The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty?

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The death penalty, also referred to as capital punishment is a very controversial subject which has the United States relatively divided. Capital punishment can be defined as the legal authorized killing of someone as punishment for a heinous crimes against society. The death penalty is primarily reserved for individuals who have been convicted of murder. However, other capital offenses that could result in punishment of death include, espionage, treason, genocide, and kidnapping. Capital punishment has been a widely debated issue throughout history and still strongly argued in present day. While there is a large amount of individuals who oppose the death penalty, there are many supporters. This strong support is one of the main reasons the …show more content…

Many that oppose the death penalty argue that is immoral. Hugo Adam Bedeau and Helen Prejean, claim that the death penalty is immoral because it violates the underlying moral principle of respect for persons. (Boss 29) Because human lives have value and the right to live it so it is wrong to deprive them the right to live. Opponents also feel that it denies only certain groups of people their full legal rights. They believe that the poor are more likely to get the death penalty because they cannot afford a good defense lawyer. Prejean stated, “I see the death penalty connected to the deepest wounds of our society: racism, poverty, and violence.”(Boss 269) For instance, when a violent crime or murder is committed by a person who is poor against a person who has status in society or someone who is wealthy, then there is an outcry for justice for this person and the death penalty is sought. However, when it’s the other way around and the person committing the murder is of a certain stature and murder someone of lower stature than the death penalty is not sought because they have the money or means to obtain a better defense team. Ultimately, getting them a lesser sentence or possible not real jail time at

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