general paper
Discuss the issues of death penalty.
Capital punishment is the practice of executing someone as punishment for a specific crime after proper legal trial. It is usually only used as a punishment for particularly serious types of murder, but in some countries treason, types of fraud, adultery and rape are capital crimes as well. Capital punishment is used in many countries around the world. The question as to whether or not it is morally acceptable for a state to execute criminals and if so under what circumstances, has been debated for centuries. The ethical problems involved include the general moral issues of punishment with the added problems of whether it is ever morally right to deprive a human being of life.
Capital punishment is believed to be very helpful in some countries. Some of the reasons of its implementation in the laws are retribution and deterrence of future criminals. The basic argument behind retribution and punishment states that all and only guilty people deserve to be punished in proportion to the severity of their crime”.
Real justice requires people to suffer for their wrongdoing in a way appropriate for the crime they committed. “An eye for an eye”, is what many people think fits with their inherent sense of justice. Yet this is a wrong interpretation of the Old Testament which says that the guilty should be punished neither too leniently nor too severely. Moreover it is believed that executing convicted criminals will deter would-be murderers from killing people. It was concluded that deterrence is most effective when the punishment happens soon after the crime.
Death penalty can also lead to some forms of rehabilitation. It has been observed that persons condemned to death take the opportunity of the time before their execution to repent, express remorse and very often experience profound spiritual rehabilitation. The implementation of death penalty in some countries has resulted in prevention of re-offending, as those who are
Capital punishment is the practice of executing someone as punishment for a specific crime after proper legal trial. It is usually only used as a punishment for particularly serious types of murder, but in some countries treason, types of fraud, adultery and rape are capital crimes as well. Capital punishment is used in many countries around the world. The question as to whether or not it is morally acceptable for a state to execute criminals and if so under what circumstances, has been debated for centuries. The ethical problems involved include the general moral issues of punishment with the added problems of whether it is ever morally right to deprive a human being of life.
Capital punishment is believed to be very helpful in some countries. Some of the reasons of its implementation in the laws are retribution and deterrence of future criminals. The basic argument behind retribution and punishment states that all and only guilty people deserve to be punished in proportion to the severity of their crime”.
Real justice requires people to suffer for their wrongdoing in a way appropriate for the crime they committed. “An eye for an eye”, is what many people think fits with their inherent sense of justice. Yet this is a wrong interpretation of the Old Testament which says that the guilty should be punished neither too leniently nor too severely. Moreover it is believed that executing convicted criminals will deter would-be murderers from killing people. It was concluded that deterrence is most effective when the punishment happens soon after the crime.
Death penalty can also lead to some forms of rehabilitation. It has been observed that persons condemned to death take the opportunity of the time before their execution to repent, express remorse and very often experience profound spiritual rehabilitation. The implementation of death penalty in some countries has resulted in prevention of re-offending, as those who are