Free Evidence To Support Capital Punishment: The Death Penalty Research Paper Sample

Introduction

Capital punishment is one of the most controversial issues of recent times. There are some moralists that condemn capital punishment on humanist and ethical grounds. They have different reasons to criticize capital punishment, but a large number of Americans support the capital punishment. There are scholarly evidences that corroborate how capital punishment deters criminals from committing crime. Capital punishment saves a lot of money that is spent on keeping criminals in prisons, and a large number of Americans believe that capital punishment should continue.This paper intends to discuss capital punishment along with examining the issue in perspective of the Consequentialist theory, and further describes reasons that support capital punishment.

Discussion

The biggest reason why capital punishment should continue is the fact that it prevents crime. Several studies and researches suggest capital punishment has been a strong deterrent against severe crimes. Capital punishment has always worked in order to prevent crimes in the American society. Criminals are compelled to think twice before committing heinous crimes because they are afraid of capital punishment. If capital punishment is abolished from the United States of America, criminals will be fearless and then no one can control crime on the American soil (Cassell, 2008).
Human psychology suggests that people are usually afraid of strong punishment or expectations of harsh actions against them. Criminals are also human beings and when they see that their acts may attract harsher punishments or even death to them, they drop their idea of killing others or committing crimes. Capital punishment is not an act of revenge, but it is provisioned for them who are vindictive against other human beings or are against the society. Capital punishment prevents crime and criminals.
Various surveys have been done on views of Americans on the capital punishment. A large number of Americans suggest that capital punishment should be continued. America is a free society and if majority of Americans were against the existence of capital punishment, it would have been eliminated much before. In todays’ society, Americans believe that capital punishment is necessary to reign criminals, as well as, growing crime in the American society.
A number of surveys and report suggest that majority of American citizens support capital punishment. Gallup research has done various surveys in recent years and all of research findings suggest that people are in favor of capital punishment. Such survey findings may vary from time to time and heinous incidents like school shootings affect results of these surveys.in the recent survey of Gallup, American citizens from different categories have expressed their faith in support of capital punishment.
Eighty percent republicans, seventy five percent conservatives, sixty five percent independent participant who participated in this survey, believe that capital punishment is in the interest of the society. It prevents criminals from committing crimes and discourages them from harassing or killing people. Participants in the Gallup survey expressed their views in favor of the capital punishment and suggested thatthere is no need to pay attention on views of ethicists who keep demanding to scrap capital punishment (Saad, 2011).
Capital punishment is instantaneous justice against heinous crimes. Capital punishment prevents criminals from committing crimes against the humanity and society. Criminals deserve to die and it is not wise to show any mercy upon them. It is also not wise to keep murderers and dreaded criminals in the prison because it costs a lot of taxpayer’s money. A huge amount of money is spent on criminals when they are kept in prisons.
A common question arises that why these criminals should be feed and served in prisons. People, who support capital punishment, ask why these dreaded criminals are given free food and all the facilities that are not available to many of people on other parts of the earth. A large number of American people believe that dreaded criminals should be given capital punishment and society should be free of such anti-social elements (Peterson, 2008).
Consequentialist ethical theory suggests that if any action is supported with good consequences, the action can be continued. Since capital punishment prevents growing crime and it has good consequences in the society, the capital punishment should be continued. Capital punishment has positive influence in the society. Capital punishment prevents criminals from committing crime against the society. Americans say that there are every reason why the capital punishment should be continued without any prejudice.
Consequentialist theory is perfectly applied on the issue of capital punishment. There is a direct relation between crime and the society. Growing crimes and criminals disturb the peace of the society. Capital punishment is a strong deterrent against crimes and it stops criminals from committing crimes against the humanity, as well as against the society. On the basis of the consequentialist theory, capital punishment is in the interest of the American society and it should continue (Yunker, 2001).
There are people who counter capital punishment and suggest that it should be eliminated. Moralists argue that capital punishment is against the ethics. Humans should not be allowed to take human lives. Moralists suggest that if people cannot give lives, they do not have any right to take human lives. A number of other logics is provided by moralists, but the problem is that they instead of providing any solution, they talk ideality.
Moralists fail to reply that if criminals are human beings,why they commit crimes against the society and why do they kill other human beings of the society. Moralists just talk and preach, but they do not believe in providing solutions. Their arguments and ideas are absolutely irrelevant and unrealistic. If their recommendations are adopted, society will not be able to live for human beings. All the taxpayers’ money will be spent on providing food and other facilities to these dreaded criminals in prisons.

Conclusion

After observing different aspects of the capital punishment, consequentialist theory and views of Americans, the paper concludes that capital punishment is in the interest of the American society. Capital punishment is a strong deterrent against growing crimes in the American society and there is no need to abolish the capital punishment. Capital punishment is not only supported by a large number of American citizens, but at the same time, a large number of Americans also believe that dreaded criminals should not be kept in prisons. Americans believe that criminals should not be feed and kept in prisons on their hard-earned money, but they should be given capital punishment and society should get rid of these elements. When the capital punishment is examined in respect of the consequentialist theory, it appears that capital punishment is in the interest of the humanity and the society and this is why it should be continued.

References

Cassell, P. (2008). In defense of the death penalty. Institute for the Advancement of Criminal Justice Oct.-Dec. 10-26.
Peterson, W. (2008). Voices of the victims. The Review of Litigation 27(4). 769+. ProQuest LLC.
Saad, L. (2011, March). U.S. Death Penalty Support Stable at 63%. Retrieved Feb 27, 2015, from Gallup: http://www.gallup.com/poll/159770/death-penalty-support-stable.aspx
Yunker, J. (2001). A new statistical analysis of capital punishment incorporating U.S. postmodern data. Social Science Quarterly 82(2), 298-311.