In this article I will discuss the moral permissibility of the death penalty and I am quite confident that when the case for capital punishment is adequately made, its appeal to logic and morality it is convincing. The practice of the death penalty is no longer as widespread as it once was in the world; in fact, although the death penalty was almost universal in past societies, only 71 countries in the world still officially allow it (www.infoplease.com); the United States is among them. Since colonial times, executions have taken place in America, making them part of its history and tradition. Given the pervasiveness of the death penalty in the past, why do so few countries use it, and why are there Americans who no longer sanction its use? Is there a moral wrong in taking the life of a criminal? Of course the usual topics will be raised, but beyond the primary discussion most people don't go beyond their "instinct" or personal beliefs. When you hear about how a family was ruthlessly slaughtered by a psychopathic serial killer, most minds immediately think that this man should be punished, but to what extent? Would it be right to put this person to death? First, let's try to understand what crime really is, as well as the right to punish. A crime according to Immanuel Kant's definition is "a violation of social laws", that is, a violation that would be committed against a society. (www.philosophos.com) For a society to be functional it must have laws and regulations regarding these violations and any disobedience of the laws would be subject to punishment. So who can administer these punishments and decide to what extent to punish them? Kant tells us that... in the middle of the paper... living a just society and showing compassion towards those who commit one of the greatest evils a man can commit, expresses cruelty towards society, especially towards those loved ones of the victim who yearn to justice. Works Cited Avaliani, Archil. "www.philosophos.com." January 28, 2010. .Dart, Andrew. "Capital punishment as an effective deterrent". www.akdart.com. 28 November 2010. .“The death penalty in the world”. Infoplease.©2000-2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease.com. November 28, 2010 Messerli, Joe. "The death penalty: pros and cons". www.balancedpolitics.org. January 28, 2010. Prager, Dennis. Think about it a second time. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1995.