Death Penalty Essay

What is the death penalty? The answer is very simple; it is a punishment that someone receives if they do
something really bad, such as murder, rape, etc. This answer, however, is leaning towards the side that the
death penalty should still exist. How can this definition be paraphrased to fit the death penalty more
accurately? An accurate definition would be: the government killing people that killed other people to stop
people from killing other people. The question now is, is that logical? Is it logical to kill someone to prevent
others from killing?

The death penalty is a sentence that should be abolished. Should we do to the criminal as they did to the
victim? Is there a chance that the accused is innocent? What can be done since the sentence is
irreversible? These are some of the issues with the death penalty.

My first issue is that the justice system is never 100% correct. “Judges and juries can convict the
innocent, as we know from the case of Donald Marshall, jailed for more than a decade for a murder he did
not commit.”(143). Most crimes end up with criminals serving jail time. Sometimes people turn up
innocent. Because they were only sent to jail and not sentenced to death their sentence can be reversed.
A death penalty is irreversible. The jury is also a factor in determining penalty.

Several times the same crimes are committed and different sentences are given out. A black man may
receive the death penalty while a white man can get imprisonment. “In Canada, before the death penalty
was abolished, native Indians, Ukrainians, and French Canadians were more likely to be executed than
others.”(141) A jury who consists of those who believe in the death penalty is more likely to vote guilty
while one opposed may vote innocent. They do not want to be held responsible for the death of someone,
innocent or guilty.

The death penalty is unjust and morally wrong. When someone murders someone else, the correct
punishment is not to murder him or her, but to try and help them. We don’t steal from the thieves, or rape
the rapists. “It would be degrading to the penal authorities. It would appear to condone the crime by
repeating it. It would be a wanton cruelty.” (140) Why do we murder the murderers? The death penalty
takes focus away from the victims and focuses the attention on the criminal.

These are just some of the reasons the death penalty should be removed. There are of course many
more. With the chance of being innocent, unjust, corrupt, what of the death penalty can be justified? I am
strongly against the death penalty and what it stands for.

Duterte’s political opponents tried to seize upon the public outrage to derail his deadly drug war, but with
little success. Impeachment complaints about summary killings linked to his war on drugs were all thrown
out. Similarly, Senate inquiries over the drug war ended without any definitive conclusion or formal
charge, since majority of the lawmakers are Duterte’s loyalists.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Church, which previously rallied against drug-related killings, has also softened
its stance on the issue. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) recently voiced
support for Duterte’s drug war and asked the public not to condemn the extrajudicial killings. The CBCP’s
support is significant for the president, since the members of the Church wield considerable influence
over the predominantly Christian Philippine population.

Manila: The Philippine government will continue with its plan to make the death penalty part of its punitive

recourse, despite Pope Francis’ declaration that capital punishment is “unacceptable” in all cases,

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

“It is still the priority of the administration to re-impose the death penalty for serious drug-related

offences,” Roque said in a press briefing in Malaybalay, Bukidnon on Friday.

However, Roque added, the decision on re-imposing the capital punishment remains with the Senate and

House on whether it will recall a 1993 law that provides for such penal option.

The Philippines has had an on and off penchant with the death penalty.

The country carried out judicial executions during the 1970s when the entire archipelago was under

martial law and crime was a serious concern.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro want to bring back the death penalty in the
Philippines as a deterrent to crime. It can be said that the death penalty is already effectively and
practically in force daily. As many as 10 suspects are killed daily in the war on illegal drugs.

One reason supporters of the capital punishment are for death penalty is its effectiveness as
a crime deterrent. According to the advocates for death sentencing, potential criminals will be
scared to suffer such harsh punishment and as a result, they will be hesitant to commit crimes
like rape and murder.