Against Death Penalty - You Kill, You Should Be Killed
Suzan Oyewale
Salvia
College Writing 11
9 December 2011
You kill, you should be killed!
Brutally murdered by a man no one would have suspected, an innocent twelve-year old girl was taken from her mother. Although, this poor girl 's mother was stricken with grief and anger, she did not wish for this murderer to die for her own sake, but to protect other innocent girls like her own. She sat and watched, staring into the eyes of the man who had killed her daughter. She watched as they inserted the needle containing the fluid that would take his life.
As the 21st century begins, Americans are bombarded with the growing report of murders, violent crimes, especially the recent attacks of terrorists all over the country. The society has created many punishments to discourage such crimes and damages, furthermore, to ask the murderers to pay back what they have done. Since the society has the highest interest in preventing murder, it should use the strongest and most severe punishment available to deter murder, and that is no other than the death penalty, which has existed for thousands of years. The death penalty is considered as the legal infliction of death for violating criminal law, the right of taking a human 's life is a serious problem, so the issue has continually created tension and debates in today society.
Whenever the word "death penalty" comes up, extremists from both sides start yelling out their arguments. One side says deterrence, the other side says there is a potential of executing the innocents, one says justice, retribution and punishment, the other says execution is murder. Crime is an evident part of society, and everyone is aware that something must be done about it. But does the death penalty achieve its objectives and maintain fairness?
Is it morally unjust to execute criminals after they have committed a certain horrific crime upon another innocent victim? Until mid-twentieth century, this had been the tradition of practice, dating
Salvia
College Writing 11
9 December 2011
You kill, you should be killed!
Brutally murdered by a man no one would have suspected, an innocent twelve-year old girl was taken from her mother. Although, this poor girl 's mother was stricken with grief and anger, she did not wish for this murderer to die for her own sake, but to protect other innocent girls like her own. She sat and watched, staring into the eyes of the man who had killed her daughter. She watched as they inserted the needle containing the fluid that would take his life.
As the 21st century begins, Americans are bombarded with the growing report of murders, violent crimes, especially the recent attacks of terrorists all over the country. The society has created many punishments to discourage such crimes and damages, furthermore, to ask the murderers to pay back what they have done. Since the society has the highest interest in preventing murder, it should use the strongest and most severe punishment available to deter murder, and that is no other than the death penalty, which has existed for thousands of years. The death penalty is considered as the legal infliction of death for violating criminal law, the right of taking a human 's life is a serious problem, so the issue has continually created tension and debates in today society.
Whenever the word "death penalty" comes up, extremists from both sides start yelling out their arguments. One side says deterrence, the other side says there is a potential of executing the innocents, one says justice, retribution and punishment, the other says execution is murder. Crime is an evident part of society, and everyone is aware that something must be done about it. But does the death penalty achieve its objectives and maintain fairness?
Is it morally unjust to execute criminals after they have committed a certain horrific crime upon another innocent victim? Until mid-twentieth century, this had been the tradition of practice, dating
Cited: Bruck, David. The Death Penalty. Maryland: New Republic. 1985. Print. Dolby, Nadine. “Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future Directions.” Social Work and Society: The International Online-Only Journal 6.2 (2008): Web. 1 Dec 2011. Flowers, Marnine. "Death penalty should be revoked!”. A List Apart Mag., 17 Aug. 2002. Web. 19 Nov 2011. Lowe, Wesley. An Essay by Wesley Lowe: Capital Punishment Statistics. Bureau of Justice Statistics. 3rd Ed. New York: Pearson/Longman, 1988. Print. Mason, Anthony. “Politics and the Death Penalty.” Literature and Society. Spec. issue of Journal of Contemporary History 2.2 (1967): 93-99. Print. Prejean, Helen. Executions Are Too Costly—Morally Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. 1993. Print. Savage, Petero. Social Issues: Death Penalty. New York: Penguin, 1994. Print. Sharper, Michael. History of Death in U.S. Baltimore: Dover, 1995. 26. Print. Stolley, Karl. "Toward a Conception of Religion in the Death Penalty: Implications for Postmodern Composition Theory." 2002. Print.