Death Penalty or Life in Prison
Sierra Brattain
Southwestern Michigan College

Death Penalty or Life in Prison
Death Penalty I began my research by looking into the death penalty or also known as capital punishment. The death penalty is the action of executing a person who has committed an illegal act equivalent to death. Crimes punishable by death vary depending on the state; some include murder, sexual assault, treason, and other serious capital crimes (“Crimes Punishable”, 2011). There are many different outlooks on the death penalty; some in favor of the death penalty believe it is the ultimate balance between good and evil and they often use the phrase, “an eye, for an eye.” By using death as punishment they can assure society
A death row lawyer stated that most of his clients who have begged him to get them a life sentence end up going back and stating that he “betrayed them” because the conditions they are living in are much worst then death. “Sending a prisoner to die behind bars with no hope of release is a sentence that denies the possibility of redemption every bit as much as strapping a murderer to the gurney and filling him with poison” (Dow, 2012). In an article I previously discussed, it was stated that when a person was sentenced to life without parole they were convicted of exactly that, they wouldn’t be released from the prison unless it was “in a body bag” (Wilbur, 2012). I discovered an article arguing that fact, it was stated that a death sentence can be lifted and the person can then be sentenced to life, and with good behavior they can be released back into the public. It was also proved that the majority of those released on parole resorted back to violent behaviors, and took several more lives before they were once again taken into custody (Dow, 2012).
My Conclusion
After analyzing all the different factors, I have concluded that the death penalty under the right circumstances is a fair and just punishment for severe violent crimes. Prisons are becoming overcrowded forcing officials to release offenders causing the crime rates to increase. The research regarding the phrase, “an eye, for an eye,” is very creditable. When an offender chooses to take someone