Capital Punishment And The Death Penalty - 1539 Words

Capital punishment, otherwise known as the death penalty, has been the center of debate for a long time. Capital punishment may be defined as the â€Å"[e]xecution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense† (Capital Punishment). Up until 1846, when Michigan became the first to abolish the death sentence, all states allowed legal practice of capital punishment by the government (States). Currently, there 32 states still supporting the death penalty and 18 that oppose (States). This illustrates the struggle experienced by state governments all across America and their progression to a more peaceful resolution. There are varying advantages and potentially severe disadvantages to this type of†¦show more content†¦Of the three examples given above why capital punishment should not be allowed, one of them sticks out like a sore thumb, which is the one that will be used as the basis of my argument. It is not â€Å"killing is never the answer†, as this statement in itself is false. There are many instances where no outcome seems ideal but the end result is taking another person s life. An example of this would be an armed robber entering a father s/respective gun owner s house. Rather than allowing the robber take what he pleases or risk a weaponless confrontation, the man will attempt to catch the robber off-guard and take him out before he himself gets shot. The other example that does not make the cut is â€Å"the execution process is actually much more expensive than life in prison.† Though this is not always the case, it is more of a reflection of the efficiency of government programs rather than their moral code. Secondly, this statement appeals to those of greedy nature, insinuating that one can put a price on life and death matters. Lastly, we have â€Å"potential executions of innocent bystanders must be avoided†. This piece of injustice happens when the judge and jury try to overexert the justice system through haste, only for evidence to later reveal it was an unwarranted and irreversible decision. Even the placement of innocent people on the death row falls under the category of potential disaster. This complete disregard for due process