Capital Punishment

Running Head : Capital Punishment Name

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Capital punishment also referred to as death penalty is an issue surrounded by mixed reactions across the globe . Proponents support it on the basis that it is an effective way of ensuring that law , peace and are maintained in any society . To them , it is a form of retributive justice , curbs recidivism and deters crime through incapacitation as well as the fear and intimidation imposed . History has it that capital punishment was established as an effort of curbing

or reducing the rates of heinous or dreadful crimes like murder Opponents on the other hand argue that in this day and age capital punishment should be abolished on the basis that it is against the fundamental human rights which argue that all people have a right to live . To them , capital offenders should be given a chance to live despite their acts and they suggest alternative forms of punishment like life imprisonment . A critical question that arises in the debate on capital punishment is whether the lives of innocent people should be put to risk by abolishing capital punishment or whether the lives of convicted criminals should be sacrificed in an effort of protecting the innocent lives threatened by the perpetrators of capital crimes . This aims at fairly presenting the two sides of the capital punishment debate while incorporating the moral aspect

Capital punishment is surrounded by three classes of arguments namely egalitarian , retributive and utilitarian . Utilitarian philosophers are for options that are for a common good and they look at the future benefits that are accrued when death penalty is applied . To this regard the issue of deterrence and incapacitation falls to play . Theirs is a cost benefit analysis on the form of punishment applied . Retributive aspects are not concerned at all with the gains that capital punishment brings along but it seeks to ensure that offenders get what they deserve . Egalitarianism approach ensures that people are treated fairly and in the same way they treat others . This approach is used by the opponents of death penalty citing the fact that death penalty seems to be discriminative in nature . They observe that it is more likely for blacks who kill whites to be convicted to death than whites who kill blacks . The number of blacks convicted to death also tends to be higher than that of whites probably due to the fact that blacks are generally low income earners who may not afford to hire expensive but effective lawyers to argue their cases

Retribution as a major issue backing capital punishment has both positive and negative effects depending on one 's stand or position as far as death penalty is concerned . Opponents argue that it creates room for charging innocent people through wrongful convictions . They also cite the fact that it is not specific in terms of the quantity of punishment accorded . To them , life imprisonment with no chance for parole would suffice as a perfect substitute for death...