The Death Penalty Debate

The Death Penalty has always a controversial topic especially in the United States. People have been for it and people of course have been against it. But the polls show that most of the people in America support the Death penalty. The highest number of people in support of capital punishment is 80% and the lowest has been in the fifties for a very brief time(Michael Foley, "Toward Understanding the Death Penalty Debate"). Most people that are both pro and against the Death Penalty would agree a violent murderer that were caught red handed should be condemned should be severely punished. A jail sentence is not always the best way to deal with murderers. The Death Penalty has a strong deterrent factor, prevents a murderer from committing more …show more content…
Many other countries have gotten rid of the death penalty because the public opinion of it in those countries were against it. The United States on the other hand is in favor of the death penalty. According to current polls taken 67% of Americans support the death penalty(Foley, "Toward Understanding the Death Penalty Debate"). Also there are some politics involved. no one likes heinous murders. And politics can use this as an persuasive point in their campaign. Because of this and the popularity of the death penalty the odds of getting rid of it by this argument alone is not …show more content…
There are certain types of murders in which death penalty should not even suggested. The death penalty shouldn’t be an option for accidental murder. An example is an act of self-defense or a car accident. For these types of murders, the death penalty should not be used because the person did not set out with an intention to kill. People who have a momentary break down shouldn’t be killed because that could happen to anyone. Yes they killed someone but they didn’t premeditate it. Also pregnant women shouldn 't get the death penalty because the baby would also lose it 's life also and even if you waited until the baby born you are taking away the baby’s mother. People who are mentally challenged should also be safe from the death penalty. Dudley Sharp told us in his essay, "Mental Retardation and the Death Penalty," that during trials the law needs to prove that the defendant is mentally stable “and the evaluation requires that the defendant is able to actively be able realize the consequences of their actions and that they understand their punishment(Dudley Sharp, "Mental Retardation and the Death Penalty").” Dudley Sharp was saying and also believes that in order to sentence someone to death they should be able to understand what is going to happen and why what they did was wrong. These are certain instances that people shouldn’t be