The Death Penalty in Contemporary America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

The Death Penalty in Contemporary America - Essay Example Ancient religious texts such as the Torah, the Bible, and the Koran all contain laws and punishments which include the death penalty, and these have been followed by millions of people over the last two or three thousand years. For many modern Americans who belong to fundamentalist branches of their respective religions, this alone is sufficient reason to continue with the death penalty and no other arguments need to be entertained. Leaving aside the religious argument, there are also good psychological reasons why strong penalties need to exist in any legal system. The risk of prosecution will not deter criminals if there is no bad consequence following on from being convicted of a crime. The law enforcement agencies have no power of their own to prevent crime or stop criminals repeating their offenses unless there is a penal system to take care of those who commit violence, drug crimes, and other serious offenses. The death penalty is the strongest possible message to criminals that there are limits to what society will tolerate, and that those who overstep those limits have no place in that society. Another argument in favor of the death penalty is the fact that it takes tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars to imprison a criminal for life, whereas the death penalty is inexpensive to operate, once the due legal process has been completed. In a world of famines, wars and natural disasters, where many people live and die in poverty and there are huge deficits in the provision for health and education, there is a moral issue in devoting such a huge amount of money to individuals who have shown contempt for the rule of law. Turning now to the arguments against the death penalty, there are also a number of religious arguments which are applicable to this context.