Macdonald 1

Tessa Macdonald
HELA II
Rager-3
18 February 2015
Capital Punishment
On July 30, 1978, three of the Tison brothers visited their father in prison. They managed
to help him escape. July 31, 1978: They were driving through the Arizona desert when their car
got a flat tire. A kind family stopped to help. The hot sun shining down that day was the last
thing they were going to see. Gary Tison, the prison escapee, brutally gunned down the whole
family. Murdered them in cold blood. After a vain crime spree, the police found them, but Gary
managed to escape yet again. But the Sun eventually killed him, just as he had a few days before.
If Gary Tison had survived, Arizona would have executed him. His crime was one that leaves a
black hole of fear and horror in everyoneIt demands a response that goes beyond a jumpsuit
and a prison cell (Kay).
Very few crimes deserve capital punishment, but slaughtering people is sure one of those
despicable crimes (Kay). Despite their efforts, opponents of capital punishment have not changed
the public view on the death penalty. Gallup polls show an increasing number of the public
citizens support capital punishment (Muhlhausen). In The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Adam
Smith states, His blood, we think, calls aloud for vengeance. The very ashes of the dead seem
to be disturbed at the thought that his injuries are to pass unrevenged (Kay). As a child, we all
learn the golden rule which states: Treat others how you want to be treated. If this is

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something we are brainwashed with in elementary school, why are we straying away from it? If
a person murders another, then they deserve to die. If they treated someone harshly, they
rightfully get the same treatment.
People who oppose capital punishment claim that lethal injection causes suffering to the
victim. That may be true, but the families and friends of the person who was killed have suffered
much more than the convict. Others view the death penalty as cruel and unusual punishment,
while others agree that the system is flawed. The writer of End Capital Punishment states that
Texas executed an innocent man, Carlos DeLuna, for a murder he did not commit (Buffalo
News). How do we know that he is not guilty? How can we prove that he doesnt deserve the
death penalty?
The death penalty is perfectly okay because it takes, on average, 16 years from the
sentence to the actual execution. One study by Paul Zimmerman showed that on average, the
death penalty deters 14 murders in each state (Mulhausen). Opponents argue that the death
penalty is completely inhumane, and does not deter crimes. The death penalty is a symptom of
and an encouragement to a culture of violence. It is not a solution to it, as is often claimed, and it
does not deter crime more than other punishments. Bildt and Kouchner claim that it is the
ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment (Kouchner, Bildt). This may be true, but it
is the only punishment that justifies the heinous crime that was commited.
The death penalty is a social issue that is commonly debated. Some agree that it is fair,
as the crime committed was abominable. Others disagree, and state that it is against the
Constitution as it is cruel and unusual punishment. The death penalty is adequate for criminals
with merciless crimes. The ashes of the dead demand nothing less.

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Works Cited
Muhlhausen, David B. "Studies Confirm: Death Penalties Deter Many Murders at Far Less
Cost." McClatchy - Tribune News Service. 16 Oct. 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18
Feb. 2015.
Kouchner, Bernard, and Carl Bildt. "Time for a Moratorium Against the Death Penalty." Global
Viewpoint. Oct. 10 2008: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.
Kay, Jonathan. "The Ashes of the Dead." National Post. 01 Feb. 2014: A.18. SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Death Penalty/Capital Punishment." ProQuest LLC. 2015: n.pag.
SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
"End Capital Punishment." Buffalo News. 01 Feb. 2014: A.6. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18
Feb. 2015.