Jenkins 1
Teresa Jenkins
Instructor: Jeff Sturges
English 101
20 November 2004
SGWA # 11
The Necessity of Capital Punishment:
An Eye for an Eye
Samantha was a beautiful 9 year-old with a long life ahead of her. What is wrong with this sentence? The word “was” should not be found when speaking about the life of a child. All people should grow old and gray after a long life and then die of natural causes. In Samantha’s case, a man named Tom decided that he would rape and kill her. Tom was apprehended by police and charged with this heinous crime. During the investigation it was discovered that this was not the first time that Tom had molested a child. In his previous crime he attacked an 8 year-old girl, strangled her, and left her for dead. Tom failed to kill her though. He was arrested, convicted, and even served some time in prison. Two days after his release he killed Samantha. This time he made sure that she was really dead before he left her. If Tom had been put to death for his crimes against the first child then Samantha would be playing with her friends and getting ready to celebrate her 10th birthday. Capital punishment should be used for specific crimes such as murder, rape, and child molestation. The cost of housing such criminals for a life sentence is a burden on taxpayers. The death penalty can be a deterrent to criminals and is also a fitting punishment for their crimes.
Taxpayers should not have to be burdened with the cost of feeding, clothing, and housing murderers. Criminals are convicted to serve years in prison; some are sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. If they are never going to walk around free again, why not just end their suffering and the burden they cause to working citizens by putting them to death for their crimes. Some would argue that the cost to put criminals to death is greater than the cost of keeping them in prison. The reason for this is through the cost of court appeals and not the actual cost to kill them. If criminals are convicted of a crime, beyond a reasonable doubt, then they should not be allowed to repeatedly tie up the court system and incur costs to the government unless there is clear evidence that they are without a doubt innocent. The number of appeals that make it to the court docket is insane. If they are not allowed to waste time and money then the cost of appeals will drastically drop. If more criminals are put to death then fewer criminals would need to be in the prisons, which would mean the need for facilities and workers would subsequently lower too. These reductions would cause a decrease in the amount of funds needed for the prison system.
If murderers, rapists, and child molesters are put to death for their crimes it will deter other people from committing such atrocities against their fellow man. Criminals probably don’t believe that they will be caught and punished for their crimes. They may also think that they can handle serving a few years if they are caught. There currently isn’t sufficient “fear” of punishment for severe crimes. However, after putting some murderers to death across the nation, one could assume that others will take this into consideration prior to pulling the trigger of a gun or cutting someone’s throat. It may make minor thieves stop and reassess things before they rob a store. “Is the money from the corner store cash register really worth my life?”
Give murderers what they deserve, an eye for an eye. If Tom had been put to death for his first crimes then Samantha would be alive. How many cases have the exact same issue where a criminal is concerned, the criminal is released and then they repeat their crimes? If the judicial system punishes these criminals by ending their lives, then it has served justice for the victims and their families. On the other hand, letting these criminals live out their lives in prison is like a slap in the face to the victims and their families. The prisoners are, in many cases, allowed access to libraries, computers, and weight rooms. They don’t have to work and pay taxes. They are not contributing to the betterment of mankind. They are merely a burden on society and are not receiving what they deserve, what they deserve is death.
There are many people out there just like Tom. There are also many people out there just like Samantha. The judicial process needs revision in order to protect the “Samanthas” of this country and to punish the “Toms”. For severe crimes there needs to be severe punishment. The reasons stated above only touch the surface of why Capital Punishment is a necessity. Society must work as a whole to prevent these crimes. People must have fear of serious consequences for their actions, not just fear of a slap on the wrist. Capital Punishment is the only way to deter criminals, prevent repeat crimes, and to truly give justice where deserved.