Pro-Death Penalty

"If we execute murderers and there is in fact no deterrent effect, we have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call."John McAdams - Marquette University/Department of Political Science, on deterrence”. Capital punishment aka “The Death Penalty” has existed long before 2500 BC, when Hammurabi was the first to create written law. Before that time, it’s likely that if a person committed a capital crime, for example murder or theft, they were executed to “maintain harmony” in the community and to bring “solace” to those who knew the victim.

When the word death penalty is used, it makes noise from both sides of the political and social spectrum.  One side may say “deterrence”, while the other side may say, “But you may execute an innocent man”. Today, one of the most debated issues in the judiciary system is the issue of capital punishment.  Capital punishment was legal until 1972, when the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional due to it violating the Eight and Fourteen Amendments citing cruel and unusual punishment.  However, in 1976, the Supreme Court reversed itself and reinstated the death penalty but not all states have the death penalty, some believe that it is barbaric. 

Many years ago, religion played a large part in people’s lives, and punishment was by the church and the communities they lived in. People didn’t want to commit crimes because the punishment was too severe, so no one needed rehabilitating because punishment worked. Crime back then equaled punishment that was befitting and everyone knew the rules.