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“How come life in prison doesn't mean life? Until it does, we're not ready to do away with the
death penalty. Stop thinking in terms of "punishment" for a minute and think in terms of safeguarding
- Jesse Ventura.
Our society must have a justice system that can ensure the safety and security of the innocent, and
a justice system without capital punishment will never suffice. Truman Capote reveals the post-murder
effects on society by recounting the murder of the Clutter family, in his 1963 novel, In Cold Blood. The
vicious acts committed by Dick and Perry are morally unacceptable and deserving of the worst punishment.
What these brutal murderers do, affect more than their victims; they rob the entire community of its safety
and rights to pursue the American Dream. Capital punishment can permanently remove the worst criminals
from our society. Dick and Perry are incorrigible and can blame nothing other than their selfish and cruel
ways for the death of the innocent Clutter family. The only way to end their spree of crimes is capital
punishment. The death penalty was not established for retribution, but rather to ensure the safety of
Americans. “The right to life is perhaps the foundational human right; but like all rights, it is not absolute”
(House 680). We cannot preserve everyone’s life, but we, as a society, have a duty to protect the lives of
the innocent.
The past of the criminals should not be an excuse for people to sympathize with their
inhumane manners. There are many criminals in our society whose actions are deemed
unpardonable. Dick and Perry both had decent lives when they were younger but it is these first
few years of one’s life that are critical for molding a person’s character. However, we cannot
blame their past for the premeditated murder of the Clutter family because we would not be doing
justice to the victims of the crime. Although, the past of Dick and Perry might have contributed in
shaping their personalities but it cannot be held accountable for their urge to commit crimes.
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Richard Eugene Hickock was the son of a Kansas native that grew up in a decent family
and working environment but it is this simply aspect in life that leads him to living a life crime and
indecency. As a child, Richard was a model athlete who wants to pursue and continue in college.
However, his family is incapable of affording college, which leads him to be “resentful” toward his
lifestyle (Capote 166). Dick began a life of petty crimes such as writing bad checks and stealing
from others. His malevolent attitude toward life seems evident in acts; he does not care for the
feelings of others or his victims. At the murder trial, he felt no remorse for killing the Clutter family,
he believed,” it’s easy to kill—a lot easier then passing a bad check” (291). This aspect in Dick’s
character may have been a product of his unfortunate past as a teenager but it does not rectify
his actions in murdering an innocent family. It goes to show that even the most civilized people
can bare a cold-blooded murderer as a son. Dana Ewells, of Fresno, California, shares
comparing differences with Dick. Ewells came from a wealthy family, knew many socialites in his
city, and had every door of opportunity open for him; however, his want for money and control led
his desire of greed, which ultimately leads him to slaughtering his family for it all. The fact that
both Ewells and Hickock were strongly led by their desire for control in life shows their
incompetence of survival in the real world but we must not judge their past as a means of
evidence in favor of their innocence. Ultimately, Dick’s life could have been worst than he thought
Perry Smith started a life of trouble at an early age to compensate for the absence of his
father as a young boy. Although studies have shown that adults who are deprived of a childhood
are prone to erratic behavior in their fully developed years, a criminal’s adult years and their
adolescent years cannot be viewed on the same level (Beckman 3). Perry’s mother was not able
to take care of him and his other siblings but you cannot use that as an excuse to act out on your
feelings because you felt neglected as a young child in life. If we compared Perry to his sister, it
would be a complete opposite. The fact that Perry’s sister became a decent law-abiding citizen in
her adult life demonstrates that even with a troubled past you still can overcome. His father states
that “freedom means everything to him” (129) but in fact it did not because even though Perry has
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premonitions of being caught after murdering the Clutter family, he and Dick still commit the crime
Psychological mishaps in one’s childhood, can led them to a life of crime. However, the
aspect of their acquired character should not be considered in such a case as this. When it
comes down to the core, Dick and Perry premeditated this heinous crime to murder an innocent
family for the benefit of their self-righteousness and ill desire for control over their lives. When
these convicts are unable to obtain the sense of control, they retrieve to crime as a sense of
power over the helpless. Such controlling nature compares to Jim Warren, the founder of the
Peoples Temple, who killed more than nine hundred people by adding a powerful sedative in a
Kool-Aid drink. He professed that God has sent him as a messenger to warn the world of their
behaviors when in truth; Warren wanted to feel a sense of power and control over the lives of his
congregation. Dick and Perry have no remorse for their actions. When asked whether he feels
remorse, Perry states “Am I sorry? If that’s what you mean—I’m not. I don’t feel anything about it.
I wish I did…” (291). When viewing the trial, “guilt, depression, and remorse were strikingly
absent. …Such individuals can be considered to be murder- prone in the sense of either carrying
Looking back into a murderer’s past helps to contribute to their conviction because many
are able to see the psychological disturbance that occurred in their younger life but it cannot be
evidence that supports their innocence. Referring back to their past as is almost an excuse for
committing the crime they did. We must remember the culpability of Dick and Perry to
premeditate murder. They knew what they were doing and did not care for the victims. They want
a sense of power and control over their life that they have never had. They’ve also never had to
feel remorse for their actions. Perry boasts to “have beaten a colored man to death…” just to
seem superior to Dick (55). Everyone has a time in his or her life where bad times are at a peak,
but ultimately it is up to the individual to decide whether they can withstand the tribulation to
reaching that ultimate goal in life and the future. On the other hand, Dick and Perry cannot handle
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life as it comes and prefer to gain superiority by taking advantage of others instead of working
Rebuttal:
The idea of capital punishment may strike some “cruel and unusual punishment” but
“what was cruel and unusual punishment when the Constitution was written is different from
today…we don’t put people in stockades now” (Harper). The government’s chief purpose is to
“protect the rights of the innocent” and guarantee “the pursuit of happiness” for all; however,
some people take that right away from others through committing gruesome acts, such as
murder. A murderer’s past cannot be brought into thought when discussing whether they deserve
capital punishment because it will always be an excuse utilized by the convicts to rectify their
actions in committing murder. Ultimately, the true victims in this crime are the ones without a
voice to be heard—The Clutters— they are a prime example of why the law of capital punishment
was created to begin with. However, if considered, would it be justice to keep naturally inclined
America’s justice system has been utilizing the death penalty as a severe form of
punishment in order to recover the virtues of our society from the depths of inhumanity. In the
mid- 1900s, however, the legality of the punishment was challenged due to the fifth, eighth, and
fourteenth amendments. As a result, Florida, Georgia, and Texas stated new statues and
approved of additional procedural reforms; the decision is collectively known as the Gregg
decision, named after the Supreme Court case of Gregg v. Georgia. The first of these reforms
established the bifurcated trials (split trials), followed by the proportionality reviews. The new
guidelines created by the decision made capital punishment constitutional and helped determine
more clearly, who deserves the punishment. Dick and Perry are two prime examples of people
who deserve of the death penalty because both men have consciously committed a crime, which
not only attacks our right to pursue the American Dream, but one that goes against the morals of
our society.
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Morality as we define it, is “the principles of right and wrong,” and as human beings, we
deserve praise for our good deeds and punishment for our bad (Camrical). Dick and Perry
deserve capital punishment because they satisfied their urge to kill by victimizing the Clutter
family. One could have justified the killing if it was for self-defense, but one cannot do so if it was
an “unlawful and malicious or premeditated killing of one human being by another” (Camrical).
Dick and Perry have consciously committed the vicious act of murder and were aware of the
severity of their punishment therefore, by still continuing to carry forth their plans to murder and
rob the Clutters; the two men willfully risked their own lives as well. Opponents of the death
penalty believe the death sentence follows the concept of lex talionis or the “eye for an eye”
principle, where the government takes the life of a criminal whose spitefulness led them to strip
Holcomb of their liberty. However, that is not the case, the government simply ends the life of the
convict, lawfully, in the least painful way possible, in order to protect many innocent citizens in
return.
Many methods of execution have been used in the past, some of the oldest being the
hanging of the offender and electrocution. Cyanide gas was first used in Nevada in 1924 because
the state sought a more humane way of execution. Almost half a century later, Oklahoma became
the first state to adopt the lethal injection that was first used on Charles Brooks in 1982. Lethal
injections are the most commonly used because after years of testing different techniques, the
injections have proven to be one of the most humane and least painful way to execute. However,
if we were to look at our system in terms of lex talionis, then the criminals would be put through
the same agonizing pain their victims went through, during the execution. Instead, we try our best
to make the execution as humane, painless, and as quick as possible for the convict, therefore
the “eye for and eye” principle does not apply to the death penalty.
Our justice system advocates the death sentence depending on the severity of the crime.
One should not receive capital punishment for killing someone for self-defense but rather for
murdering him or her. For instance, if a father kills an intruder in the house who could have
potentially harmed his family or if a police officer kills a man to protect the citizens of the town,
they do not deserve to be put to death since their reasons are justified and their actions were
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more for the protection of others. It is when the killing becomes a murder, that the offender
deserves the worst of punishment. Attorney General Troy King lived in Elba, Alabama, as a child,
a town similar to Holcomb, a place where crime was unheard of. Then, one morning, Troy and his
father witnessed a scene so gruesome, they can still recall every detail even after thirteen long
years. The father and son had witnessed the murder of a local sheriff, who was simply doing his
job. The murderer, Billy Joe Magwood, was caught and still sits in Alabama’s death row. The
sheriff’s family has waited for justice for thirteen long years, all this while Troy went from being a
student in elementary school to becoming an Attorney General for the state of Alabama. Troy
meets with families of many other victims, some which were murdered, and others were raped or
tortured. On November 25, 1976, Naomi Rowland was abducted, raped, brutally stabbed, hit with
a hatchet and later ran over by a car by two men who had escaped from North Carolina prison
camp. Naomi is just one of the many victims of criminals that have escaped from prison. People
must realize that by not executing such criminals the first time they were convicted, we are risking
the lives of many more innocent citizens. If the two men were put to death the first time around,
A vacant mind provokes the corruption in human nature. Dick and Perry have spent quite
a bit of time in jail and since the minds of the two men were free to wander it lead them to make
plans to commit another crime in order to obtain money and escape the harsh reality of their lives.
Dick and Perry came to believe that “it is easy to kill— a lot easier then passing a bad check”
(291). People, who can only survive by taking advantage of someone else’s hard work, really do
not deserve to be a part of our society. When Dick and Perry carry forward their plan to rob and
savagely murder the Clutter family, they had a clear understanding of what the consequences will
be once they were caught. Perry even worries and questions their plan many times before they
murdered the Clutter family. The premonitions Perry always speaks of seem to be of no
significance to Dick, without any remorse he simply boasts claiming, “it was perfect” (90).
However, the two ruthless individuals do not realize that the effects of their brutality did not just
terminate with the death of the Clutters, but it also tore apart the entire town of Holcomb. Dick and
Perry took away something precious to the citizens of Holcomb—their sense of security. It has
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become so that “many old neighbors viewed each other strangely, and as strangers” (5). A place
where people went fishing for fish with their families to have a good time became a desolate town
where, “men with nets and poles were fishing along the banks of the river, but not fishing for
fish…they were looking for the weapons. The knife. The gun” (94). What Dick and Perry have
done harmed much more than what was visible. They have robbed the people of their peace of
mind and safety, something that was not restored even after the men were arrested. It was only
after their execution that the townspeople were able to somewhat return to back to the normal
way of life; the only difference is that now, the people of Holcomb carried the horrid memories of
the 1959 murders of the Clutter family. The citizens of Holcomb will never be able to look at
another man the same way; they have lost their old lifestyles to two coldhearted men without
morals.
Rebuttal:
prison without parole instead of the death sentence because it allows the offender to suffer and
think about what they have done for the rest of their natural lives. Nevertheless, we need to ask
ourselves, is living in an air-conditioned, cable-equipped prison cell where free meals are given
three times a day, as well as, personal recreational time and regular visits from friends and family,
really considered suffering? Does the loss of freedom really compare to the loss of life? If the
punishment for robbery is imprisonment, should the punishment for murder not be something
much more worse? Besides, the only person who benefits from the criminal’s life in prison
without parole is the criminal himself. Now, there is just more time for them to think of a way to
escape and make many more innocent people their victims, which is what occurred in Naomi
Rowland’s case. There are even occasions where the inmates generate violence among
themselves, yet these same inmates are later released if they continue to be on good behavior for
an extended period of time. However, how can we be certain that men who were not afraid to
cause chaos in a prison cell, where guards are constantly watching them, will go into the society
Capital punishment is established to prevent criminals from hurting the innocent. Heartless
murderers like Dick and Perry who do not have a reason to kill other than for their own selfish reasons
deserve to be sentenced to death. However, a crime as malicious as murder or manslaughter requires a more
severe punishment, such as the death penalty. Capital punishment was not created for retribution because
everyone understands that executing a criminal will not bring back the innocent. America’s justice system
requires punishment in order to maintain order in society. Dick and Perry are gruesome murderers, who
deserve capital punishment for their cruel and heartless crimes. They refuse to leave the road of crime and
inhumanity to walk on the pathway of great righteousness. They do not realize the ominous effects of their
crimes on the innocent town of Holcomb. Our justice system must be able to eradicate the callous
In a life, many individuals are given opportunities to redeem and better themselves, to learn and
grow from past mistakes and to become better people in the future. Dick and Perry are given many chances
to leave their previous life of crime, to make amends and transform themselves into decent and respectable
people. However, they ignored these opportunities and continue to live a life pertaining to crime. Their
beliefs to live life through cheating and stealing can only hurt more innocent individuals. It is the duty of
the justice system to eliminate these crimes to create a safe and harmonious place for the innocent to reside
in. Dick and Perry’s extensive records of petty crimes such as robbery and signing bad checks lead them to
petty punishments such as jail time. While the two men are in jail, they are both given opportunities to
change themselves and to start a new life once they depart. However, Dick and Perry do not take advantage
of the valuable opportunity; therefore, the men resume to be repeat offenders. Perry could have started a
new life with Willie-Jay, but instead he left with Dick and continued his spree of crimes. Dick could have
taken Floyd Well’s positive mindset to start a new life and to become a better man, but instead, Dick
becomes jealous and murders the Clutter family out of greed. Spiteful criminals such as Dick and Perry do
not learn from their mistakes. If they were never sentenced to death, chances are they would only resume
their sinful deeds. The serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, was often charged for petty crimes such as indecent
exposure, he was finally placed in jail when he was caught fondling a young teenage boy (Dahmer 135).
Dahmer was sentenced to prison for one year, but on good behavior he was released in only ten months.
Capital Punishment Just 9
Dahmer’s killing spree began not too long after he was released from prison (144). Similar to Dick and
Perry, Dahmer’s criminal history started with many petty crimes that eventually led him to become a serial
killer. Many individuals will take an opportunity if it is presented to them, but Dick and Perry ignore these
chances to continue their lives of crime. If Holcomb forgives them, they would only continue to take
Killers who do not feel remorse deserve capital punishment more than any other criminal, because
they will never understand consequences without a severe punishment. For instance, in 1924 Nathan
Leopold and Richard Loeb murdered a fourteen-year old boy just to see if they can outsmart the cops
(Notorious). It is criminals like these who deserve the death penalty to remind them of the severity of their
crimes. Loeb and Leopold, like Dick and Perry felt a sense of pride in their crime. Dick and Perry feel
proud of what they do and feel especially prideful when they influence the wicked actions of other
criminals. When Perry sees a newspaper article on a gruesome murder, he says, “Amazing!” and “Know
what I wouldn’t be surprised? If this wasn’t done by a lunatic. Some nut that read about what happened in
Kansas” (200). Once a criminal is proud of taking the lives of innocent people, he deserves capital
punishment, because mankind should never take pride in such a lowly act. However, once Perry is
sentenced to death, he starts to feel remorse, he says, “It would be meaningless to apologize for what I did.
Even inappropriate. But I do. I apologize” (340). Even though Perry finally understands what he did wrong,
it still does not change the fact that he has taken four innocent lives. Dick, unlike Perry thoroughly
understands why he is sentenced to death, and he even believes that he deserves capital punishment, he
says, “I hold no hard feelings. You people are sending me to a better world than this ever was” (339). Dick
not only fails to feel remorse, but in a way he is thanking Holcomb for sending him to “a better world”
(339). If Dick and Perry were never executed, Holcomb would probably still be in shambles. “The right to
life is perhaps the foundational human right; but like all rights, it is not absolute” (House 680). We cannot
preserve everyone’s life, but we, as a society have a duty to protect the lives of the innocent, “the rights of
the innocent trump the rights of the guilty” (683) The most important goal for our justice system is to
protect the innocent. It would be ideal if our society could protect the innocent without confining the
Capital Punishment Just 10
criminals, however, this is very unlikely. If our justice system does not implement capital punishment, so
many diligent and deserving men will be taken advantage of, and only the criminal will benefit.
It means nothing to believe if one does not act upon it, actions speak much louder than words. Any
criminal can say that he feels sorry for what he did, but it will not change the past, he still committed the
crime, and that should never be forgotten. Dick may not have felt any guilt for what he has done to the
Clutters, but Perry does. Perry knew that going with Dick to rob the Clutters is going to end badly, yet he
never stopped himself. Perry says to the policemen, “I thought, why don’t I walk off? Walk to the highway,
hitch a ride. I sure Jesus didn’t want to go back in that house… And I had to know what was going to
happen” (240). Perry knows exactly what was happening in the Clutters’ house. He knew it was wrong and
he could have left but he was compelled to stay to satisfy his curiosity. Out of the two, Perry seems to be
the more considerate. He does not allow Dick to hurt Nancy, and he often comforts the family, however,
the fact that he does nothing to help the Clutters still makes him a heartless killer.
Capital punishment is considered as unjust, cruel, and barbaric, but do these criminals deserve
anything less than death? Not only do murderers take lives of innocent people, they also take away the
security and safety that the community had once established on. Capital punishment was created for the
worst of crimes. Victims of brutal crimes, such as murder, never deserve to suffer the consequences of
malicious acts committed by inhumane criminals. Capital punishment may not be able to bring a life back
from the dead or justify the sinful deeds of a criminal, but it is our duty as members of our society, to
prevent these crimes from reoccurring again. Is it not the job of the justice system to bring righteousness
Rebuttal:
Capital punishment is morally justified because of its deterrent effects. According to recent
studies, capital punishment not only eliminates the chance of the criminal from murdering again, but it also
deters on an average of eighteen murders (Sunstein and Vermeule 6). However, whenever a criminal is
taken out of death row, there is an increase in crime rate (9). It would be even more immoral if our
government opposed capital punishment, because if they do not utilize the death punishment, we put the
innocent lives of the public into danger. Even though many people may believe taking the life of a criminal
Capital Punishment Just 11
will not change anything, but it does, executions can eliminate the chance that criminal will murder again.
Capital punishment may not be able to bring the lives of the victims back to normal, but it can help restore
Different crimes deserve different punishment, murderers should not receive the same punishment
as shoplifters or those who vandalize. According to recent studies, the effect of deterrence is directly
proportional to the severity of the punishment. For example, shoplifters are usually repeat offenders
because the overall profit in shoplifting overrides the minimal punishment of a fine (House 683). If our
justice system treats cold-blooded murderers the way they treat petty criminals such as shoplifters, the
murder and crime rates will go up. A main reason why many people do not commit crimes such as murder,
rape, or torture is because they are aware of the severe consequences. If we were to allow murderers to sit
in jail we take the risk of letting them escape and then return to their lives of crime.
Capital punishment has been established for the protection of the innocent members of our
society. Countless individuals have become victims of atrocious crimes, and it is our duty to bring
these helpless human beings and their families to justice. The death penalty is the most efficient
way of doing so because it not only guarantees that the murderer will never be able to kill again
but, reassures our society of their safety. However, we still continue to sentence these heartless
killers to a lifetime in prison, but does lifetime really mean that the offender will be in jail for the
rest of their lives? Despite the fact that the murderers will be in jail for an extensive period of time,
they are still going to be released once their sentence is over. It is certain that once free, these
pitiless criminals will continue their life of crime again. Dick and Perry, carried out their plans to
victimize the Clutter family the very moment they were released, so it is evident that all this time
they spent in prison has been of no use. Although, these callous members of our society, such
as Dick and Perry, have been given numerous chances to recover themselves, they fail to do so
every time. Such insensitive men have only learned to take advantage of the hardworking
individuals and do not deserve to be a part of society. Helpless individuals, such as the Clutters,
Naomi Rowland, and the numerous victims of Jeffery Dahmer have been victims of criminals who
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have either escaped or released from jail for previous crimes. Should more victims continue to die
before we agree that capital punishment is the most profound way to eliminate these vicious