Capital Punishment in the United States - Research Paper Example

Curse: Capital Punishment in the United s Con Capital punishment is riddled with differing sentiments. On one side, it is seen as a way to deliver justice to the victims of murder. Even though executing the culprit does not bring back the victim to life, it is seen as a form of justice to the victim as it is seen as a way to make sure that the culprit will not kill another person. It is also seen as a closure point for the families and friends of the victim. However, there are those who believe that capital punishment is not and cannot be justified regardless of the crime the person has committed.

The Catholic Church for instance has argued that it is wrong to use killing to teach that killing is wrong. Amnesty International, an international human rights organisation has also argued that capital punishment is the ultimate denial of for human rights. They argue that since death penalty is the premeditated taking of a human life by a government, it is the ultimate disrespect for human life and therefore should not be allowed. Today, United States, according to Amnesty international has the fourth highest number of executions in the world and together with the first three countries (China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia) make up over 91% of total executions in the world (Gill, para 1).

This has raised concerns especially seeing that USA is in the company of the most undemocratic nations in the world such as China and Iran. One of the biggest challenges in justifying death penalty as a way to bring justice to victims of murder and their family is the fact that it is possible to wrongfully convict a person. If a person in convicted of any other crime and imprisoned and later seen to be not guilty, they can always be acquitted. If on the other hand a person is executed and later new evidence shows that he was not guilty, there is no way of bringing back that person to life, which would mean that the government will have committed murder.

According to Robertson (221), there is always a chance that a person can change and should therefore be given a second chance by preserving their lives. Works Cited Gill, Kathy. Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty (Capital Punishment). 2013. 13 September 2013 . Robertson, Diane. Tears From Heaven: Voices From Hell: The Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty as Seen Through the Eyes of the Victims of Violent Crime and Death Row Inmates Throughout America. New York NY: iUniverse, 2002. Print