Is capital punishment morally defensible?

In your textbook The Bedford Reader, read the following selections:
1. *DAVID B. MUHLHAUSEN “How the Death Penalty Saves Lives” (pp. 526-527)
2. *SEMON FRANK THOMPSON “What I Learned from Executing Two Men” (pp. 530-
533)
3. *JESSICA BLANK AND ERIK JENSEN “From The Exonerated” (pp. 535-543)
The question – Is capital punishment morally defensible? – is one that many people grapple with while others have firm opinions regarding what they believe should be the just punishment for anyone who has committed a capital crime. What do you take to be Blank and Jensen’s purpose in researching, writing, and staging their play about the death penalty? How does their argument compare with those of Mulhausen and Thompson? In a debate, how might these writers respond to each other? Consider the points on which they would probably agree as well as those on which they might disagree.
Write an essay in which you respond to the preceding questions. The essay MUST contain a minimum of five (5) citations from five (5) different sources. Three (3) of those sources MUST include at least one (1) textual reference each from the play “From The Exonerated,” and the two essays “How the Death Penalty Saves Lives,” and “What I learned from Executing Two Men.” You may also cite other credible outside sources to support your argument.
Please follow MLA 8th edition formatting guidelines. Your textbook has just such a guide in the section titled “Source Citation Using MLA Style” (pp. 656-676). The section even includes a sample essay in MLA format that you should read. Your research essay should be 800-1,000 words long.