Should The Death Penalty Be Banned?
The death penalty has been a topic of debate for many years in the United States. Both sides of the argument have brought up countless reasons to be for or against each one causing it to be a grey area for most. Some bring up the morality of putting someone to death and the emotions behind the case, while few others bring in the cold, hard facts, ignoring philosophical standpoints and favoring a factual one such as cost to the taxpayers, effect on other criminals, and deterrent rates of crimes. Either way, this topic is not without controversy. Based upon facts and moral standpoints the death penalty should be outlawed.
First off, it simply isn’t practical to have it as a form of punishment when one looks …show more content…
By continuing to carry out the death penalty we violate the very same religious and moral views we were founded on and set ourselves back years by resorting to barbaric forms of justice. We live in the 21st century, but by continuing capital punishment we are no better than the ancestors we look down upon. After all, the Bill of Rights bans “cruel and unusual punishment” and it is safe to say that killing someone is deemed cruel, otherwise there wouldn’t be laws against it (US Const., amend. IIX). If this amendment includes torture, why wouldn’t it include death? Our forefathers who wrote this document knew that killing someone cannot be part of the law. Also as a Christian-oriented country, with 83 percent of its citizens identifying as Christian, the 10 Commandments must be kept in mind when thinking of our morality (Langer). The sixth commandment says it all very clearly: “Thou shalt not kill.” America cannot be as advanced as it claims to be when we still murder people for their crimes, nor can we preach of our morality and strong faith when we violate said morals and faith with …show more content…
Being an advanced country in the 21st century America should not still being using the death penalty as a form of punishment. Instead they should make life in prison the norm for the more heinous crimes our criminal justice system sees. Not only will we save money that we can devote to better things, but we can save innocent families from knowing the suffering that the death of a loved one can bring. There is enough death in the world and seeking justice should not mean adding to the body
The death penalty has been a topic of debate for many years in the United States. Both sides of the argument have brought up countless reasons to be for or against each one causing it to be a grey area for most. Some bring up the morality of putting someone to death and the emotions behind the case, while few others bring in the cold, hard facts, ignoring philosophical standpoints and favoring a factual one such as cost to the taxpayers, effect on other criminals, and deterrent rates of crimes. Either way, this topic is not without controversy. Based upon facts and moral standpoints the death penalty should be outlawed.
First off, it simply isn’t practical to have it as a form of punishment when one looks …show more content…
By continuing to carry out the death penalty we violate the very same religious and moral views we were founded on and set ourselves back years by resorting to barbaric forms of justice. We live in the 21st century, but by continuing capital punishment we are no better than the ancestors we look down upon. After all, the Bill of Rights bans “cruel and unusual punishment” and it is safe to say that killing someone is deemed cruel, otherwise there wouldn’t be laws against it (US Const., amend. IIX). If this amendment includes torture, why wouldn’t it include death? Our forefathers who wrote this document knew that killing someone cannot be part of the law. Also as a Christian-oriented country, with 83 percent of its citizens identifying as Christian, the 10 Commandments must be kept in mind when thinking of our morality (Langer). The sixth commandment says it all very clearly: “Thou shalt not kill.” America cannot be as advanced as it claims to be when we still murder people for their crimes, nor can we preach of our morality and strong faith when we violate said morals and faith with …show more content…
Being an advanced country in the 21st century America should not still being using the death penalty as a form of punishment. Instead they should make life in prison the norm for the more heinous crimes our criminal justice system sees. Not only will we save money that we can devote to better things, but we can save innocent families from knowing the suffering that the death of a loved one can bring. There is enough death in the world and seeking justice should not mean adding to the body