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Essay The Death Penalty

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Capital Punishment

Murder is the unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice. This country believes killings someone under certain circumstances is acceptable; this should not be the case. Capital punishment, the death penalty, is the maximum sentence used in punishing people who kill another human being. It is one of the most controversial topics in America today. Capital punishment is still murder, simple as that. The death penalty needs to be abolished in all states. There are too many flaws that come with this punishment. Innocent people can be executed, it is morally wrong, and it does not discourage, or deter crime.
From 1976 to the
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How does the government expect people to not specifically do something, when they themselves are doing it? Christians for one teach peace, love, and forgiveness. The death penalty contradicts everything Christians stand for. Murder after murder is not peaceful, or loving. Executing is not forgiving. There are no second chances when a person is put to death. Instead of executing an inmate, put them through rehabilitation and allow for forgiveness. Many religions also teach that only God should choose who lives and dies. The death penalty is a lot like “playing God.” A human shouldn’t be given the ability to say whether a person lives or not. Instead the death penalty should be abolished, and God should pick and choose who lives or dies. The death penalty is immoral, un-Christian, and not needed.
The government wants people to believe that the idea of capital punishment deters crime, when in fact it does the opposite. Cesare Beccaria, an Italian criminologist of the 1700s, states in Wekesser’s book, “The punishment of death has never prevented determined men from injuring society” (Wekesser 21). This quote explains how if someone wanted to kill someone, being punished with death most likely wouldn’t stop them. Recent studies from The Death Penalty Information Center back up Beccaria’s statement. It shows that states that have abolished the death penalty have lower crime rates than those that haven’t. Studies
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