Eye for an Eye

Eye for an Eye

  • Submitted By: JilliciousK
  • Date Submitted: 03/05/2009 12:13 AM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1376
  • Page: 6
  • Views: 1

An Eye for an Eye
"If we execute murderers and there is in fact no deterrent effect, we have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call."
John McAdams - Marquette University/Department of Political Science, on deterrence
Imagine an innocent twelve-year old girl was taken from her mother and brutally murdered by a man no one would have ever suspected. Although, this poor girl's mother was stricken with grief and anger, she did not wish for this murderer to die for her own sake, but to protect other innocent girls like her own. She sat and watched, staring into the eyes of the man who had killed her daughter. She watched as they inserted the needle containing the fluid that would take his life.
Is executing criminals after they have committed a certain horrific crime upon another innocent victim morally unjust? Until the mid-twentieth century, this was the tradition of practice, dating back to ancient times. In the United States, capital punishment is a hot topic of discussion and controversy. Capital punishment is a difficult issue with many different points of view. Some people are pro death penalty, others are against the death penalty, and yet others have mixed feelings. So many different questions originate when the topic of the death penalty arises. Some of these are cost, sentencing equality, religious beliefs, the possibility of executing the innocent, and deterrence. These are just a few of the heated issues to consider. The death penalty is deterring crime, showing that individuals in the United States will be held responsible for their actions.
Cost plays a major role in the death penalty. Opposing views say that it is far more expensive to execute someone than to give them life without parole. Life without parole has been estimated...

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