Death Penalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Death Penalty - Essay Example The death penalty should not be used for the mentally ill or youths under the age of 18. Circumstances surrounding each individual case also need to be determined. The most important issue concerning the death penalty is the debate. This issue is far from settled either legally or socially in the United States. Many myths surround the death penalty. â€Å"Among the myths surrounding the death penalty are that it deters violent crime, that it costs less than life imprisonment, that victims’ families demand it, and that organized religion justifies and supports its use† (Catron and Stein-Holmes n.d.:4). If a murderer wants to commit a crime, their main thought is not about the death penalty. If this were the case, states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Virginia would see a decrease in capital offences. Timothy McVeigh would have blown up a Federal building in Iowa, not Oklahoma City. Murderers do not have the morals that a rational law abiding citizen have, which makes them think differently. The death penalty does not serve as a deterrent to crime. Although deterrent hypothesis still exist, they are only a hypothesis (Cloninger and Marchensini 2005:3). Research has not definitely proven the death penalty as a deterrent (Cloninger and Marchensini 2005:3). Another myth is the death pe nalty is cheaper than life imprisonment. The death penalty costs more than life imprisonment (Schaefer 2008:177). Another myth debunked is all families request the death penalty. Some family members do not want the death penalty. Finally not all religions demand the death penalty. An example of an anti-death penalty church is the Catholic Church. These myths should not be used to argue for the death penalty. The United States is the last Western country to implement the death penalty (Catron and Stein-Holmes n.d.:4). Of all execution reported, 92% happened in the United States (36 states/military/Federal government), China, Pakistan, Iraq, and Sudan (Schaefer