As long as there have been people, there have been crimes. It started with the first family when Cain murdered Abel; if you believe in creation, and it continues up to this day. Some crimes are so depraved that even society gets repulsed. There are the petty thieves and there are the heavy hitters like Hitler who massacre millions and millions. With crime there is also punishment ranging from felonies to capital punishment. Emotions usually rise when the subject of capital punishment is brought up and there will forever be a debate about it. As for me, I support capital punishment because it is justice served, it shows the seriousness of the crime, and it has a deterrent effect. First, I support the death penalty because it is justice served. It has been reserved for those in society who commit heinous crimes, specifically murderers. Some may claim that this is revenge, but I say all crimes are punishable and just as a thief imprisoned does not constitute revenge against him, executing someone for a murder should not be seen as an act of revenge. It should be looked at as punishment that must be proportional to the offence committed. For every action, there is a reaction. If someone takes an innocent life violently, taking his life in return would be a fair thing to do. Jeff Jacoby wrote, "The execution of a murderer sends a powerful moral message; that the innocent life he took was so precious, and the crime he committed so horrific, that he forfeits his own right to remain alive" (2). When someone takes an innocent life violently, society may decide to execute him. This sends a message to anyone thinking of killing others that he may be executed himself. Also too often people on death row gain celebrity status granted to them by the liberal media and Hollywood stars like Suzan Sarandon, who made the movie Dead Man Walking, who oppose capital punishment as thus pouring more salt in the wounds of the victims' families. The criminal may have organized campaigns of propaganda to build sympathy for him as if he is the one who has been sinned against. Capital punishment gives closure to the victim's families, it makes the wrongdoer pay a price equivalent to the harm he has done. The justice system in America seems to show more sympathy for criminals than it does victims. A criminal on death row has a chance to prepare his death, make a will, and make his last statements while some victims can never do it. Secondly, I support the death penalty because it shows the seriousness