Against the Death Penalty Essay - 1733 Words

In the U.S. there has been a debate whether or not the death penalty should be used. It continues to be a controversial issue in the world today. Some are for the death penalty, believing that a punishment should fit the crime and it is the only necessary way to reprimand those who have committed a terrible offense. Others believe that the death penalty violates human rights and that it is inhumane, merciless, and cruel. In Kenneth Josts article Death Penalty Controversies, he explains that critics and adversaries of the death penalty are warning that capital trials and sentencing hearings are extremely flawed and inadequate that they risk resulting in the execution of innocent people (Jost 785). Supporters of capital punishment†¦show more content†¦Thought and ideas of men such as Thomas Hobbes, John Mill, Thomas Aquinas, and Pope John Paul II can be incorporated when considering and addressing this issue. Hobbes believes that all men are equal and also men can claim the s ame right and benefits. In Leviathan Thomas Hobbes said, The right of nature, which writers commonly call Jus Naturale, is the liberty each man hath to use his own power as he will himself for the preservation of his own nature; that is to say, of his own life; and consequently, of doing anything which, in his own judgment and reason, he shall conceive to be the aptest means thereunto (Hobbes 91). Hobbes believes that naturally every man has a right to everything (91). Hobbes believes that nothing is unjust in the state of nature. He says in Leviathon, For where no covenant hath preceded, there hath no right been transferred, and every man has right to everything and consequently, no action can be unjust. But when a covenant is made, then to break it is unjust and the definition of injustice is no other than the not performance of covenant. And whatsoever is not unjust is just (Hobbes 100). Hobbes also feels that when everyman is against everyman there is no common ground for justi ce to be established (100). John Paul II believed that by nature, men are endowed with universal, inviolable, and inalienable rights (John Paul II 1). HeShow MoreRelatedDeath Penalty : Are You For Or Against The Penalty?1724 Words   |  7 PagesPolanowski Philosophy 1111 21 October 2015 Death Penalty Are you for or against the death penalty? Do you even know what the death penalty is? The Death Penalty is when a person is charged for a crime and receives punishment such as execution, and is put on death row. It has been a back and forth argument over decades on rather or not we should instill the death penalty. A common belief among people is, if someone commits murder, then they need to be put on death row, but if someone commits a crime forRead MoreA Argument Against The Death Penalty1647 Words   |  7 Pagespunishable by death or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole when specific â€Å"Special Circumstances† of the crime have been charged or been proven in court. It is possible though to be released by the parole board after a minimum of 25 years if they feel you are worthy. The death penalty is a topic that the United States is divided on. Currently there are 31 states with the death penalty and California is on that list. In 2012 a ballot was prop osed that would appeal the death penalty as theRead MoreEssay on Against the Death Penalty881 Words   |  4 PagesAgainst the Death Penalty The death penalty is one of the most controversial issues in our time. There are many issues that show and prove the death penalty is wrong and reasons why it should be ceased. Many issues have objections towards the death penalty shows that the death penalty is unfair, irreversible and expensive. The Death penalty is an unfair system used as punishment to criminals that performed wrong and unmoral crimes. The death penalty is unfair in the way that is discriminatoryRead MoreArgumentative Against Death Penalty1546 Words   |  7 Pages5) The death penalty does not deter criminals from committing violent crimes. The death penalty is a form of cruel and unusual punishment that violates citizen’s Eighth Amendment which has forced the Supreme Court to step in and evaluate this form of punishment. The death penalty has not always been practiced in the United States; however, there have been about 13,000 people who have been legally executed since colonial times. In 1972, the Supreme Court effectively nullified the death penaltyRead More Against the Death Penalty Essay731 Words   |  3 Pagesthe death penalty is the worst of them. I am strongly against the death penalty because it violates God’s rules, costs the tax payers too much money, and possibly the â€Å"wrongly accused,† may have to die because of the cruel and unusual punishment of the death penalty. How often do these concepts get into the public’s mind when it hears of our ‘fair, trusty’ government taking away someone’s breathing rights? Do we honestly want people thinking of us as mu rderers? I am against having the death penaltyRead MoreThe Case Against The Death Penalty773 Words   |  4 PagesCase Against the Death Penalty, which shows up in Crime and Criminals: Opposing Viewpoints, Eric Freedman contends that capital punishment does not discourage fierce crime as well as conflicts with decreasing the crime rate. This essay will analyse Freedman s article from the perspectives of a working man, a needy individual, and a government official. Working man: A working man would in all probability agree with Freedman s point of view with association with the monetary part of the death penaltyRead MoreAgainst The Death Penalty Essay959 Words   |  4 PagesAgainst the Death Penalty â€Å"Murder is wrong† (â€Å"Capital Punishment†). We’ve been taught this indisputable truth since childhood. The death penalty is defined as one human taking the life of another. Coincidentally, that is a classification of murder. There are as many as thirty-six states with the death penalty, and it’s essential that they change it. The United States needs the death penalty abolished because it is filled with flaws, cruel and immoral, and is an ineffective means of deterrentRead MoreArgument For And Against The Death Penalty1051 Words   |  5 Pages When arguing for or against a topic, the goal is to convince others to accept you opinion, take your opinion seriously, and you must seek common ground in order to establish some form of compromise. A good communicator must be specific, contestable, significant and reasonable. For this assignment, I will be arguing for and against The Death Penalty. When it comes to a topic such as The Death Penalty, many individuals cannot fathom the idea of putting another human to death because it is not permanentlyRead More Against the Death Penalty Essay1533 Words   |  7 Pages The Death Penalty Human rights are fundamental rights which every human being is entitled to just because they are human. The death penalty is the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights. It is the cold blooded killing of a human being in the name of ‘justice’. In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; in Articles 3 and 5 it states that â€Å"no one shall be subjected to cruel or degrading punishment and everyone has the rightRead MoreAgainst The Death Penalty Essay878 Words   |  4 Pagesoppose the death penalty. Many people can feel very strongly about whether or not they approve of this method of punishment. I feel that the death penalty is wrong, and I believe that there is much support to back this up. I believe that the death penalty is wrong because it is not an effective deterrent, racially and economically bias, unreliable, expensive, and morally wrong of society. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;One argument from death penalty supporters is that the death penalty acts as a deterrent