Very good thesis statement! This is such a controversy -- I'm not always sure where I stand on it. I am kind of "an eye for an eye" girl, but I do think there are some situations, such as mental retardation and mental illness, that affect my stand. I'm not sure that if something compelled the criminal to commit the act of murder (or other death penalty crimes) outside of his/her rational mind, then can s/he be held responsible for it? SHOULD s/he be held responsible for it?
Then again.... I'm sure it could be argued that most every murderer at the time of the murder was mentally ill in some way.
Very good thesis statement! This is such a controversy -- I'm not always sure where I stand on it. I am kind of "an eye for an eye" girl, but I do think there are some situations, such as mental retardation and mental illness, that affect my stand. I'm not sure that if something compelled the criminal to commit the act of murder (or other death penalty crimes) outside of his/her rational mind, then can s/he be held responsible for it? SHOULD s/he be held responsible for it?
ReplyDeleteThen again.... I'm sure it could be argued that most every murderer at the time of the murder was mentally ill in some way.
Hmmmmm.....