The right of the state to take the life of a person convicted of certain crimes is deeply rooted in concepts of governmental sovereignty and has been recognized in England as the source of our Common Law and most other historic governmental systems around the world throughout history. In the beginning of the twenty-first century, many are beginning to doubt the wisdom of government sanctioned murder under the name of capital punishment in criminal justice system. There is debate over the morals and effectiveness of such a harsh and irreversible sentence. Most commonly, the death penalty is challenged as a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which says that the U.S. cannot use "cruel and unusual" punishment. The purpose of our entire criminal justice system is to protect the rights of life, liberty, and property for all its citizens. To do this, the punishment for crime must be harsh enough to deter potential criminals. Unfortunately, the death penalty may just be an easy escape for the criminal. Criminals should have to face the enormity of the crimes they committed everyday of their lives - they need a punishment to fit their crime. If the society kills the killers, then the moral line between the killer and the society becomes blurred. The death penalty is state sponsored killing. Capital punishment should be stopped, because it is unjust, ineffective deterrent, and a broken system.
First, capital punishment can not be justified. Capital punishment is a serious failure of humanity, immoral and an act of torture. Every human being deserves the dignity of life. This includes the most brutal of murderers. It is an indication of how little our government values human life. We do not condone torture or cruelty but it cannot be denied that some executions are botched and those executed suffer extended pain. Even those who die instantly suffer mental anguish leading up to...
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