A synthesis essay is a type of essay that supposes a unique point of view on a chosen idea and depends on the combination of several sources, usually three or more. First of all, it is necessary to define the topic, which should be broad enough to discuss from the various points of view. The structure of the essay has to present the acknowledged summary of each relevant source as well as make a progressively strong and important argument verifying the thesis. The synthesis essay below is devoted to the issue of the corporal punishment, which remains the controversial theme for the discussion even today.
The death penalty has always induced the harsh debates about both its ethical aspect and its influence on the criminal conduct. In its simplest structure, the death penalty is defined as the punishment for the act of taking the life of the other person. There are 31 states which have not abolished the capital punishment yet, and this has to be modified. These states have to cancel it in light of the fact that the capital punishment carries an uncertain danger of neglect to the guiltless; it is dishonest and rustic. Finally, it is a useless impediment of offense versus the option of life in jail without the opportunity for the further appeal. Regarding this, the death penalty is the most irreparable crime governments perform without result and it must be uprooted.
There are a few solid religious and ethical arguments to restrict the capital punishment. The arguments are just that any killing is immoral, unfair, or both. Moreover, slaughtering as retribution is not right since social orders ought to hold themselves to a higher standard than that of the individual killers. For example, some people find the idea that Cain, the first killer, has not been executed but rather set apart with an extraordinary sign and made a vagabond upon the substance of the earth, as a quite convincing one in terms of the correction.
Furthermore, we should take into account that the capital punishment is biased in a racial way. The comparative cases were not treated alike, and race was proved to have an influence on sentencing. Blacks who had carried out violations against whites got a relatively more noteworthy offer of capital punishments than the other indicted culprits. In 1990, the U.S. General Accounting Office stated that there was a pattern of evidence, which indicated the racial disparities in the charging, sentencing, and imposition of the death penalty after Furman versus Georgia decision. Moreover, the race of victim influenced the decision-making process at all stages of the trial. This should be considered carefully, as the whole world is now struggling against racism, oppression, and prejudices.
Ultimately, the most grounded motivation to cancel capital punishment is a possibility to sentence a guiltless person. There is an example of Ray Krone, who was convicted of murder and spent 10 years in prison awaiting his innocence to be proved. Fortunately, the real murderer was found. Now Ray Krone is the Director of Training and Communications for meetings called Witness to Innocence, which are created to assist people that were sentenced to death for something they did not commit.
All in all, Albert Camus, a rival of the death penalty, wrote that people knew enough to say that the severe criminal deserve the hard labor for the rest of his (or her) life. However, people are not aware of the fact that this can be sufficient to “decree that he be shorn of his future”. In other words, all people are making amends because of the different heaviness whereas the others still cannot take other lives in revenge.
References
- ACLU. (2012). The case against the death penalty. Web. 20 Sept. 2016. Retrieved from https://www.aclu.org/case-against-death-penalty.
- “Capital punishment.” (2016). Opposing viewpoints online collection. Web. 20 Sept. 2016.
- “Capital punishment should be abolished.” (2012). Capital Punishment: Cruel and Unusual? Web. 20 Sept. 2016. Retrieved from http://louisganzlerwebspace.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/2/7/13279623/capital_punishment_should_be_abolished.pdf.
- Donohue, J. J., & Wolfers, J. (2006). The death penalty: No evidence for deterrence. Economists’ Voice. Web. 20 Sept. 2016. Retrieved from http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/files/pdf/DonohueDeter.pdf.
- Peffley, M., & Hurwitz, J. (2007). Persuasion and resistance: Race and the death penalty in America. American Journal of Political Science, 51(4), 996-1012.