Death in Chains
Has society climbed so low on the totem pole of morality that it is considered fair and logical to kill someone to “show them” that is not okay to murder? Capital punishment is currently one of the most controversial issues in the United States. Among the Western parts of the world, the US is the one of the only countries allowing it to remain legal. Capital punishment--also known as the death penalty--involves the execution of one condemned for a serious crime, such as murder, kidnapping, or treason--that is carried out with the due process of law (ProCon.org). Some like to claim that a criminal is deserving of a punishment so severe after the list of heinous things they have done. On the other hand, those against the death penalty believe that everyone deserves a second chance. For, the death penalty is …show more content…
Yet when one takes a closer look at it, they will notice that it has little influence in the fluctuation of the crime rate. For example, Texas has executed more people than any other state, yet its homicide rate remains among the nation’s highest (Wolf 68). The death penalty does not deter crime due to the fact that most murders are committed in the “heat of the moment,” or under the influence of drugs when people are not in the right frame of mind. (McFall 213).
Grieving families often look towards this penalty as a form of retribution. Though it is understandable that they feel that way, retribution is only a temporary way to recover from pain. To kill one who has already killed simply continues the cycle of violence (ProCon.org). If this country is really the civilized the society that it claims to be, shouldn’t we reject the principle of doing to the criminals what they did to their victims? “The penalty for rape cannot be rape, or for arson, the burning down of an arsonist’s house. We should not therefore, punish a murderer with death”
Has society climbed so low on the totem pole of morality that it is considered fair and logical to kill someone to “show them” that is not okay to murder? Capital punishment is currently one of the most controversial issues in the United States. Among the Western parts of the world, the US is the one of the only countries allowing it to remain legal. Capital punishment--also known as the death penalty--involves the execution of one condemned for a serious crime, such as murder, kidnapping, or treason--that is carried out with the due process of law (ProCon.org). Some like to claim that a criminal is deserving of a punishment so severe after the list of heinous things they have done. On the other hand, those against the death penalty believe that everyone deserves a second chance. For, the death penalty is …show more content…
Yet when one takes a closer look at it, they will notice that it has little influence in the fluctuation of the crime rate. For example, Texas has executed more people than any other state, yet its homicide rate remains among the nation’s highest (Wolf 68). The death penalty does not deter crime due to the fact that most murders are committed in the “heat of the moment,” or under the influence of drugs when people are not in the right frame of mind. (McFall 213).
Grieving families often look towards this penalty as a form of retribution. Though it is understandable that they feel that way, retribution is only a temporary way to recover from pain. To kill one who has already killed simply continues the cycle of violence (ProCon.org). If this country is really the civilized the society that it claims to be, shouldn’t we reject the principle of doing to the criminals what they did to their victims? “The penalty for rape cannot be rape, or for arson, the burning down of an arsonist’s house. We should not therefore, punish a murderer with death”