Reasons for the Death Penalty Essay

Newspaper articles, journals, and academic books written by other people will provide proof. INTRODUCTION According to Bedau (1997), the death penalty was introduced in America based on English law, by the first American colonists, during the seventeenth century. Daniel Frank was the first known person to be executed back in 1622 in Virginia (Carmen, 2002). With time, the debate about the capital punishment has taken center stage. According to Garner (1999), the Death penalty can be termed as a government inflicted death as retribution for committing a serious crime. Whether it is effective as a deterrent method is debatable. The debate about the death penalty in the United States, raises the question of why it exists in some states while in some it does not? According to Wilson (2004), the antagonism between Northern and Southern America regarding culture, politics, and religion play an important role in adoption or abolition of the death sentence.

The southern states adhere to Christianity, which is more prone to supporting the death penalty (Cullen et al. Banner (2002), concurs with that proof by revealing that Christian conviction in capital punishment is influenced by the idea that God is on the side of Christians. The death penalty is a cultural disposition rather than a judicial sanction but a cultural disposition which will remain until America changes for the better (Zimring, 2003). Others argue that the punishment should fit the crime; if you killed someone, you should be killed too. Others say that if someone has committed murder they have given up their human rights and so theirs should also be taken. It is argued that sentencing a murderer to the death penalty will deter them and others from doing it again.

Arguments against Death Penalty Many arguments oppose the death penalty, some of which include: firstly, the Moral argument in that it goes against human rights. Secondly, the law is not clearly defined on whom to give capital punishment. This is because all America states have different jurisdictions hence difficult to unanimously agree on all the issues. This perspective forms the reason why the death penalty is strongly supported in some states but opposed in others. REFERENCES Bedau, H. The Death Penalty in America. Garden City, N. Paul, MN: West Group. Wilson, C (2004), ‘Religion and the US South,' University of Mississippi, USA Banner, S (2002), ‘Death Penalty: An American History,' Harvard University Press, USA Cullen, T, Unnever, J (2006), ‘Christian Fundamentalism and Support for Capital Punishment,' SAGE Publications, London Fisher, P, Pratt, T (2006), ‘Political Culture and the Death Penalty,' SAGE Publications, London Zimring, F (2003), ‘Contradictions of American Capital Punishment,' Oxford University Press, England Donohue John & Wolfers Justin J, 2006.