Capital Punishment
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- Category: Politics: Moral Issues
- Date Submitted: 11/09/2010 08:46 PM
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Capital Punishment
The debate regarding the whether Capital punishment is morally right or wrong has been going on since the death penalty was introduced as a measure of punishing various offenders/ criminals in different nations around the globe. This paper will make arguments that support the enforcement of capital punishment in the country. This paper will also seek to show the faults in the arguments made by those who are against capital punishment.
The position of various individuals/ nations on this issue is informed by certain issues. For instance, the decision to support the death penalty depends on what various individuals view as being more important-retribution or deterrence. Individuals who think that the victims of the activities of criminals need to confront the offender and have their revenge will normally be in favor of capital punishment. On the other hand, individuals who believe that the punishment meted out to criminals should focus more on serving as a deterrent to other individuals with any intent of committing crimes are greatly opposed to the death penalty.
Another argument in this debate is that societies with higher crime rates are more likely to be in support of the death penalty because they are fed up with the high death rates and other crime effects on their community. This argument further states that people who live in relatively crime free environments may not necessarily understand the devastation that the activities of criminals such as murderers and robbers cause. For this reason, this latter category is vehemently opposed to the death penalty. However, people who have had no real encounter with the effects of crimes committed by the criminals they are defending have absolutely no authority to judge those who support capital punishment.
Individuals who are strictly opposed to the death penalty also argue that the use of this form of criminal punishment contravenes the criminals’ right to life. However, what such individuals...
The debate regarding the whether Capital punishment is morally right or wrong has been going on since the death penalty was introduced as a measure of punishing various offenders/ criminals in different nations around the globe. This paper will make arguments that support the enforcement of capital punishment in the country. This paper will also seek to show the faults in the arguments made by those who are against capital punishment.
The position of various individuals/ nations on this issue is informed by certain issues. For instance, the decision to support the death penalty depends on what various individuals view as being more important-retribution or deterrence. Individuals who think that the victims of the activities of criminals need to confront the offender and have their revenge will normally be in favor of capital punishment. On the other hand, individuals who believe that the punishment meted out to criminals should focus more on serving as a deterrent to other individuals with any intent of committing crimes are greatly opposed to the death penalty.
Another argument in this debate is that societies with higher crime rates are more likely to be in support of the death penalty because they are fed up with the high death rates and other crime effects on their community. This argument further states that people who live in relatively crime free environments may not necessarily understand the devastation that the activities of criminals such as murderers and robbers cause. For this reason, this latter category is vehemently opposed to the death penalty. However, people who have had no real encounter with the effects of crimes committed by the criminals they are defending have absolutely no authority to judge those who support capital punishment.
Individuals who are strictly opposed to the death penalty also argue that the use of this form of criminal punishment contravenes the criminals’ right to life. However, what such individuals...