Capital Punishment: Society's Self-Defense by Amber Young is an essay that argues in favor of capital punishment, stating reasons such as self-defense , the lack of care in preserving life, liberty being more important than liberty, and the possibility of a guilty person being released rather than an innocent being condemned. All reasons are given to support the essay's argument: "Just as a person is justified in using deadly force to defend himself against a potential killer, society is also justified in using deadly force to defend itself against a potential killer. defend. itself and its citizens of those who have a strong propensity to kill.” The assertion in this essay attempts to assert that just as a person is capable of defending himself with deadly force against a criminal such as a killer, a nation should be capable of using deadly force such as the punishment of death and capital punishment to get rid of a criminal. first-degree murderers like Ted Bundy who pose a threat to society through the devastation they cause. This statement is qualified by the expression “whenever the opportunity and desire arise”. The author sees no pity for first degree murderers who take the lives of others. So, whenever a first degree murderer is convicted, they should be able to receive the death penalty. The proposed exception to the author's assertion is that "the burden of proof in a criminal case lies with the government and guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt." It goes on to assert that courts rarely prosecute those who are innocent, and that innocent people who are wrongly prosecuted without guilt proven beyond a reasonable doubt are an exception to the claim. The remainder of this article will focus on the reasons, what makes those reasons relevant and good, the evidence that supports the reasons, and the objections and rebuttals to those reasons. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay According to the author, “The most legitimate and strongest reason for capital punishment is not punishment , punishment or deterrence, but simply the law of society. self-defense. What makes this reason relevant to the statement is that it compares a person defending themselves against a murderer with the use of deadly force to a nation or society defending itself against a murderer with capital punishment, and on the whole , it makes capital punishment appear as a sort of self-defense. defense. However, the reason is not necessarily good. Even if a person can defend themselves against a killer using deadly force, they are only one person and don't really have any other options. On the other hand, a nation or society has a myriad of resources, institutions, personnel, and authorities that it can use to spare lives and ensure that first-degree murderers like Ted Bundy remain imprisoned for life. As the author says, “many prisoners would rather die than languish in prison.” If this is true, then it is more worth it for a prisoner to learn his lesson through imprisonment and rehabilitation than to have his life taken at the mercy of someone else. The evidence provided by the author is that "many people will readily or reluctantly admit their willingness to use deadly force to protect themselves or their families from a murderer", which again brings us back to the objection that people and nations are not really comparable when it comes to self-defense. Offurther, the author can refute: "Society has the right to expect and demand that its government forever eliminate people who have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted to circulate in society, even on a limited basis, without moving in chaos. First-degree murderers, like Bundy, who hunt and kill their victims without premeditation or prior malice must be permanently removed from society as a measure of self-defense. The second reason given by the author is that “few people in our society believe that life is sacrosanct, that its preservation is essential above all”. The author believes that society does not consider the preservation of life as important and gives examples like soldiers giving their lives for freedom, prisoners preferring death to life in prison and thousands of people dying in accidents car. This reason attempts to justify this statement by asserting that few people in today's society care about the preservation of life, implying that no one would really care if first degree murderers were executed. But again, this is not necessarily a good reason. Even if it is claimed here that the preservation of life is not really taken into account in society, it is because of the love and concern that society has for life and its preservation that there is controversy and differing views on capital punishment. If more credible resources and statistics were provided to support this reason, it would be a good reason. The third reason given by the author: "In our society, which was literally founded and sustained on the principle that freedom is more important than life, the argument that it is somehow less cruel and more civilized to deprive someone of liberty for the rest of their life or their life that simply ending their life seems hollow.” This reason relates to the statement because it states that freedom is more important than life and establishes the relationship by saying that if given the choice, prisoners would choose death over life in prison. Unfortunately, this is yet another reason that is not good. Although the author claims that our society was literally founded on the principle that liberty is more important than life, she repeatedly contradicts herself by also asserting that "the U.S. Constitution does not grant life or liberty." freedom a higher value than the other. Some of the evidence and rebuttals provided by the author for this reason are as follows: “Patrick Henry, who would later be instrumental in the adoption of the Bill of Rights of the American Constitution, is most famous for his provocative statement of the American Revolution: “I know not what line others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” Although Patrick Henry was an important and notable historical figure, his stance on liberty and prisoners in our current society as well as first degree murderers like Ted Bundy's stance on liberty and liberty are completely different. When Patrick Henry said these words, he surely did not imagine that today's prisoners like Ted Bundy would gain freedom from death. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The Last Reason The author argues that "the chances of a guilty person going free in our system are far greater than those of an innocent convicted person." This reason attempts to strengthen the claim by implying that if a person is found guilty, because it is so difficult to convict them,.