Capital Punishment Essay Example For Students

Capital Punishment Essay Capital PunishmentThere is one question that has always brought about controversy. Shouldcapital punishment be used as a way of disciplining criminals? Over the pasttwenty years, there has been an enormous increase in violent crimes. It seemslogical that a person is less likely to commit a given act if by doing so hewill suffer swift and certain punishment of a horrible kind. As most Americansagree, death is the only appropriate punishment for such crimes. In ancient times executions were not uncommon. Even the Bible teachescapital punishment. It states, Who so sheddeth mans blood, by man shall hisblood be shed: for in the image of God made he man (Bible). In ancient times aset of laws were written which specified many crimes punishable by capitalpunishment. These laws were the Code of Hammurabi. Some of the punishablecrimes mentioned included adultery, robbery witchcraft, and murder. During theMiddle Ages, the Church assumed the responsibility of administering punishments. But individuals who commit any types of crime ranging fromauto theft to 1st-Degree Murder, never take into account theconsequences of their actions. Deterrence to crime, is rooted inthe individuals themselves. Every human has a personal set ofconduct. How much they will and will not tolerate. How far theywill and will not go. This personal set of conduct can be made orbe broken by friends, influences, family, home, life, etc. Anindividual who is never taught some sort of restraint as a child,will probably never understand any limit as to what they can do,until they have learned it themselves. Therefore, capitalpunishment will never truly work as a deterrent, because of humannature to ignore practised advice and to self learn. There are those who claim that capital punishment is in itselfa form of vengeance on the killer. But isnt locking up a humanbeing behind steel bars for many years, vengeance itself? And is ithumane that an individual who took the life of another, shouldreceive heating, clothing, indoor plumbing, 3 meals a day, while ahomeless person who has harmed no one receives nothing? Adversariesof capital punishment claim that it is far more humane then havingthe state take away the life of the individual. In February 1963, Gary McCorkell, a 19 year old sex offender,was scheduled to hang. But just days before his execution, the thenLiberal cabinet of Lester Person commuted McCorkell to life inprison. Less than 20 years later, McCorkell was arrested, tried, andconvicted for the kidnapping and rape of a 10-year old Tenesseeboy. He was sentanced to 63 years in prison. Prior to leavingCanada, he was sought by Metro Police in the attempted murder of an11-year old boy. What has been gained by this? Had McCorkell been executed in1963, two boys would never have had to have gone through the horrorof being sexually abused. These individuals may themselves becomesex offenders, as many sex offenders were sexually abused aschildren. McCorkell may have been a victim of sexually assualt in thepast, but that does not justify what he did. He did not do thisonce, he killed two boys, and assaulted two others, leaving one fordead. He knew exactly what he was doing. What right does this manhave to live? He has ruined the lives of 4 children, what will hedo in life that will compensate for that? What kind of a life wouldthe state have been taking away in this case? An innocent life? Aforgiving life? No, a life that was beyond the realm of reform, anddid not care to be. .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923 , .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923 .postImageUrl , .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923 , .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923:hover , .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923:visited , .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923:active { border:0!important; } .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923:active , .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923 .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4e611a735e75a192c8cb0589d1289923:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Pearl Harbor EssayWe must be careful. We must be very careful to never, evenwhen suspicion may cause considerable doubt, send an innocentperson to be executed. It could have happened to David Millgard, itcould have happened to Donald Marshall. It probably has evenoccured numerous times in the history of the earth. But with properpolice investigations, and where the evidence shows that theindividual is a threat to the peace of society as long as he or sheis alive, capital punishment must be used.