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Capital Punishment: Death penalty

Death penalty is a capital punishment usually given to people who have committed capital crimes. There has been a lot of campaign worldwide against the punishment, and some countries have abolished it. In the United States of America, some states like Illinois, Michigan, and Alaska among others have abolished the punishment. However, it is still widely practiced in the 21st century in states like Texas, Arizona, and Ohio among many others in the USA. While conservatives have been advocating for its maintenance in the constitution, the religious leaders have been in the front line advocating for its abolishment.

 

Death penalty makes the offenders pay rightfully for their crimes. Based on Aristotle’s reasoning, death penalty should not be scrapped from the justice system. It should be awarded to those who deserve it. He argued that the convict’s background should be considered as well as their motives. The gravity of the committed crime should govern the punishment to be given. This would be equivalent to the famous “eye for an eye” (Kemp 3). Another supporter of the death penalty was Socrates who was punished through it himself. His support for death penalty is openly shown when he was given a chance to escape from the prison but turned down the offer saying he was ready to follow the set laws and pay for his actions (Akbar 1)

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However, death penalty goes against the humanity as it is the same murder even though it is legalized. Various religious leaders have condemned the punishment calling for its abolishment. Individuals are supposed to be given a chance to reform their behaviors. The Buddhist leader Dalai Lama says that “However horrible the act they have committed, I believe that everyone has the potential to improve and correct themselves” (Lama 1). Every life counts and should be given a chance to thrive no matter whether one is a criminal or not. Killing a guilty person denies him/her the chance to realize his mistakes and do his/her best to correct them. This punishment goes against an individual’s human right in this day and age. In the death row, there are those who are wrongly convicted due to various reasons, and yet they are killed. There are better punishments like life sentence that can be extended to these convicts other than the capital punishment.

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