bible, where it is stated in the first chapter. In Genesis 9:6 it says, “Yes, you must execute anyone who murders another person, for to kill another person is to kill a living being made in God’s image”. It is also brought up again in Exodus 21:23-24 where it states, “But if any harm results, then the offender must be punis...

... middle of paper ...

...cans believe, capital punishment is moral, does not discriminate, is less expensive than life imprisonment, and helps keep crime rates low.

Works Cited

Gary, mcCuen. Reviving the death penalty. Hudson, Wis.: G.E.McCuen Publications, 1985. Print.

Kurtz, John. "Top 10 Pros and Cons - Death Penalty - ProCon.org." Death Penalty ProCon.org. procon.org, 12 July 2014. Web. 4 Mar. 2015. .

Markoff, Steven C. "Death Penalty ProCon.org." Death Penalty ProCon.org. N.p., 12 July 2014. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

.

Marzilli, Alan. Capital punishment. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2008. Print.

Smith, Roger."Pro Capital Punishment Page." Wesley Lowe - The Necromancer Wars. Wesley Lowe, 11 Jan. 2014. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

.

Show More
Related

  • The Case Against Capital Punishment

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    Radelet, Michael L., updated by the Death Penalty Information Center.  Post-Furman Botched Executions. The Death Penalty Information Center

    Read More

  • Make The Death Penalty Quicker, Cheaper and More Effective

    1672 Words  | 4 Pages

    "The Death Penalty Deters Crime and Saves Lives." The Heritage Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Essay - Death Penalty is Neither Cruel Nor Unusual

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sullum, Jacob. "The Death Penalty Is Just." The Death Penalty: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA. Greenhaven Press, Inc. 1991. pp. 57-60.

    Read More

  • The Death Penalty

    520 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The death Penalty: Deterrance.” Michigan State University Comm Tech Lab and Death Penalty Information Center. (2001): 1. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. http://deathpenaltycurriculum.org/student/c/about/argument1a.htm.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment

    905 Words  | 2 Pages

    In my opinion capital punishment is wrong. The death penalty is the center of much debate in society. This is due, in part, to the fact that people see only the act of killing a criminal, and not the social effects the death penalty has on society as a whole. Upon reading about the death penalty, it was found to be an unethical practice. It promotes a violent and inhumane society in which killing is considered okay. Since there are alternatives, the death penalty should be abolished. Some people believe capital punishment to be cruel and unusual. Others believe that a person who kills, should themselves be killed. This statement alone raises the question, "How should they be killed?" The question that should really be asked is, "Should we kill at all?" Would it be morally correct to kill someone just because they have killed someone else?

    Read More

  • The Death Penalty Debate

    1491 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...etter, Michael. "Death Penalty and Crime Rates: Need To Know." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Essay - Benefits of the Death Penalty

    1419 Words  | 3 Pages

    First, people should know the history of the death penalty. The death penalty has a long history dating back to the 16th Century BC. "In 16th Century BC Egypt, a death sentence was ordered for members of nobility, who were accused of magic. They were ordered to take their own life. The non-nobility was usually killed with an ax"(Burns). During the 18th Century BC, King Hammurabi of Babylon had a code that arranged the death penalty for 25 different crimes although murder was not one of them (Burns).

    Read More

  • The Death Penalty

    1561 Words  | 4 Pages

    Pasquerella, Lynn. “The Death Penalty in the United States.” The Study Circle Resource Center of Topsfield Foundation. July 1991. Topsfield Foundation. 03 Feb 2011. Web.

    Read More

  • The Death Penalty is Cruel and Unusual Punishment

    1325 Words  | 3 Pages

    The death penalty is racist, it punishes the poor, it causes the innocent to die, it is not a deterrent against violent crime, and it is cruel and unusual punishment. More than half of the countries in the world have already abolished the death penalty and the U.S should abolish it too. It is wrong and cruel. Some states in the U.S still hold the death penalty because they think it will keep U.S citizens safe, but we can just keep the murders in a separate patrolled jail. Abolish it and we may save the lives of the people that may have been executed innocent.

    Read More

  • History of the Death Penalty and Why It Is Not Wrong

    3309 Words  | 7 Pages

    “The Death Penalty: Pro and Con.” Wgbh.org. WGBH Educational Foundation, 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.

    Read More

  • Death Penalty is Another Name for Revenge

    1929 Words  | 4 Pages

      It is cheaper to contain a prisoner for life than it is to kill one.   The death penalty is imposed unequally among the races. Capital punishment isn't an effective crime deterrent.   Innocent persons will inevitably be executed as long as capital punishment remains a part of our legal system.   For these reasons, capital punishment should be abolished.

    Read More

  • Why the Death Penalty Should Be Abolished

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    Why should the death penalty be abolished? The death penalty should be abolished because of many reasons. Many people believe the saying, 'an eye for an eye'. But when will people realize that just because someone may have killed a loved one that the best thing for that person is to die also. People don't realize that they are putting the blood of another person life on their hands. This makes them just as guilty as the person who committed the crime: the only difference is that they didn't use weapon except their mouth to kill them. The death penalty should be abolished because it is racist, punishes the poor, condemns those who are innocent to death, and is a cruel punishment.

    Read More

  • The Death Penalty: Pros And Cons Of Capital Punishment

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    A majority of American citizens view the death penalty as a morally justified form of punishment for criminals, even though there is growing discontent. Despite it being such an avoidable discussion topic, nearly every American has his own opinion on the matter. The death penalty has an uncanny knack for polarizing even the closest of friends. The inner turmoil that comes with the idea of capital punishment is enough to deter most average Joe 's and even politicians away from facing the truths. Because of this, capital punishment is an important yet untouched subject. The death penalty balances life and death so it mustn 't be ignored.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment: The Best Solution

    2375 Words  | 5 Pages

    Eddlem, T. R. (2004). Ten Anti-Death Penalty Fallacies.The New American. 2002. Web. 10 June 2015.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Justified

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fein, Bruce. "Individual Rights and Responsibility - The Death Penalty, But Sparingly." Speech. American Bar Association. Feb. 2003. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

    Read More

More about The Death Penalty Deters Crime and Saves Lives

Open Document