Capital punishment has been abolished in many countries over the years, yet it is still implemented in America, a supposedly modernly advanced country. Is capital punishment considered murderous or lawful? Accordingly, why kill to prove killing is wrong? The truth is not all human beings have a true sense of morals and ethics and so some preform heinous crimes that deserve punishment. The death penalty sparks continuous debate up till this day, many believing it to be the appropriate sentence for murderers and rapists. However, others consider being subjected to a life sentence to be the more just, humane choice. The true question is: is it right for a human being to be completely subject to the power of another?
Presumably, people that are against capital punishment are the ones that have no relative or sibling that have been brutally murdered. The victim’s relatives would urge justice to be served for the injustice towards their loved ones. Yes, capital punishment may be thought of as immoral because of the killing of a human being, but what about the victims? What about Robert Piest, the 15 year old victim of John Gacy, who will never grow old and whose parents will never attend his graduation. Should the death penalty not be applied on Gacy, who killed and raped 32 other boys? Should Gacy, who feels no kind of remorse towards his victims, be the one to live? (“John Wayne Gacy - Serial Killer – Documentary”) Some individuals are a menace to society and whether people like it or not, deserve the death penalty. The truth is that going to prison once will not actually reform a person to the better. For example, those who were convicted for the participation in President Sadat’s 1981 assassination in Egypt were sentenced to death, but then the verdict was lightened and finally, they were released from jail. One of the masterminds of the assassination plot, Al-Zomor who is now 64, has been released and yet remains an, “Islamic hardliner.” (Engel) Al-Zomor and his followers have continued in their involvement in the terrorist group, the Islamic Jihad group, and remain to be a threat to society, “He (Zomor) is unrepentant about killing Sadat. His only regret, he says, is that assassinating Sadat brought (Hosni) Mubarak to power.” (Engels) The same applies to Gacy, who was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for a sodomy charge in 1970 before his brutal murders, but was paroled after only 18 months. At the time of the sodomy charge, Gacy was 26 years old while his victim, Mike Miller, was only 16. After Gacy got out, he continued in his heinous crimes and proceeded to kill and rape 33 boys over the years (“John Wayne Gacy - Serial Killer – Documentary”). This is where the retentionists come in, arguing in favor of capital punishment. The retentionists believe that people sentenced to death row deserve it and their motto is, “an eye for an eye”. This means that when a person causes harm to another, an inequality between the two parties is formed and...
