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Eliminating crime is a part of our duty as humans. Criminals have become part of our daily lives. Ensuring a just punishment for the rightly convicted is very important. Not everyone who commits a crime should be sentenced to death. For example, a petty thief should not be executed. However, a serial killer that preys on unsuspecting young children does deserve to die. "The worst criminal act is the willful and malicious taking of another's life." (Cullins 113) The death penalty should continue to be used to eliminate the people that have been convicted of severe crimes and as a result are detrimental to our society. "The founding fathers who adopted the Bill of Rights banning 'cruel and unusual punishment' had not problem with implementing the death penalty." (Eddlem 5) The death penalty serves as a deterrent to help reduce crime. It is very difficult to execute an innocent person due to the justice process. The death penalty is not applied based on race. I believe in a life for a life. "Men should be punished for their own crimes and not merely to deter others. That said, the death penalty undoubtedly does deter in some cases. For starters, those executed will no longer be around to commit any more crimes." (Eddl