The Pros of Capital Punishment

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

that of Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of Virginia in 1608. Kendall was executed for being a spy for Spain. In 1612, Virginia governor Sir Thomas Dale enacted the Divine, Moral and Martial Laws, which provided the death penalty for even minor offenses such as stealing grapes, killing chickens, and trading with Indians. (Wikepedia.com website)
The question whether capital punishment is a moral or an immoral act in a cultured society does not have a definite answer. Whether to give capital punishment to a criminal or not, may depend on his previous criminal records and the seriousness of the crime he has committed. Different religions have different beliefs concerning capital punishment. Even individual religions have contradictory beliefs. For instance, the Bible clearly states the death penalty as valid and just, yet at the same time murder is not allowed and salvation must be offered. Since not everyone is of the same religion and each person can even interpret ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

crimes and risk another prison sentence. The logic for capital punishment is that prisons are for rehabilitating convicts who will eventually leave prison, and therefore prison is not for people who would never be released from prisons alive. The logic is that the more severe the crime, then the more severe the punishment is necessary. But what is the most severe punishment: lifetime in prison or execution? I am not sure that anyone alive is qualified to answer this question. Obviously, prisons are not deterring crime or we wouldn't have so many of them overcrowded. These prisons are so full that a lot of states are letting prisoners go early or just allowing them to do house arrest. ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: