Many religions and religious leaders consider corporal punishment to be cruel and a unnecessary punishment. The late Pope John Paul II felt the death penalty should never be used. In an article by Anonymous (1999) the Pope is quoted as stating corporal punishment should not be used, "even in the case of someone who has done a great evil" (1999.) Corporal punishment is not cruel or unnecessary. It is a moral manner to punish someone who has committed a heinous crime. The death penalty is only used in judgment of the very worst crimes. Murderers and rapists are examples of the types of criminals who might receive the death penalty. The death penalty is the only way to react to such horrible crimes. It is the ultimate punishment. Inflicting corporal punishment ensures these types of criminals will no longer prey on society.
In the racially motivated murder of James Byrd Jr. the death penalty was rightfully imposed. Mr. Byrd, an African American male, was walking home one evening when he was brutally murdered by three professed white supremacists. He was forced into their pickup truck and beaten. He was chained to the back of the pickup by his ankles and then drug for three miles. In the court trial, "A pathologist testified that Byrd was alive until his head and right arm were severed from his torso " (Jet, 1999). One can not deny that the death penalty was not deserved in this instance.
A recent Texas case in which the death
References: Anastaplo, G. (1999) In re Antonin Scalia, Perspectives on Political Science, Winter, vol. 28, pp. 22. Anonymous (1999) Capital Punishment 'Cruel and Unnecessary ', America, March 20, vol.180, pp. 3 Anonymous, (1998) Court upholds Dallas death penalty case, United Press International, June 17, pp. 3249. Anonymous, (2001) No more secret death penalty in Texas, Editor & Publisher, March 27, vol. 132 pp. 30, Anonymous, (1999) Getting past the death penalty, US movement supporting moratorium on death penalty, The Economist, July 24, vol. 352, pp. 27. Black, P. (1998) Do Circumstances Ever Justify Capital Punishment? Theological Studies, June, vol. 60, pp. 338. Greenhouse, L., (2002) New York death penalty, Supreme Court strikes down plea-bargaining clause in death penalty cases, The New York Times, June 15, pp. 22. Hampande, D. (1997), Pentecostal pastor supports death penalty, Africa News Service, July 30, pp. 6709. Kennedy, E., (2003) Inner peace restored for victims ' families when murderer is executed, morality of capital punishment, National Catholic Reporter, July 2, vol. 3, pp. 21. White supremacist sentenced to die for dragging death of Black man in Jasper, TX., Jet, vol. 95, pp. 13-15.