Death Penalty

Paper Summary:

This paper traces the history of capital punishment and further discusses it from a philosophical perspective. Several issues are examined regarding the death penalty, including asking ourselves under which conditions the only just punishment for the crime is death. The author also argues that the death penalty should not be used for revenge.

From the Paper:

"The Death Penalty, as it is commonly known in the United States, is sanctioned by both the Federal and the majority of state governments. The laws that allow for capital punishment, however, enjoy their tenure only at the behest of the citizens of the individual states. Where communities have determined that capital punishment is not in their interests, the Death Penalty has either been removed from their "books" or is simply not used. But popular support through voting, thus making capital punishment a democratic choice, is perhaps not the best justification for state-sanctioned murder; majority rule has a rough history in terms of justice, equality, and foresight. The truth is that enough regimes and governments have misused and misapplied capital punishment to such an extent as to make it distasteful ("Hangman's Knot", 5). Indeed, the greatest argument against capital punishment is in relation to the crimes to which it is applied. If the penalty is not used in relation to a specific crime that morally justifies the ending of the perpetrator's life, then it cannot itself be justified . Rape, kidnapping, assault, espionage / treason, and murder have all been listed as crimes that can receive the Death Penalty. We have to ask if the criminal has taken from the victim, the victim's family and the community so much that the only just punishment is death."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cohen, Michael. "The Victims and the Furies in American Courts". The Humanist. Jan/Feb, 2006; 66:1, p19(5).
• Coope, Christopher Miles. "Death Sentences". Philosophy January, 2006; 81:315, p5-32.
• "The Hangman's Knot". The Christian Century. Feb 2007; 124:3, p5.

More papers on Death Penalty:

• Research Paper # 93369 : "Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty"
• Persuasive Essay # 142258 : "The Death Penalty Back in Canada"
• Argumentative Essay # 88589 : "Death Penalty Argument"
• Argumentative Essay # 88667 : "The Death Penalty in 21st Century America"

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