Capital punishment or the death sentence is the "Ultimate Penalty" reserved for criminals that commit the most heinous of crimes. Capital punishment is the legal process whereby a person is sentenced to death by the state as a punishment for a crime they have committed. There are many ethical concerns involving the practice of capital punishment. Is it our duty as a society to execute a murderer? Is it a just punishment for murder? Is the right person receiving the punishment? Is there a deterrence factor in the death penalty? Is the cost of capital punishment more expensive than life in prison? This argumentative essay in favor of capital punishment will investigate some of these concerns and show my opinion that reform of capital punishment is needed - not the abolition of it. I strongly believe that when someone takes away the rights of an innocent victim they no longer have rights and they should not be of concern for society. .
Capital punishment is a controversial subject where people are either for or against it. Abolitionists are those who are adamant about abolishing the death penalty all together and retentionists are those who want to keep the death penalty open as an option in sentencing for capital cases. Jeffrey Reiman, a very well known philosopher, has been in his share of debates about why we should abolish the death penalty. One of Reiman's main arguments is that we are too civilized as a society to be executing people, even if the death penalty is a just punishment for murder. The argument that Reiman makes about the death penalty being a just punishment for murder is enough evidence in itself that he believes in it, but to think that we are too sophisticated to follow the practice is absurd. If society were as civilized as Reiman claims, punishment would be the least of our worries because crimes like murder would not exist. Although we have come a long way, it is not a perfect world and there are still murderers roaming around looking for their next victim.