The Death Penalty: Immoral and Inhumane
Imagine for a moment, that someone inflicted a horrendous, illegal act to hurt either you or one of your loved ones. Do you then believe that that individual should be put to death for what he/she has done? That the government should be allowed to take away that person’s life, one where they may have their own family, a disability or mental illness, or loved ones of their own? Capital punishment is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as “the legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime” (1). I find it hard to believe that the government is killing people, their own people, for violent crimes when the punishment they could be giving would be much more humane and justifiable. We first saw cases of the death penalty in the 18th Century BC with Hammurabi’s Code of “an eye for an eye”, and we still see people being killed for crimes they’ve committed to this day. No matter how horrible the crime committed by an individual may be, they should …show more content…
Studies that have shown the death penalty reduces crime have been discredited by rigorous research. Nationally, murder rates are significantly lower in states that don’t use the death penalty than in those with a death penalty statute” (1). I agree with the idea that if they result to the death penalty that it will make sure that person doesn’t commit any heinous crimes again because, obviously, they will be dead. However, life in prison is a just as effective way of making sure that they do not have that opportunity. I don’t know about the majority of people, but if I was a victim of a heinous crime, I would not want another man to die for it, no matter how irrational or violent the crime may have been. I don’t believe that killing or taking someone’s life away honors the victim in anyway. It merely provides a way in establishing a false sense of justice or order that is inhumane and just as heinous as the crime that was
Imagine for a moment, that someone inflicted a horrendous, illegal act to hurt either you or one of your loved ones. Do you then believe that that individual should be put to death for what he/she has done? That the government should be allowed to take away that person’s life, one where they may have their own family, a disability or mental illness, or loved ones of their own? Capital punishment is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as “the legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime” (1). I find it hard to believe that the government is killing people, their own people, for violent crimes when the punishment they could be giving would be much more humane and justifiable. We first saw cases of the death penalty in the 18th Century BC with Hammurabi’s Code of “an eye for an eye”, and we still see people being killed for crimes they’ve committed to this day. No matter how horrible the crime committed by an individual may be, they should …show more content…
Studies that have shown the death penalty reduces crime have been discredited by rigorous research. Nationally, murder rates are significantly lower in states that don’t use the death penalty than in those with a death penalty statute” (1). I agree with the idea that if they result to the death penalty that it will make sure that person doesn’t commit any heinous crimes again because, obviously, they will be dead. However, life in prison is a just as effective way of making sure that they do not have that opportunity. I don’t know about the majority of people, but if I was a victim of a heinous crime, I would not want another man to die for it, no matter how irrational or violent the crime may have been. I don’t believe that killing or taking someone’s life away honors the victim in anyway. It merely provides a way in establishing a false sense of justice or order that is inhumane and just as heinous as the crime that was