Question

Once convicted and held responsible, an appropriate sentence must be imposed. There is much controversy about the death penalty in the United States. We are going to have a respectful and intelligent debate about the pros and cons of the death penalty. Please start by contributing two arguments on each side of the debate.

Answer 1

Argument against   Death Penalty

• It is Cruel and unusual
• It denies due process of law as its imposition is often arbitrary, and always irrevocable
• The death penalty violates the constitutional guarantee of equal protection-It is applied randomly and discriminatorily

Argument for Death Penalty

Retribution: This argument states that real justice requires people to suffer for their wrongdoing, and to suffer in a way appropriate for the crime. Each criminal should get what their crime deserves and in the case of a murderer what their crime deserves is death.

Deterrence: Capital punishment is often justified with the argument that by executing convicted murderers, we will deter would-be murderers from killing people.

Prevention of Re-offending: It is undeniable that those who are executed cannot commit further crimes.