us the power to do what we wish with that life. We can keep it and guard

it, or we can take it away. It follows that murder is the worst crime

anyone could ever commit. It is a crime that no one can ever make right

because once you take a life away you can never give it back. Penalties

exacted from criminals are made to fit the crimes committed. The worst

crime possible should therefore receive the worst penalty possible. That

Take, for example, the case of a man who is caught shoplifting.

He does not deserve the same punishment as someone who is convicted of

assault and battery. Most people would have no problem agreeing with

this. Yet many of these same people believe that a cold blooded killer

deserves the same life sentence as a convicted kidnapper who did not kill

his prisoner. Granted these are both serious offenses, but our system of

law works by degrees of seriousness (Bedau, p.326). The mental damage done

to that prisoner can be turned around, but the life taken away by the murderer can

never be given back. They should therefore be given a harsher pun

2. Grabowski, John F. "The Death Penalty." San Diego, CA: Lucent Books, c1999.

sentence who are innocent as well. It is true that these people have more

deterrent against acts of murder (Grabowski, p 257). Life in prison is almost

choose the lesser evil. The death penalty is such an evil. There is an

imprisonment an act of kidnapping. (Bedau, p.318)

no possible way to get out of prison. Because this is the worse

Some common words found in the essay are:
Ed Koch, America Pojman, Evil Life, death penalty, Consequently Bible, Page March, Death Penalty, Rowman Littlefield, Lucent Books, University Press, life prison, Word Count, death penalty evil, system law, worst crime, innocent person, evil death, penalty evil, run risk, life sentence, lesser evil death, evil death penalty, lesser evil,
Approximate Word count = 988
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)