The Death Penalty Is Justified - 1534 Words

Capital punishment raises the very difficult question whether or not it is ethical to kill a convicted criminal. People who oppose the death penalty often argue mistaken identity and wrongful conviction. They argue that long-term imprisonment is the better course of action, because it allows for the possibility that if a mistake was made in the conviction of a suspect, they would be able to correct it without ending the life of an innocent person. They also state that the threat of the death penalty is not a deterrent and people will commit crimes regardless, as often, criminal behavior is committed with the sense that they will not get caught. People who support the death penalty often state that the death penalty is a deterrent, far more than just prison time. They also argue that the death penalty could actually save lives because when a death penalty is carried out, there could be fewer crimes committed in the future. Utilitarianism perspective: The greatest good for the greatest number Assuming for the moment that capital punishment does in fact deter future crimes, does that simple fact give us the right to kill another person? If you were to view this as the utilitarianism approach, then the answer would more than likely be yes, because leaving out any other variables, even though you are ending one life, you could potentially save even more lives. For utilitarian’s, punishment in general is justified only insofar as it creates a greater balance of happiness vs.Show MoreRelatedIs the Death Penalty Justified?1824 Words   |  8 PagesIs the Death Penalty Justified? Jessica Valentine PHI 103 Informal Logic Professor Stephen Carter March 20, 2012 Is the Death Penalty Justified? The death penalty will always be a topic some people refuse to talk about. When in fact, it is a very serious topic and people should know how and why the death penalty is not justified. I believe the death penalty is not justified in the least bit because there are people sitting up in prison just living life because the state does not want toRead MoreIs Death Penalty Justified?995 Words   |  4 Pages995 Is Death Penalty Justified? Death penalty is the capital punishment given to the person where a person is put to death who has done crime or involved in a crime. It is for those people who is doing the crime intentionally. It is given by the government to the traitors, murderer and so on. The sentence is vindicated by the type of offense committed. There are certain conditions where a death penalty can be correct and should be consider Justified by the government. The death penalty guaranteesRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Justified1346 Words   |  6 Pagespast and recent years, the death penalty has remained a huge debate between individuals that agree or disagree whether the death penalty is justifiable punishment or not. Is capital punishment truly a justified and powerful approach to the violations of specific prisoners? Many individuals believe that having the death penalty is cruel and inhumane. Others believe that people who commit such heinous crimes should be punished with the death penalty. Insti lling the death penalty is the same as saying â€Å"eyeRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Justified1828 Words   |  8 PagesThe Death Penalty Daniel Heydari Professor Sheldon Philosophy 262-0 12 October 2015 1.) The author of this letter, submitted to the New York Times, claims that the death penalty is wholly and morally justified, seeing as its existence results in the lessening of violent deaths and gun use due to the perpetrator’s fear of killing a person in haste and thus being given the death penalty. 2.) The author argues his claim of the death penalty being justified as a means of punishment for violent crimesRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Justified923 Words   |  4 Pagespilots who also had to bomb innocents to win the war,† (Gorman). More recently, a common trend has been the disapproval of the death penalty, exhibited by the thirteen percent drop in the number of people on death row since Spring of 2005 (Death Penalty Info. Center). Life without parole has become the preferred sentence of unavoidable capital punishment. The death penalty has frequently been viewed as inhumane. However, isn’t lack of remorse for such vile acts inhumane? In cases of intentional murderRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Justified1143 Words   |  5 PagesAllison Shu 2/25/16 Period 2 Objective paper on the death penalty Capital punishment is legally authorized killing as punishment for a crime. The death penalty questions the morality of killing a person as justification for their crime. It also brings to question whether the death penalty actually serves as a deterrent for crime, and that some of the people executed are found innocent afterwards. The debates over the constitutionality of the death penalty and whether capital punishment should be usedRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Justified995 Words   |  4 PagesThe Death penalty has been a controversial topic for many years and recently the debate about it has been getting bigger and bigger to where at some point soon a decision will have to be made. Many people will disagree with the death penalty because it goes against their moral beliefs, this is thought process is seen more in the northern states. However, here in the south the death penalty is strongly believed in by most, but who is put to death and why? Did they deserve this sentence or were theyRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Justified1603 Words   |  7 PagesTHE DEATH PENALTY Many nations have criminals to punish, but what’s changing is how they punish their criminals. Most countries, even some states, have come to the realization that the death penalty is an unfair, inhumane, unconstitutional, and irreversible punishment that’s much too severe and is an unfit punishment for a fair and just society. Internationally, the U.S. ranks fifth in terms of the number of prisoners put to death, putting America in such ill-esteemed company as the regimesRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Justified858 Words   |  4 PagesSince the foundation of our nation the Death Penalty has been a way to punish prisoners that have committed heinous crimes, however since the turn of the 20th century the practice of Capital Punishment has been questioned on its usage in America and the world as a whole. The Death Penalty is used in America to punish criminals who have committed murders, or taken the life of an innocent person, and while the death penalty seems like it is doing justice to those who have killed others it is actuallyRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Justified1463 Words   |  6 PagesIn many eyes across the country the death penalty is widely criticized. The state of Texas has the death penalty, whereas nineteen other states in the United States do not including the state Maine. The death penalty is a way for the states to declare that they don’t tolerate the heinous crimes that some individuals commit. In Texas there are numerous ways that one could be sentenced to death row. Murdering a police officer or firefighter in the line of duty and if the individual knowing that they