Capital Punishment Essay -- Justice Law Government Morals Ethics Essay

Capital penalizationShould we kill killers is the question to answer regarding the controversial subject of capital punishment. There is strong support for some(prenominal) sides and many people pee offered their opinions in writing for all of us to examine. John M. Olin, the Professor of Jurisprudence and Public Policy at Fordham University, gave us his Pro-Capital Punishment opinion in the Harvard Law Review in 1986. Although his article was written more than a decade ago the argued topics have not changed. In his report The Ultimate Punishment A Defense Mr. Olin addresses why he feels capital punishment is necessary in our society and across the world. According to Olin retribution is the enactment one reason for capital punishment. He goes on to say that the retributive notion of punishment in general is that as a foundational matter of justice, criminals deserve punishment and punishment should be equal to the harm done. What counts as punishment equal to harm? Olin re fers to lex talionis commonly known as an eye for an eye. This thinking was drawn from the Babylonian Law of Hammurabi from the 18th century. It states If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to oddment. If it kills the son of the owner, then the son of that builder shall be put to death. Besides being totally absurd on that point are a couple of points to make. First, retribution cannot be uniformly applied to every harm haveted. What about rapist? Should they be raped? What about those who commit mass murder? How can we make their punishment proportional? The answer is we can not. Killing one person who killed another serves no practical... ...ntly, especially if death is involved, then we need to stop, back up and say what is going on here? Criminals no doubt deserve to be punished, and punished with severity captivate to the harm they hav e caused to the innocent. But severity of punishment has its limits, both by justice and basic human dignity. Too many studies have shown that a extended sentence of 20 to 30 years of a murderer has been proven to be sufficient. After this period of time most individuals have proven to be constructive, worthy members of society and have lived prosperous lives after being released. I do however recognize the fact that many individuals should stay in prison for the rest of their lives for the safety of all as well as retribution. For a Nation that is supposed to be founded on Christian morals and beliefs I have to wonder how they justify much of what they do.