FREE ESSAY ON DEATH AND JUSTICE: A RESPONSE

DEATH AND JUSTICE: A RESPONSE

Death and Justice by Edward Koch
A response 
In reading Mr. Koch's article Death and Justice, I was quite impressed with his opinions
and ability to articulate them. I must say that I too am a supporter of the death penalty
and would be hard pressed to argue my point more convincingly than Mr. Koch. Mr. Koch
mentions several points, but the three that are the most poignant are his arguments
concerning the barbaric, murderous, and imperfect aspects of the death penalty.
First, I do not feel that the death penalty is barbaric at all. As Mr. Koch points out,
we have come a long way from drawing and quartering our criminals. Lethal injection is no
more barbaric then a flu-shot. Many people are more concerned with the comfort and well
being of our felons than our neighbors. What is barbaric is allowing a man to live after
he heinously raped and murdered a young girl. I personally have no objection to the use
of many long-forgotten methods, such as the guillotine, noose, firing squad, or headman's
axe. 
Specifically, murder is defined as the unlawful premeditated killing of a human being.
Government-sanctioned executions, which follow the laws of the state, are not murder by
this standard. Koch writes "The execution of a lawfully condemned killer is no more
murder than is legal imprisonment kidnapping." I feel this sums it up quite eloquently.
The government is not an individual and is not limited by the rights and responsibilities
of individuals. People who call the death penalty murder do so out of a sense of moral
outrage rather then an intellectual consideration. 
While our system of government, just like all others, is imperfect, we have several
checks and balances built into the system to help ensure accuracy. There are rare
occasions when the innocent are punished, but until all the criminals come forward on
their own to admit their crimes, we can only continue on. Those people who are convicted
are given chances to appeal their sentences. We cannot, for fear of making a mistake,
bring our justice system to a halt. I also believe in Karma and believe that if someone
is wrongly punished, then it either is retribution for other misdeeds or it will be made
up to them in another life.
Ultimately, the death penalty is a question of morality. If it were just a matter of
statistics, then it would be clear that it is a better deterrent the life imprisonment.
Unfortunately, it is argued by people who cannot agree whether the felon in question
deserves to die. I wholeheartedly believe in the death penalty and feel it is not used as
often as it should.