The Death Penalty
The death penalty has always been, and continues to be, a very controversial issue. While opponents of capital punishment are quick to point out that the United States remains to be one of the few Western countries that continue to support the death penalty, American citizens are most likely to encounter crime than the citizens of other countries (Brownlee 31). The majority of the U.S. population is for the death penalty, although there are several groups trying to abolish capital punishment. Some people are for the death penalty only under the right circumstances. There are several reasons given to support each group in their decisions: why they are for the death penalty, against the death penalty, or for the death penalty only under certain circumstances. The main reason given to explain why the death penalty should be abolished is because it is the ultimate denial of human rights. "It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state in the name of justice" (Amnesty 1). It violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Another reason the death penalty should be abolished is the simple fact that the "system" often fails to apply the dea
There are also several arguments for the death penalty. Many citizens believe that it brings forth the greatest possible justice for society and victims of crimes. "Punishment must be held in proportion to the crime for justice to be served. And justice- not humanity- must be the cornerstone by which ruthless violent criminals shall be judged" (Anderson 1). They think the death penalty shows the greatest respect for the ordinary man's inviolable value. Society acknowledges and "exalts" the value of the lives of victims of crime on the most visible way by punishing violent criminals and murderers with death (1). It defends the man's dignity in the strongest way. Man's dignity is also determined by the punishment that is imposed against violent criminals and murderers; to treat violent criminals and murderers mildly deprives victims of their dignity (2). In some cases, people are unsure as to where they stand on their views of the death penalty. For example, on June 20, 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3, in Atkins vs. Virginia, that executing the mentally retarded was a violation of the 6th Amendment ruling such a "cruel and unusual punishment" (ACLU 1). "The Supreme Court considered this question before in the case of Johnny Paul Penry in 1989. At that time, only two states explicitly outlawed the death penalty for people with mental retardation" (1). In a 5-4 decision, the court came to the conclusion that too few states had acted to prohibit the death penalty from being applied to people with mental retardation. They concluded that "a national consensus" against the practice existed. The court reasoned that a consensus was necessary before the Court would rule that executing people with mental retardation violated the eight amendment "prohibition" against cruel and unusual punishment (1). Today, 18 death penalty states and the federal government forbid people
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1278
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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