Death Penalty Discussion
Is the Death Penalty Right or Wrong?The idea of putting another human
to death is hard to completely fathom. The physical mechanics involved in the
act of execution are easy to grasp, but the emotions involved in carrying out a
death sentence on another person, regardless of how much they deserve it, is
beyond my own understanding. I know it must be painful, dehumanizing, and
sickening. However, this act is sometimes necessary and it is our responsibility as
a society to see that it is done.
Opponents of capital punishment have basically four arguments.
The first is that there is a possibility of error. However, the chance
that there might be an error is separate from the issue of whether the
death penalty can be justified or not. If an error does occur, and an
innocent person is executed, then the problem lies in the court system,
not in the death penalty. Furthermore, most activities in our world, in
which humans are involved, possess a possibility of injury or death.
Construction, sports, driving, and air travel all offer the possibility of
accidental death even though the highest levels of precautions are taken.
These activities continue to take place, and continue to occasionally take
human lives, because we have all decided, as a society, that the
advantages outweigh the unintended loss. We have also decided that the
advantages of having dangerous murderers removed from our society outweigh
the losses of the offender.
The second argument against capital punishment is that it is
unfair in its administration. Statistics show that the poor and
minorities are more likely to receive the death penalty. Once again, this
is a separate issue.
It can't be disputed sadly, the rich are more likely to get off with a
lesser sentence, and this bias is wrong. However, this is yet another
problem of our current court system. The racial and economic bias is not
a valid argument
to death is hard to completely fathom. The physical mechanics involved in the
act of execution are easy to grasp, but the emotions involved in carrying out a
death sentence on another person, regardless of how much they deserve it, is
beyond my own understanding. I know it must be painful, dehumanizing, and
sickening. However, this act is sometimes necessary and it is our responsibility as
a society to see that it is done.
Opponents of capital punishment have basically four arguments.
The first is that there is a possibility of error. However, the chance
that there might be an error is separate from the issue of whether the
death penalty can be justified or not. If an error does occur, and an
innocent person is executed, then the problem lies in the court system,
not in the death penalty. Furthermore, most activities in our world, in
which humans are involved, possess a possibility of injury or death.
Construction, sports, driving, and air travel all offer the possibility of
accidental death even though the highest levels of precautions are taken.
These activities continue to take place, and continue to occasionally take
human lives, because we have all decided, as a society, that the
advantages outweigh the unintended loss. We have also decided that the
advantages of having dangerous murderers removed from our society outweigh
the losses of the offender.
The second argument against capital punishment is that it is
unfair in its administration. Statistics show that the poor and
minorities are more likely to receive the death penalty. Once again, this
is a separate issue.
It can't be disputed sadly, the rich are more likely to get off with a
lesser sentence, and this bias is wrong. However, this is yet another
problem of our current court system. The racial and economic bias is not
a valid argument