Capital Punishment

Paper Summary:

This paper is a discussion into the ethical side of capital punishment. It explains why, from a pro-death penalty point of view, that this is the ultimate and best form of punishment for serious criminal offenders. The main argument is that capital punishment is ethical because it works to preserve the sanctity of the whole of society at the expense of just one of its individual parts: the murderer.

From the Paper:

"In this, it is clear that capital punishment is morally defensible in three primary ways. First, by clearly defining the risk attached to murder, it serves as a deterrent to those who would consider killing as a logical means to an end. Second, it is proportional, and satisfies the most basic criteria for justice. And third, it is incapacitating, and prevents any individual that murders from ever harming anyone again. Ultimately, the moral center of the capital punishment debate must be understood as one which does not truly lie with the murderer and his rights to life. Quite the contrary -- it is a debate which must focus on everyone who is not a murderer. These citizens deserve the protection of the state, and the state in turn has a moral imperative to protect its citizens. Abandoning capital punishment would be to disrupt this most basic facet of the social contract. "

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• Analytical Essay # 86172 : "Capital Punishment in Texas"
• Analytical Essay # 130903 : "Religion and Capital Punishment"

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