FREE ESSAY ON DEATH PENALTY

DEATH PENALTY

When New York State's governor George Pataki took office in 1995, crime dropped in total
of 45%, and the murder rate dropped by 1/3. As of September 1st 1995, the death penalty
was reinstated in the state of New York, assuring safer communities and fewer victims,
and an over all drop in crime rate. People have used a number of arguments to support
their views regarding the death penalty. Among the arguments used include deterrence,
incapacitation, religious viewpoint, rehabilitation and cost. Yet it is suggested that
the true judgement of a persons position on capital punishment is determined by emotional
and moral beliefs.
The primary questions raised by the death penalty are whether it is an effective
deterrent to violent crime, and whether it is more effective than the long-term
incapacitation. Defenders of the death penalty believe that by taking an offender's life
is a more severe punishment than any prison term, it must be the better deterrent. "A
life term is commonly a short vacation at State expense with nothing to do but eat the
fruit of others industry." (Opposing, p43.) The term deterrence is used to suggest that
with the execution of murderers, there will be a direct decrease in homicide rate, due to
the idea that potential murderers will fear for their own lives. Under New York's death
penalty law offenders involving: murder of a police officer; a probation, parole, court,
or corrections officer; a judge; or a witness or members of witness's family. Also those
who murder while already serving life in prison, escaping from prison, or committing
other serious felonies, as well contract killers, serial murderers, those who torture
their victims, and those who have murdered before. It is criminals and crimes like these
that impose fear in our communities. 
Due to change in sentencing laws, and other weaknesses in the system, society is not
protected from acts of crime. In 1962, James Moore raped and murdered a 14 year old girl.
He was not sentenced to death, but instead life imprisonment. Twenty years later, due to
a change in our system, Moore is eligible for parole every two years. It is criminals
like Moore, who do not deserve the right to live, certainly not amongst innocent
communities. In 1868, in a debate before England's Parliament one man stated "It is
better that the murderer should parish than that innocent men and women should have their
throats cut." (Opposing, p57.) It are those individuals who commit a crime so grave, that
they relinquish their right to life.
On a religious and moral standpoint, it is said that the death penalty is a fitting
punishment. Written in the bible by Luke: 
"a certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country
for a long time. Now at 
vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might gave him some of the
fruit of the vineyard. 
But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent another
servant; and they beat him 
also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent a third;
and they wounded him 
and cast him out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'what shall I do? I will send my
beloved son. Probably 
they will respect him when they see him..' But when the vinefressers saw him, they
reasoned among themselves, 
saying, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.' So
they cast him out of the 
vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He
will come and destroy 
those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."-Luke 20:9-16. (Pro-capital, p15.)
It is said that in this passage Jesus states that the probable punishment for murder is
death. Christians who morally support the death penalty may do so for two reasons; they
believe in an 'eye for an eye', meaning that with those whose crimes are to grave, they
deserve to die. They also believe if the criminal is repentant of the crime they
committed, they are regretful for doing so, then by their execution they are justified to
the Lord. 
Next there is the issue of rehabilitation. Abolitionists who support the concept of
rehabilitation for murderers believe that imprisonment is effective in preventing murders
from happening again. Murderers have the lowest rates of effective rehabilitation. Those
who murder generally show no remorse, or guilt, and have the ability to kill again. In
fact, murderers who serve time in prison are more likely to commit more murders, whether
in prison, or upon their release. 
Civilization must have rules to follow otherwise there will be utter chaos. With 3/4ths
of Americans in favor of the death penalty, and murder rates in New York State down by
nearly 1/3, one must question the downside of capital punishment. An effective punishment
not only forfeits the rights of the criminal, it deters crime, increases public safety
and helps provide restitution to victims. All these components are found in the newly
reinstated death penalty law. "Death has a property that life in prison does not:
finality." (Does, p34.) 
Bibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
BOOKS:
1. Hagg, Ernest Van Den & Conrad, John. The Death Penalty; A Debate Pro/Con. Plenum
Publishing Corporation, New York. 1983. 
2. Bender, L. David & Leone, Bruno. The Death Penalty; Opposing Viewpoints. Greenhaven
Press, Inc., San Diego. 1998.
3. Barbour, Scott & Schonebaum, Stephen. Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime? Greenhaven
Press, Inc., Sand Diego. 1998.
INTERNET:
1. "Pro Capital Punishment." Http://www.m.edu/~ww12461/cp.num.