Should The Death Penalty Be Banned? | Teen Ink

Should The Death Penalty Be Banned? MAG

By Anonymous

   There are many things in this society which should be banned, but the death penalty is not one of them. It is definitely the right way to go as far as capital discipline is concerned. Right now in our country, I find it outrageous that criminals think that they can get away with just about anything. In some states, including Alabama, the death penalty has helped them lower the rate of violent crimes. We need some form of capital punishment to send a message to career criminals that they will not get away with these severe crimes.

The death penalty would also make people more secure. In some countries of South America and the Far East, they have very severe penalties, including flogging, for even minor crimes. People in some areas of our nation feel they cannot walk around or step outside their houses for fear of criminals. In other countries, however, you would rarely see laws being broken because the penalties are so stern. The United States is one of the most lenient countries in the world as far as discipline. If we had the death penalty, all people would be able to use the streets even in troubled areas.

Another reason we should use this is to set an example to all criminals. Some criminals who have committed many violent crimes (robbery, rape, and murder) are walking the streets like normal citizens because we are much too lenient on them. If the death penalty is instituted, there would not be as many daring and violent crimes as there are presently. Our present laws are much too "soft" on criminals. We need to get stricter.

In closing, I would like to add that this law would make a major difference. It would make our streets safer, people more secure, and make a better world to live in. The death penalty is a definite plus for our society as a whole.

What do you think? ?



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This article has 173 comments.


on Mar. 22 2011 at 3:56 pm
aspiringauthor_ BRONZE, Fairfield, Connecticut
1 article 0 photos 324 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." - MLK Jr.

You cannot get it through to them if they are dead, though. 

on Mar. 22 2011 at 3:55 pm
aspiringauthor_ BRONZE, Fairfield, Connecticut
1 article 0 photos 324 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." - MLK Jr.

Exactly! On another article I was trying to tell people that but no one would listen to me!

on Mar. 22 2011 at 3:53 pm
aspiringauthor_ BRONZE, Fairfield, Connecticut
1 article 0 photos 324 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." - MLK Jr.

All I'm saying is that that is a totally and completely illogical way of looking at it. You are an advocate for the death penalty, you may as well be sticking the needle in them. I'm not saying it's the same thing (God, no, it isn't) but then again by advocating for it you are telling us that if you had to do that, you would. And as for your previous argument that killers don't deserve to have logic? Logic isn't something you deserve. It's something you gain by thinking. Which, admittedly, most murders don't do. However, your comment about them not deserving logic made no sense and was illogical itself.

on Mar. 22 2011 at 3:48 pm
aspiringauthor_ BRONZE, Fairfield, Connecticut
1 article 0 photos 324 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." - MLK Jr.

I applaud you for putting that so well. I could not agree with you any more.

dawn said...
on Mar. 8 2011 at 9:19 am
if ppl say that this country is "cristian" then why are we goin against his will by killing ppl??????

on Feb. 28 2011 at 8:29 am
actually our government is built on religion if you couldn't tell by the saying on our bills is in god we trust. and our government is just plan greedy sence the judges that are on these cases get 15% (or more) from the total price on the sentencing. but altogether this is my view on our corrupted government. :3 

Zwidon said...
on Feb. 10 2011 at 10:16 pm
Zwidon, Encinitas, California
0 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Your whole argument, the entire thing, is based on this idea that Capital Punishment lowers crime rates. In oklahoma when they temporarily banned the death penalty they saw no increase in crime but did, conversly, see an increase in stranger killings.

The truth is that if you actaully research both sides, something I can assume reading this that you didn't, both sides have statistics to back their point that the death penalty does or does not increase crime rates.

People agaisnt the death penalty sometimes claim that capital punishment increases crime rates through the Brutilization effect.

There is no way of actually knowing whose right. Surveys can be very misleading especailly for something like this where their are so many factors involved. Their is no "laboratory" for capital punishment where you can control of teh variables in order to get accurated information.


Zwidon said...
on Feb. 10 2011 at 10:08 pm
Zwidon, Encinitas, California
0 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Timothy McVeigh's defense case cost thirteen million eight hundred dollars, for ten percent that amount he could have been imprisoned for life.

Usually sentencing someone to the death penalty costs more than life imprisonment if we are going to look at it purely financially.


audi.elle.29 said...
on Nov. 1 2010 at 5:59 pm
What if there is a mental serial killer on the loose? Ooh, but that is okay. I don't want to say pro or anti death penalty, but what if someone you loved was murdered? 

on Oct. 25 2010 at 12:54 pm
KunaiNinjaFighter SILVER, Monticello, Arkansas
7 articles 0 photos 67 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Think left and thing right, Think low and Think High, Oh the thinks you can think up, if only you try!" Dr. Suess oh and "Two things are infinite: The Universe and Human Stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.'- Albert Einstein

that's just it; I'm not. so I don't think about it.

on Oct. 23 2010 at 10:05 pm
Dragonscribe BRONZE, West Lafayette, Indiana
4 articles 0 photos 303 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A Person's a Person no Matter how Small"
and
"A Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet"
and
"God helps those who help themselves"

What works and what's right are too different things....how would you like be a murderer's murderer?

on Oct. 23 2010 at 10:02 pm
Dragonscribe BRONZE, West Lafayette, Indiana
4 articles 0 photos 303 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A Person's a Person no Matter how Small"
and
"A Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet"
and
"God helps those who help themselves"

I have to say I strongly disagree with you. Say you murder a man who murdered, what does that make you? A murderer's murderer? No matter what the criminal did, killing someone cannot be justified. However, I completely agree that some people should not be walking our streets as free men. So I think life sentences should be handed out more often, to those who really deserve them. But the death penalty is wrong.

on Oct. 5 2010 at 8:04 pm
KunaiNinjaFighter SILVER, Monticello, Arkansas
7 articles 0 photos 67 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Think left and thing right, Think low and Think High, Oh the thinks you can think up, if only you try!" Dr. Suess oh and "Two things are infinite: The Universe and Human Stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.'- Albert Einstein

All I'm saying is that the death penalty works

kateyt23 said...
on Oct. 5 2010 at 2:42 pm
kateyt23, Meath, Other
0 articles 0 photos 13 comments
Killing the person because they killed someone! Are you serious? That person could be somebody's son, brother! Punish someone by putting them to death, there is no principle in that whatsoever.

on Oct. 4 2010 at 9:19 pm
KunaiNinjaFighter SILVER, Monticello, Arkansas
7 articles 0 photos 67 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Think left and thing right, Think low and Think High, Oh the thinks you can think up, if only you try!" Dr. Suess oh and "Two things are infinite: The Universe and Human Stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.'- Albert Einstein

Isn't America one big hypocrasy as it is?

on Oct. 4 2010 at 9:16 pm
KunaiNinjaFighter SILVER, Monticello, Arkansas
7 articles 0 photos 67 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Think left and thing right, Think low and Think High, Oh the thinks you can think up, if only you try!" Dr. Suess oh and "Two things are infinite: The Universe and Human Stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.'- Albert Einstein

(I think you meant logical) In my opinion (and you can agree or not), if you kill someone in cold blood, you don't deserve to have logic. If somone kills someone PURPOSEFULLY, they have given up their humanity, their rights, and their sense of logic. They then deserve the death penalty.

kateyt23 said...
on Oct. 3 2010 at 3:33 pm
kateyt23, Meath, Other
0 articles 0 photos 13 comments
get your point, but think bout this, ! You're killing someone because they killed someone! && You are worry about money over somebody's life, thats ridiculus

kateyt23 said...
on Oct. 3 2010 at 3:29 pm
kateyt23, Meath, Other
0 articles 0 photos 13 comments
So you suppose to teach somebody a lesson about not killing someone by killing them! Doesn't sound very logic to me

wondering76 said...
on Oct. 1 2010 at 10:15 pm
wondering76, Quakertown, Pennsylvania
0 articles 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Judge me and I'll prove you wrong, tell me what to do and I'll tell you off, say I'm not worth it and watch where I end up, screw me over and I'll do it to you twice as bad, call me crazy, you really have not idea!"

I cannot help, but agree and disagree. Who are we to say that someone is to live or die? Are we going to be that cruel that we would take someone's life? On the other hand, some people who are too dangerous to walk the streets are a constint potential threat to humanity, should not be allowed to walk the streets, or anywhere. I am sorry that there are such sever punishments, but, we must do what we think is right, and act with other people's safety in mind.

Thank you.


on Oct. 1 2010 at 8:58 pm
KunaiNinjaFighter SILVER, Monticello, Arkansas
7 articles 0 photos 67 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Think left and thing right, Think low and Think High, Oh the thinks you can think up, if only you try!" Dr. Suess oh and "Two things are infinite: The Universe and Human Stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.'- Albert Einstein

I think that if you kill somone, you're not a kid anymore. If you wanna kill somone, then there's something wrong with your mindset, and you should be put to death. Morally right, or no, I dont care.