The Internet of Encyclopedia states that “the person forfeits his rights when committing even minor crimes. Once rights are forfeited, Locke justifies punishment for two reasons: (1) from the retributive side, criminals deserve punishment, and, (2) from the utilitarian side, punishment is needed to protect our society by deterring crime through example. Thus, society may punish the criminal any way it deems necessary so to set an example for other would-be criminals. This includes taking away his life.
Key arguments for supporters of capital punishment include: That people committing the most heinous crimes (usually murder, in Western countries that practice the death penalty) have forfeited the right to life so executing them is not murder. Government is not an individual and is given far more powers; therefore, executions are not "murder." Since the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, a murderer is likely to murder again, so execution prevents future murders.......
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