Do you agree or
disagree with the death penalty? If you agree, why? If you disagree, what do
you propose we do instead?
There has been much controversy
over the topic of the death penalty. Should we have it? Should we not? No one
can decide.
Currently, many people find the
idea of capital punishment appalling. Many think it’s a miscarriage of justice.
Some even say it “encourages a ‘culture of violence’ and violates human rights.”
But what happens when the victim of such a heinous punishment is putting the
public at large in danger? Do we put said criminal in prison for some time and
when he’s done say “Okay. You’re free; just don’t torture any more people?” Do
we put our trust in them only to find out that they never learned their lesson?
What do we do when they come back to court for almost the same crime that they
previously committed only a different person as the victim? This is where the
death penalty comes in.
It’s not for ‘innocent people’, as
some may claim are the victims. It’s for criminals who have committed a crime
and have shown the signs of committing the same or a similar crime in the
future. It’s for the criminal who puts the public in danger. It’s for the
criminal who commits such a heinous crime, such as murder. While I will admit
every individual is guaranteed what are known as man’s natural rights – Life,
Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – we have a responsibility as the People
of the United States to protect those rights, not just for ourselves, but for
the other citizens surrounding us. That’s what our laws are for. When we break
one of those laws, we infringe upon others rights, and in this case, we take
away one of those natural rights. If the person committing such a crime were able
to learn from prison time, I’d be fine with abolishing the death penalty. But
our society isn’t always that way. There comes a time where we have to say
enough is enough. Killing one person who would willingly kill many others is
morally justified.
If that hasn’t persuaded you, let’s
look at some other evidence. According to the Federal Bureau of Justice
Statistics, the average cost of anesthetic for a death penalty is about $88.08.
A Big Mac meal at McDonald’s costs $5.36. If we were to go based off of this
price, the cost of food for one day would be approximately $16.08. For a week,
that would be $112.56. Every week, it would cost around $25 to keep them
living. But then you add on each additional week in a year, and the total grows
exponentially. While there are more costs to capital punishment not accounted
for in this situation, to keep them living would only cost each state more.
Morally, the death penalty is
justified. It also costs less than Life without Parole. For these reasons, I
approve of capital punishment.
This blog post is an official entry for the <a href="http://www.joshuapondlaw.com/scholarship">Law Blogger’s Scholarship</a>, sponsored by The Law Office of Joshua Pond, <a href="http://www.joshuapondlaw.com/">http://www.joshuapondlaw.com</a>.
