Should the Death Penalty Still be Legal?
Origins of the death penalty span all the way back to the time of Hammurabi about three and a half millennia ago. “In the 18th Century BC, the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon codified the death penalty for twenty five different crimes” (Reggio, PBS.org). Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, the reasons that justified these so called “inhumane” punishments, was the reason that surpassed all others, logic. The death penalty was archaically considered the norm in classical civilizations, yet today in the public 's eyes, the penalty is considered too rash. On the contrary however, the death penalty should still be legal in the United States because it deters criminals from committing heinous acts, provides …show more content…
Dzhokhar tsarnaev, One of the Boston marathon bombers, and his brother had a shoot-out with a police officer, of which they seriously injured in Watertown, Massachusetts. After hearing about the jury’s decision in regards to favoring the death penalty for Dzhokhar, one of his victims, police officer Richard Donohue, was quoted saying “The verdict, undoubtedly a difficult decision for the jury, gives me relief and closure as well as the ability to keep moving forward” (Marsh, CNN.com). One of the controversial steps of reaching closure, is that of allowing victim’s families to witness the execution of his or her killer. Brooks Douglass, a former state senator from Oklahoma, wrote a bill favoring the right to view executions as a result of the loss of his parents to a gunman. Douglass is quoted saying: "It is not retaliation or retribution that I seek in witnessing the execution of the man who killed my parents. It is closure. Closure on an era of my life which I never chose to enter. Closure of years of anger and hate." (Goodwin, PBS.com). Take for instance Osama Bin Laden, the notorious mastermind behind the collapse of the world trade centers. The mass murders of over 3,000 people on 9/11 and much more around the globe were orchestrated by none other than Bin Laden the leader of Al-Qaeda, a terrorist group known for its atrocities. It was not until 2011, one decade later, that Bin Laden was killed under the Obama administration (9/11 Attacks, History.com). The significance of his death was that closure was brought to everyone in the world, particularly that of the United States. The families of victims on 9/11 were now satisfied with the death of Laden and long overdue justice was served finally. One could also contemplate as to whether the U.S. should’ve or shouldn’t have kept Bin Laden from a national security standpoint as
Origins of the death penalty span all the way back to the time of Hammurabi about three and a half millennia ago. “In the 18th Century BC, the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon codified the death penalty for twenty five different crimes” (Reggio, PBS.org). Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, the reasons that justified these so called “inhumane” punishments, was the reason that surpassed all others, logic. The death penalty was archaically considered the norm in classical civilizations, yet today in the public 's eyes, the penalty is considered too rash. On the contrary however, the death penalty should still be legal in the United States because it deters criminals from committing heinous acts, provides …show more content…
Dzhokhar tsarnaev, One of the Boston marathon bombers, and his brother had a shoot-out with a police officer, of which they seriously injured in Watertown, Massachusetts. After hearing about the jury’s decision in regards to favoring the death penalty for Dzhokhar, one of his victims, police officer Richard Donohue, was quoted saying “The verdict, undoubtedly a difficult decision for the jury, gives me relief and closure as well as the ability to keep moving forward” (Marsh, CNN.com). One of the controversial steps of reaching closure, is that of allowing victim’s families to witness the execution of his or her killer. Brooks Douglass, a former state senator from Oklahoma, wrote a bill favoring the right to view executions as a result of the loss of his parents to a gunman. Douglass is quoted saying: "It is not retaliation or retribution that I seek in witnessing the execution of the man who killed my parents. It is closure. Closure on an era of my life which I never chose to enter. Closure of years of anger and hate." (Goodwin, PBS.com). Take for instance Osama Bin Laden, the notorious mastermind behind the collapse of the world trade centers. The mass murders of over 3,000 people on 9/11 and much more around the globe were orchestrated by none other than Bin Laden the leader of Al-Qaeda, a terrorist group known for its atrocities. It was not until 2011, one decade later, that Bin Laden was killed under the Obama administration (9/11 Attacks, History.com). The significance of his death was that closure was brought to everyone in the world, particularly that of the United States. The families of victims on 9/11 were now satisfied with the death of Laden and long overdue justice was served finally. One could also contemplate as to whether the U.S. should’ve or shouldn’t have kept Bin Laden from a national security standpoint as