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Pro Death Penalty Essay

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The Death Penalty
Imported from the United Kingdom, the exercise of the death penalty has been recorded as far back in the United States as 1608. Since then, the subject has constantly been contested, with major anti-capital punishment victories occurring as early as 1974, when Pennsylvania outlawed capital punishment for 1st degree murder, 1888, when Rhode Island outlawed all capital punishment, and continuing into our modern time where the death penalty is now outlawed in 18 states. It is, however, important to also note that the reliance on the death penalty has continued to evolve as execution styles have become utilized and modernized in most of the remaining 38 states. With such an extensive history, it becomes clear that capital punishment remains an issue that evokes passionate argument from both sides. Seeking to comprehend the moral values being promoted by both sides, we will identify shared values, and employ them as a means of achieving a common ground for the creation of creative solutions. …show more content…

Proponents of the death penalty often state that their support lies in the notion that capital punishment deters crime and provides closure for victims. Enforcing this, Emory University released a study citing that that “each execution, on average, results in 18 fewer murders…and deter[s] the murder of whites and [blacks]” (Heritage). In contrast, opponents hold that the death penalty undermines basic human rights and frequently results in the death of innocent people. Since 1973, 156 death row inmates have been exonerated of their crime, with an average of 5 exonerations per year between 2000-2011 (DeathPenalty). Taking these claims into account, we can now begin to investigate what underlying moral values drive these

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