Arguments For and Against Capital Punishment

Arguments For and Against the Death Penalty

Humans who take the life of others do not have the right to live themselves.
The death penalty is the appropriate punishment for criminals who have committed brutal crimes.
The death penalty serves as a deterrent for potential criminals who might think twice before they do something awful.
Life imprisonment is expensive and costs the state too much money.

Lower class citizens and ethnic minorities are sentenced to death more often than middle or upper classes and whites.
The death penalty is always immoral. We have no right to take the lives of others, even if they have committed a serious crime.
The death penalty is not the appropriate penalty for crimes other than murder.
The judicial system makes mistakes. There have been a number of wrongful executions in the past. DNA testing can prove that an executed inmate was, in fact, innocent.
Life imprisonment is a more effective way of punishing a criminal.