The Death Penalty in America Essay Example

Death Penalty is used for punishments of crimes and can be executed by gas chamber, lethal injection, and even electrocution. In “Death and Justice” by Edward J. Koch, Koch suggests that Death Penalty is a necessity because it can save lives but attempting to delay those who commit crimes. In “The Death Penalty” by David Bruck, Bruck implies that the capital punishment should be removed as it makes people want murderers to die. Both authors use ¬different evidence to support their respective claims. Although some may argue that the death penalty is discriminatory and should be illegal, the United States should have the death penalty because it causes the murderers to have a second thought about murdering their victims and help the social order in the United States.

The United States should keep the death penalty because it can have murderers think twice before killing as they have a chance of getting killed. For example, Koch asks the readers “what prompted these murderers to speak out against [their own] killing” (Koch, 2)¬¬. The backstory of the question is that Carl Shaw wrote saying that killing was wrong when everyone did it, even when he did it. This question opens the discussion on how the death penalty causes the murderers to regret their choices and if they had known that they would have been on the death penalty, maybe they wouldn’t have done it. Many great thinkers and presidents were in favor of the death penalty and an example is Alexis de Tocqueville who believed that the death penalty “was indispensable to the support of social order” (Koch, 12). Alexis knew that without the death penalty anybody would kill and not get the punishment that they deserve. The great thinkers knew that it would lead to chaos and ruin America, so they believed that it was necessary to keep it.

Although some may argue that the death penalty should be used, others believe that it is discriminatory and does not work towards what it is meant for, justice. For example, Bruck asks the readers rhetorical questions about the case of Ernest Knighton and comes up with a theory that, “the death penalty system asks us to accept that the purpose of killing each of them is to affirm the sanctity of life” (Bruck, 10) Bruck proses that it does not matter who has done what crime, but it is shown to others that the justice has been delivered. Although it could have been because he was a black man, Knighton was chosen for capital punishment over others who had done the same crime. Although some argue that the capital punishment is harsh and discriminatory, many suggest that everybody should be punished for crimes if they have done it. An example is when Koch responds that an argument that the death penalty is racist should not end the death penalty itself and that, “justice requires that the law be applied equally to all” (Koch,11).  Koch believes that the death penalty should not look at gender or race ore religion, but at what the crime was and how harsh it was done. Everybody should be brought to justice if they have done the crime no matter which means is used. Bruck argues that the death penalty is discriminatory whereas Koch says that the death penalty does not look at a person discriminately but if they have done a crime. 

Many believe that the death penalty should be continued in the U. S. because it causes the murderers to have a second thought about murdering their victims and help the social order in the United States, whereas some believe it is discriminatory and should be illegal. The death penalty can ensure that murderers will think twice before doing a crime that they would have done without thinking before. Without capital punishment the social order would be chaotic with crimes happening everywhere and no punishment. There are arguments that the death penalty is racist, but justice should be for everyone depending on the crime. The death penalty should be used depending on the severity of the crime no matter of race or religion because without it the world would be chaos.