ASSIGNMENT | Death Penalty Position Paragraph

Your task is to write a paragraph (maximum length of one page double spaced) that argues your position on the death penalty. In your argument, you must draw upon ethical theories, concepts, and reasoning to support your position.

State whether or not the death penalty should be abolished and why.
You must apply at least one ethical theory to support your position.
You must explain what effects implementing your position regarding the death penalty would have on society.
The letter should be 1 page in length, double spaced, and free of grammatical errors.

It is not enough to name a theory; you must explain the theory and demonstrate how your position reflects the logic and reasoning of that theory.
Remember that theory is the “why” behind your beliefs.

SAMPLE SOLUTION

Death Penalty Position Paragraph

The death penalty refers to the practice of executing convicts as punishment for a particular offense after receiving a fair trial from the state (Kanefield, 2014). I think that the death penalty or capital punishment should be abolished because of various ethical reasons. The first reason is that practicing capital punishment will eventually lead to the execution of innocent people. Every system has its flaws resulting from human errors and system weaknesses, and the justice system is no exception. Because of these mistakes and deficiencies in the system, innocent people are bound to be executed at one time or the other (BBC, 2014). The second reason is that the death penalty goes against the fundamental human right to live and human dignity. By sentencing a person to death, it violates their right to live as well as the right of not to be tortured…