Reasons For The Legalization Of The Death Penalty

Capital punishment, or the death penalty, has been an ongoing ethical debate that has been traced to the beginning of the American colonies. The death penalty is an issue that has the United States quite divided. While there are many supporters of it, there is also a large amount in opposition. Currently, there are thirty-one states in which the death penalty is legal and nineteen states that have abolished it. Because of its controversial nature, it is important to further analyze the moral permissibility of the death penalty. I believe the death penalty should be legal throughout the nation for those who commit crimes deemed by society and government as deserving the infliction of death.
In this paper, I will defend the legalization of …show more content…
According to the doctrine of Retributivism, this is the main justification of punishment. Society is justly ordered when each person receives what is due to him or her. Crime disturbs this just order; this is because the criminal takes from people their lives, peace, liberties and worldly goods in order to give him or her undeserved benefits. Therefore, theses deserved punishments, like the death penalty, protect society morally by resorting this just order by making the criminal pay a price equivalent to the harm he has done. Although the victim and the victim 's family cannot be restored to the status which preceded the murder, at least an execution brings closure to the murderer 's crime and ensures that the murderer will create no more victims. One example of a philosopher with strong beliefs for retribution is Immanuel Kant. Kant stated in his Metaphysics of …show more content…
Many may object based on the contention that this could result in innocent people executed. Since the reinstatement of the modern death penalty, 87 people have been freed from death row because they were later proven innocent. This is a demonstrated error rate of 1 innocent person for every 7 persons executed. Therefore, when the consequences are life and death, the thought that innocent people may be executed must be taken seriously. It is important to realize that some small margin for error does exist in the law system when it comes to capital punishment and the condemnation of those presumed to be guilty of crime. Therefore, in the future, if the use of the death penalty becomes legalized across the nation, one must take into consideration that this would result in the execution of more innocent