Capital Punishment is State Sanctioned Murder Essay example -- Argumen

Capital Punishment is State Sanctioned Murder Capital punishment is state sanctioned, premeditated murder. It is morally, ethically, and socially wrong. Murder is the intentional killing of one person by another. Capital punishment does just that. It takes the life of one person and uses another, "the executioner," to do it. In the state of Indiana, the warden of the state prison acts as "the executioner." The killing takes place before the hour of sunrise on a fixed day. The warden, "executioner," flips a switch that sends electrical current into the body of the convicted prisoner, thus ending the prisoner's life. What happens during the execution is one person's life is intentionally ended by the act of another. The difference, however, is that capital punishment is condoned by the state. The state's Supreme Court, Appeals Court, Superior courts, and prosecutors all play an important role in condoning the use of capital punishment. Many precautions are taken to ensure that all due process rights are given to the offender. I wonder how many times we have executed an innocent man or woman? Last month, in the state of Virginia, a man was executed for the brutal rape and murder of his sister-in-law. Throughout his 11 year stay on death row, he claimed he was not guilty of this crime. We may never know the truth, yet his life was ended. If his innocence could be proven today, there would be no way to reverse the punishment. There is no doubt that we have executed innocent people in this country. Throughout our lives we are taught that it is wrong to take the life of ... ...ustice that is being served? In my involvement with offenders on death row, I see the pain of their families as they go through the appeals process hoping and praying that their loved one's sentence be overturned. The use of the death penalty shows us that revenge is honored in our society. The cost of incarcerating an offender for their lifetime is much less than the cost of executing that same offender. In spite of the lower cost to imprison, we continue to execute offenders. To me, this mindset shows a system that considers the death of another to be a victory. Murder and capital punishment are synonymous. Both consist of the intentional killing of a human being. Both are morally, ethically, and socially wrong. The only difference is one form of killing is considered to be lawful.