The Death Penalty: Why I'm Against It

One cannot deny that it feels good, righteous even, to see someone who has wronged you get their due. It even feels good to see someone who has wronged someone else get their due. Vengeance is glorified in movies and on TV; it's the best part at the end of the movie when the bad guy gets caught (or killed) by the good guy. We always want Superman to get Lex Luthor, or Batman to get the Joker. It is human nature to want justice. The death penalty, as it is enforced in this country, is a form of vengeance, not justice. And I am against it; here's why.

As of 2006, 64% of Americans support the death penalty, which leaves 34% of Americans who are forced to kill against their will. When people hear how strongly I oppose the death penalty, they often ask me questions like, "What if someone killed your mother? You wouldn't want them to die?" And my answer is, yes. Of course I would. But I would be seeking vengeance for my personal pain, something which is by far understood but by no means right. Personal pain is not reason enough to take someone's life. It is the government's job-or at least it should be-to intervene on behalf of morality, to step in and say that killing is wrong. Because perhaps as a group we can act more wisely than one individual would on their own.