Throughout the ages, whether it was the Age of the Jaguar or Age of Aquarius, the death penalty dates back as far back as 18th century B.C. While the punishing of crime by death has been around for countless centuries, our tactics have evolved, using such as crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, beheading, and impalement. All we have really done over the years is found an even more cost and time efficient manner of ridding society of the scum that criminals are through the use of lethal injection. (“Introduction to the Death Penalty”). However, the argument still stands that taking a life is inhumane, no matter what the tactic is.

While some might believe in the phrase “an eye for an eye,” the moral beliefs of some people stop them from thinking this is okay and makes it a difficult topic to tackle because of this factor. It should not be a matter of how many people the government has killed through capital punishment, but just how many people it has saved, and few really care to realize that their life could have been saved through this, as they could have been another death by a vicious criminal. Just as Yahoo! Answers user, Integration 20 - Low Fat, Tastes Great says, “[s]ome people need to be removed permanently from society,” and said people are those criminals that threaten yours and my daily life (Yahoo! Answers). The death penalty is perfectly legal by the binds of this country’s constitution as according to our government, and because of this, the death penalty is still being used in the United States today. Capital punishment does not go against a citizen’s eighth amendment rights, and can be technically not classified as a form of cruel and unusual punishment, so with that being said, who is to say that it is wrong? If it is legal, then it certainly must be correct.

Any rational thinker would wonder how this form of cleaning out the unwanted must benefit them since it is clearly the right choice, and capital punishment does have its advantages. For example, it results in less miscreants and thusly, lower crime rates as the death penalty is a repercussion that potential lawbreakers will not want to face (“Death Penalty: Pros and Cons”). Apart from this, it creates a safer environment inside prisons and it eliminates future threats to society (“Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment”). The death of the criminal can bring the victim’s family the much needed closure that they require in order to get over the death of their loved one and to at least consider stopping the hating of the cruel animal that murdered their beloved. Through the death of a felon, revenge for the families of the victim or victims can be achieved and the deceased can be brought to justice by meeting the criminal’s wrongdoing with the same fate (“Should the Death Penalty be Banned as a form of Punishment?”). Not to mention, with one less breather to worry about, taxpayers pay for one less inmate and thus reduces the cost of living in prison and keeps them from becoming over-crowded (“The Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment”). Anything to keep that extra money in your pocket, right? Instead, you could spend those extra dollars to buy that necklace you had your eye on, or those shiny leather shoes that have the perfectly pitched squeak with each step you take.

While this may all be true, some people still are opposed to the use of the death penalty due to their morality, as killing a criminal cannot undo the crime that has been done (“5 Arguments For and Against the Death Penalty”). These social justice fighters would see this as justice rather than hypocrisy, as it can easily be argued how killing people is wrong by killing people who killed people. The criminal’s life cannot compensate for the crime committed, and the use of the death penalty creates a cycle of violence. There is a very real chance that a person could come back from what they have done, and chances are, despite the hatred from the victim’s families, the criminal is the hardest on themselves for the crime. While rehabilitation is possible if they truly are willing to bring themselves back into society after they have paid their debt in prison time, however, who is really willing to spend that money on an offender who may or may not change? Why waste your own time and money on something that may or may not happen? It is cheaper to put a prisoner down than to pay for their diapers as they grow old.

Death is not cruel and unusual punishment, and in the end, the lesson of fairness that was indoctrinated into us as little kids on the playground is true. The death penalty has been in effect for centuries and if it works and is not a broken way of thinking, then I see no need to fix it. Because the crimes and criminals have evolved, so have our methods of execution, and as a result our process has become much more streamlined. We can only continue to evolve and advance with our technology in order to battle the threat of an offender. While I do not personally believe that capital punishment and that life in prison is worse than death, you know what they say; an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life.

Works Cited

“Introduction to the Death Penalty.” Death Penalty Info. n.p. n.d. Web. 6 October 2014.

“Death Penalty: Pros and Cons.” deathpenalty.procon. ProCon.org, 2014. Web. 1 Oct. 2014.

Flamehorse. “ 5 Arguments For and Against the Death Penalty.” listverse. Listverse Ltd., 2014.
Web. 1 Oct. 2014.

Howard, Luke. "Is the death penalty good?" Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo! Answers, n.d. Web. 15
Feb. 2015.

Kartha, Deepa. “Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment.” buzzle. Buzzle.com, 2012. Web. 2 Oct.
2014.

Messerli, Joe. “Should the Death Penalty be Banned as a form of Punishment?” balancedpolitics.
BalancedPolitics.org, n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.

Phil for humanity. “The Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment.” philforhumanity. Phil For
Humanity, 2014. Web. 1 Oct. 2014 .