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Should Death Penalty Be Allowed In The United States?

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The Death Penalty
The death penalty is the highest conviction a criminal can be accused of in the court of law. The death penalty dates as far back as the 18th century BCE, where some of the earliest societies believed in the principle of Lex talionis, which is the idea of “ eye for an eye “ and “ life for a life “; which was stated in Hammurabi's Code (Parks and Ward 15). This punishment has been used for thousands of years and up until the 1930’s was even a public event where parents brought their children to witness the hanging (“Capital Punishment: Should Capital Punishment Be Allowed In The United States?”). There are many crimes that can be committed that are considered death penalties. For example, as stated by Peggy Parks, the death …show more content…

First, it is not a deterrent to murder crimes committed. The death penalty has no deterrent effect on crimes committed because many murders occur when people are under the influence of either drugs or alcohol, or because of their mental instability, so they do not think of the consequences of their actions (“Should the Death Penalty Be Allowed?”). Another reason the death penalty should be abolished is because it is inhumane and barbaric. Most opponents believe life in prison is a better choice for criminals just for this reason as life in prison is not an inhumane and cruel punishment (“Capital Punishment: Should Capital Punishment Be Allowed in the United States?”). Furthermore, the death penalty should be prohibited because it is not right for the government to have the power to take away life because they believe it is a right everyone should have (Parks and Ward 6). Abolitionists believe that the death penalty violates our right to life in a cruel and degrading manner, and therefore should be eradicated from our justice system. Finally, the death penalty should be abolished because many death penalties are not executed very well and the criminals are going through pain before they die, when the operation is supposed to be painless (“What's New”). The death penalty is a punishment that is considered by many to be inhumane and a violation of our rights and for these reasons should undoubtedly be

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