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Model Essay Argument: Capital punishment is a punishment that modern society cannot accept
Whether people should die for their crimes is one that divides society. Many support the death penalty while many are opposed to it. In this essay I will look at the arguments for and against the death penalty.
To begin with let us examine why some people are against capital punishment. Many people hold that while people can - and do - kill, society, which should represent the best of humanity, cannot. They believe that the society that takes life is no better than the criminal who took a life. Secondly, it has happened that innocent people have been executed. Many people say it is better to let nine criminals live than to kill one innocent person. Many also believe that life in prison is in fact a better punishment than death since criminals would die in jail never knowing freedom. Finally there are those who believe that a person can be rehabilitated in prison and after serving their sentence be released into society as a productive individual. For all these reasons they maintain the death penalty should be abolished.
The people who are for the death penalty also have good arguments. They agree that not everybody who kills should also be killed. But people who kill in cold blood, or are sex or serial or child killers should be. For example a man who kills his wife or another man in an argument would not die. A child killer, sex killer or a person who kills while robbing a bank would be. Consequently society need no longer fear that these people will one day become free and commit more crimes. Secondly locking them away till they die costs society millions, money that could be used to pay victims’ families instead of feeding their killers. As for putting to death innocent people, yes this has happened, so in future only those who are without a doubt, guilty of horrible crimes, would be put to death.
If society is to be civilized it must follow civilized ideals. However there are people alive who are sick beyond helping and who are a danger to others. These people have no place walking the earth and should be removed as painlessly and as quickly as possible. (350)
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© Paul Grant 2004
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