Should the Death Penalty be Retained

The Death Penalty Once More
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The Death Penalty Once More by Ernest van den Haag
Ernest van den Haag, a professor of law argues that the death penalty is in line with the US constitution and even though some of the results are inconclusive regarding its ability to be an effective deterrent, it is morally justifiable (Haag, 1985). Haag contents that, the idea of inflicting pain on another person is wrong and therefore requires a strong rationale to justify capital punishment. The element of justification for capital punishment is commonly drawn from two aspects, that is, justices and that of deterrent. In some cases where justice is seen to be served, the accused are required to pay for their wrongdoing with their lives which calls for capital punishment justification (Haag, 1985). However this line of thought also comes under criticism, indicating that the idea of killing someone for their wrongdoing is related to vengeance other than justice. However the state tries to make the act as official and separate from any forms of vengeance, by using capital punishment justification to protect the citizens. The other element of capital punishment is that of being a deterrent to wrongdoer (Haag, 1985). If people know that they are going to pay with their lives after committing certain prohibited acts, they are more likely to shun away from them. However, this line of thought too is seen to be under criticism, from the fact that there are no actual statistics indicative of the same as empirical evidence. The idea is largely drawn from the intuition borne of every man at the thought of being killed for their acts (Haag, 1985).
The constitutionality of capital punishment is authorized in the Fifth Amendment passed in 1791; which indicates that a person can be deprived of ...