The death penalty or capital punishment is a very sensitive subject. To take a stand on such a subject is a difficult job. As it stands thirty-eight of the fifty states have taken a stand that says they will enforce the death penalty. When I first started to research this topic I thought the death penalty to be morally wrong and an injustice to the persons rights. However, now I agree with those thirty-eight states and think that all fifty states should have the death penalty. I believe the death penalty should only be used in the most extreme and brutal cases.
The killing of one person as punishment for killing another seems so unjust when written on paper. However, when looked at from a victim's point of view this is the only fair punishment. I had to put myself into the victim's shoes in order to come to my belief on the death penalty. I had to imagine that someone very close to me, a family member, was murdered. The only just punishment was to have the killer put to death. .
As of today in Pennsylvania the only crime punishable with the death penalty is first-degree murder with eighteen aggravating circumstances. This means that in the state that we live the only way for someone to be sentenced to death is to commit and be convicted of first-degree murder with eighteen aggravating circumstances. .
This means that someone can live after raping someone, committing treason, or even abusing kids. I believe that the death penalty criteria should be revised to include these crimes. These are crimes that are too horrible to take the chance of letting someone out to commit again.
In a survey I polled ten people on their views and beliefs of the death penalty. All of the people I surveyed agreed with the death penalty. When asked if they thought that all fifty states should have the death penalty, eight replied yes. I agree that all fifty states should have some sort of capital punishment because as one of the polls stated, "If we are the United States of America we should be united in all phases of government, including capital punishment.