Debate on Death Penalty
Edrie Sue Thomas
Instructor: Daniel Haynes
PHI200
June 01, 2011
Opening Paragraph: Thesis Statement
The death penalty is a topic dealing with ethics, a set of moral principles or values. This issue is constantly filled with mix feelings, attitudes, and the beliefs of individuals from all aspects of life. Some are for the death penalty while others argue against it. No matter how the world progresses there will never be a final argument or resolution to the understanding, acknowledgement, or ending to the right or wrong of the death penalty.
Outline A. What is the death penalty, the origination and history behind it? (1) Capital Punishment, or execution, the sentence of death upon a person by judicial process as a punishment for an offense committed. (2) Eighteenth century B.C. first established death penalty laws. (3) Eighteen forty six William Kemmler was the first person executed by electrocution.
B. Why people agree with the death penalty. (1) The more tolerable someone perceives imprisonment to be, the less deterrent effect life in prison will have. (2) Capital Punishment has a strong deterrent effect, on average each execution results eighteen fewer murders. (3) It gives closure to the victim’s families who have suffered so much.
C. Why people disagree with the death penalty. (1) Is capital punishment moral? Some believe it is not. (2) Many people believe that a majority of inmates on death row have not been given due process. (3) Because many people believe that the death penalty is cruel it is a violation of the eighth amendment.
Work Cited:
www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/part-i-history-deathpenalty http://www.allsands.com?Kids/Education/capitalpunishe_xnj_gn.htm http://www.cjif.org/deathpenalty/DPDETTERENCE.htm
Cited: www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/part-i-history-deathpenalty http://www.allsands.com?Kids/Education/capitalpunishe_xnj_gn.htm http://www.cjif.org/deathpenalty/DPDETTERENCE.htm
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