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A Critical Analysis of the Death Penalty

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Introduction The debate on whether or not the death penalty should be abolished has been ongoing for quite a long period of time. While there are those who believe that the death penalty does not serve its intended purpose, proponents of the same are convinced that the relevance of the same cannot be overstated and hence it should not be abolished. In this text, I examine the arguments for and against the death penalty. The Death Penalty: A Brief Overview In basic terms, the death penalty according to Stearman "is when the government takes a person's life as a punishment for wrongdoing" (6). As the author further points out, the death penalty is regarded the most severe form of punishment that can be dispensed to a citizen by any given government. Most jurisdictions permit the death penalty for cases involving espionage, treason, as well as murder. Some of the methods that have been utilized over time to put to death those convicted of crimes punishable by death include but they are not limited to lethal injection, electrocution, death before a firing squad, hanging, utilization of poisonous gas, etc. Those in support of the death penalty are convinced that the same is critical when it comes to the maintenance of law and order. Indeed, one of the most prominent arguments that have been presented in support of the death penalty is that the same acts as an important deterrent. However, those opposed to the death penalty maintain that amongst other things, the death

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