Death Penalty vs Life in Prison Amateur Essay

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Death penalty VS Life in prison By Colin Robertson “Other states are trying to abolish the death penalty... mine's putting in an express lane.” – Ron White The death penalty, as it is commonly referred, is the penalty sometimes given to the criminals faced with the most horrific crimes possible. Many feel it is necessary in order to keep society safe because of how it permanently removes these select people from society, feeling that this will keep them safe from danger. It has been a part of the justice system since the beginning of human history, used primarily in cases of murder, treason and in military service, but just because something is old, doesn’t mean it’s what is right. The last several centuries have seen the emergence of modern nation states. Almost obvious to the concept of nation state is the idea of citizenship. This causes justice to be increasingly associated with equality and universality, which saw an emergence of the concept of natural rights. The death penalty became an increasingly unnecessary deterrent in prevention of minor crimes such as theft. The argument that deterrence, rather than retribution, is the main justification for punishment is a hallmark of the rational choice. Additionally, in countries like Britain, law enforcement officials became alarmed when juries tended to acquit non-violent felons rather than risk a conviction that could result in execution. Moving executions there inside prisons and away from public view was prompted by official recognition of the phenomenon and later by Charles Dickens and Karl Marx of increased violent criminality at the times and places of executions. Life in prison, on the other hand, is a sentence often taken in place of a would be death penalty, due to either cooperation or the judges view on the matter, which may seem like a better choice on the outside, yet when we look deeper, we find
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