How Does a Convincing Argumentative Essay Address Counterclaims?

There are instances where it is just too complex to refute a counterclaim altogether. In order to maintain the accuracy of the argument, the writer must find common ground with the opposing side, as the counterclaims are just too strong, and a vast grey area needs to be addressed. The placement of the arguments and rebuttals of the counterarguments is crucial. The different formats of argumentative essays alter the positioning of those claims, which then changes the entire essay layout.

Argumentative Essay Example

Is the Death Penalty Effective in Lowering the Crime Rate? Yes or No? 

In the US, there has long been disagreement over the death penalty. While the death penalty is legal in 24 states, the remaining 26 have either outlawed it or enforced deferment that prevents it from being used. The death penalty's advocates contend

that it effectively discourages criminal behaviour. However, repeatedly, it has been established that this argument is inaccurate and that the death penalty does not hinder crime. Furthermore, the death penalty is final and irrevocable, leaving no possibility for error in our faulty legal system. Lastly, there is evidence that the death penalty is used in a racially discriminatory manner; Black Americans make up only 13% of America's population, and nearly 41% of death row inmates are Black. The death penalty ought to be abolished nationwide in the US for all of the reasons mentioned above.

The death penalty's supporters have long maintained that the punishment works as a powerful deterrent to crime. They claim that although it may not be attractive, its deterrent qualities stop crimes, and Its continued usage is warranted. The evidence does not support this notion. There is no proof that other forms of punishment, such as lengthy prison terms, are less effective at deterring crime than the death penalty. States that retain the death sentence do not see lower rates of crime than those that have banned it altogether. Similarly, states that have abolished the death penalty have not seen a spike in homicide or crime rates.

For instance, the murder rate in Louisiana, a state where the death penalty is permissible, is 21.3 per 100,000 people. The murder rate in Iowa, where the capital sentence was repealed in 1965, is 3.2 per 100,000 people. The murder rate is 9.6 in Kentucky, where the death penalty is legalised and 8.7 in Michigan, where it is not. Murder rates are simply unaffected by the death penalty. If it did, states that continue the practice would have noticeably lower murder rates. Hence, it is proven that the death penalty does not deter crime. As a result, it ought to be declared illegal.

It may be comforting to believe that the death penalty is applied without prejudice, that putting murderers to death deters more murders, and that our judicial system is perfect and has never executed the wrong person. However, as we have shown, all those ideas are reassuring inaccuracies. The death penalty does not affect preventing future crimes; if it did, jurisdictions that have abolished the death penalty would have greater crime rates. Since the death penalty is an irreversible punishment administered by a flawed legal system, erroneous executions are inevitable. People of race are additionally adversely impacted by the death penalty. In both practical and moral terms, the death sentence is a repugnant practice. As a result, the US should ban the death penalty across the board and follow the lead of more than 85 other countries worldwide.