Death Penalty

5 Pages 1283 Words

Death Penalty 1

The idea of putting another human to death is hard to

completely fathom. The physical mechanics involved in the act of

execution are easy to grasp, but the emotions involved in carrying out

a death sentence on another person, regardless of how much they

deserve it, is beyond my own understanding. I know it must be

painful, dehumanizing, and sickening. However, this act is sometimes

necessary and it is our responsibility as a society to see that it is done.

Opponents of capital punishment have basically four

arguments. The first is that there is a possibility of error. However, the

chance that there might be an error is seperate from the issue of

whether the death penalty can be justified or not. If an error does

occur, and an innocent person is excuted, then the problem lies in the

court system, not in the death penalty. Furthermore, more activities in

our world, in which humans are involved, possess a possibility of injury

or death. Construction, sports, driving, and air travel all offer the

possibility of accidental death even though the highest levels of

precautions are taken. These activities continue to take place, and

continue to occasionally take human lives, because we have all

decided, as a society, that the advantages outweigh the unintended

loss. We have also decided that the advantages of having dangerous

murderers removed from our society outweigh the losses of the
Death Penalty 2

offender.
The second argument against capital punishment is that it

is unfair in its administration. Statistics show that the poor and

minorities are more likely to recieve the death penalty. Once again,

this is a seperate issue. It can't be disputed sadly, the rich are more

likely to get off with a lesser sentence, and this...