Death Penalty

Advocates of the death penalty recognize that no system is perfect and that applying the death penalty runs a small risk of executing someone who is innocent. Is this a price society should be willing to pay?

I believe the death penalty should be enforced. I understand someone may actually be innocent who has been issued the death penalty; however with the technology today there is a small percentage that this may happen. I actually believe it should be enforced more. I agree with Kant and believe in retributivism. A murderer takes another human's life without any regard to their victim's rights. To me the minute a murderer takes away someone else's right to life they should lose all their rights. Their victim is no longer a human living on Earth. Why should they be able to live on Earth? Yes, we can give them life in prison but is that real justice. A prisoner can have family visit them, still gets three meals a day, can watch cable television, and gets to enjoy outside. Is that really justice to the murdered victim who does not get to experience any of these things? The victim does not get to taste food, have family time, enjoy their favorite television show, or get to experience the sun's rays on their face. They are gone forever.

In today's society there are more crimes and murders taking place. Every day you turn the news on to find out another person was murdered. The death penalty is not used often but life in prison is. Obviously something is not working. There is no fear being put in these criminals. The death penalty should be used more often. Also, if someone is given the death sentence they should not sit in jail for twenty years or more. They say it cost more to but someone to death than it is for them to stay in jail for forty years. Why should a murderer be allowed to be put to death peacefully? Did their victim go peacefully? It may seem harsh but a bullet does not cost much. If our country would enforce the same punishment on criminals then I believe we would have fewer murders and then they would have a smaller chance of an innocent person being prosecuted.