Capital Punishment Justified

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I believe that under certain circumstances that capital punishment should be allowed because if someone is going to commit mass murder they should pay with the ultimate human right which is of their life. This topic has been widely thought of in the world with a few philosophers really encompassing my views. Those are the views of Ernest Van Den Haag and Bruce Fein. Philosophers who oppose our views are such like Justice William Brennan and Hugo Adam Bedau. I will prove my point using the ideas of deterrence and morality of the issue of capital punishment. If the government would show that if you kill someone there will be a consequence for their actions and that the consequence would be equal to what they have done. The population will see that it isn’t worth taking another humans life. If we were to kill people that are committing these mass killings of innocent people there would not be as many criminals around. Therefore the streets would be a place people wouldn’t be afraid of anymore. One major discussion about the pros and cons of capital punishment is if it would deter other criminals from committing extreme crimes. I believe that allowing the practice of capital punishment would deter other people from committing such crimes, which would result in more innocent lives saved. Ernest Van Den Haag says in a New York Times Article from 1983, "Common sense, lately bolstered by statistics, tells us that the death penalty will deter murder... People fear nothing more than death. Therefore, nothing will deter a criminal more than the fear of death... life in prison is less feared. Murderers clearly prefer it to execution -- otherwise, they would not try to be sentenced to life in prison instead of death... Therefore, a life sent... ... middle of paper ... ...complete mental health believes that killing other human beings for his own happiness and enjoyment, he is not fit to live in this world and therefore should be taken out of it before more harm is put in place to more innocent human lives, those lives of which may be someone who makes the cure to cancer, connects all countries together through harmony, or is able to prolong the lives of many deserving people. If we eliminate those who have done wrong we will harper a world in which right is encouraged by all and with that we will live in a more enjoyable friendly environment. Works Cited Bonevac, Daniel A. Today's Moral Issues: Classic and Contemporary Perspectives. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Pub., 1992. Print. Fein, Bruce. "Individual Rights and Responsibility - The Death Penalty, But Sparingly." Speech. American Bar Association. Feb. 2003. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

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