Death Penalty
Capital punishment is a legal infliction of the death penalty. It is obviously the most severe form of criminal punishment. Capital punishment plays an important role in our contemporary society and concerns many people. The people's opinions on the issue both oppose and support capital punishment using arguments based on various reasons. The debate started between supporters and opposers of execution, over the morality and the effectiveness of the death penalty. The supporters claim that the authorities should have the power to take a life of a person who takes someone else's life. The chance of sentencing the innocent and the inhumane nature of the death penalty are the opposers' main arguments. Some people prefer capital punishment's main alternative -- life in prison. The purpose of this essay is to examine the history, moral viewpoints and the process of capital punishment. Historians noticed the first use of capital punishment in the book of Babylonian law of Hammurabi's code, around 1700BC (Bedua 1). The Bible also gives us specific evidence that the death penalty was used for more than 30 different crimes, varying from murder (Exodus 21:12) to fornication (Deuteronomy 22:13). By the end
"No More Secret Death Penalty in Texas." Editor & Publisher 27 March. 1999: The supporters of the death penalty base their arguments on the idea that if one is taking a life of an innocent human being, one should pay for it with his or her own life. They argue that even after serving many years, the killer can struck again, taking innocent people's lives. They view the idea of locking up a human being for his or her entire life as more inhumane and painful to the person than an execution. Another argument against life imprisonment is based on the fact that the government has to provide food and shelter for imprisoned criminals. At the same time, homeless people, who live on the streets, have harmed no one and receive nothing. The supporters of capital punishment also state that the society has to protect itself and the rights of its people. To accomplish this kind of protection the society should have a right to execute criminals that are brutally murdered an innocent human being. The Bible is often used to argue for the death penalty. "Whosoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed" (Genesis 9:6), among its other references, is interpreted as permission to sentence a murderer to death. Holy Bible. The New International Version. New York: Zondervan "True Crime." Time 8 March. 1999: 24. The Catholic Church somehow changed its opinion on the death penalty. Despite the Bible's verse, which calls out that a man should pay for a murder of another man with his own life, the Pope, the U.S. bishops and Mother Teresa strongly oppose death penalty. The main reason for this disagreement originates from the execution of Jesus by the Romans. Mother Teresa calls out to the judges who endorse executions to "Do what Jesus would do if Jesus was in your position." However, over 80% of all Catholics support the death penalty (Dear 20).
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1697
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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