Death penalty - Research Paper Example

?6/24/11 Death Penalty The Death Penalty or Capital Punishment means a person is being sentenced to death by legal procedure as a punishment for an offence. The crimes for which the death penalty is given are known as capital crimes. I hold the view that it is more reasonable to utilize the death penalty. The Death penalty deters people from committing murders. The Death penalty can save lives as it acts as a remedy against frequent murders. Moreover, the death penalty is more human than other forms of severe punishments. By enforcing capital punishment there is the possibility of removing a potential threat to the society. People have the natural fear of death, even if one is not thinking consciously about it. Criminologists have been studying on the matter to see whether the death penalty can influence the murder rates. In the early 20th century the results were inconclusive. Later in 1973, Isaac Ehrlich put forward a new method of analysis through which he displayed more reliable results. From his studies he describes that for every inmate who was executed, seven lives were spared because others were pulled back from committing murder (“Arguments”). The death penalty can also become a deterrent to crime. The early societies had always used punishments to discourage the would-be criminals from committing any crime. As it is a matter of great importance to prevent crimes, we should use the strongest method of punishment available to deter crime, and the death penalty suits to that. If the execution of the prosecuted criminals are carried out at pace, the soon-to-be murderers will be forced to think twice before killing somebody. The legal system of Singapore can be an example for how death penalty becomes a deterrent to crime. Singapore has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. In Singapore, “carrying over 30 grams of heroin” will result in the same punishment as murdering a human being (“Singapore”) so criminals will have to think before breaking the law, whether it is really worth their lives. There is a wide gap between the legal policies of Singapore and the United States. The US system of justice is very lenient to the criminals. “A murderer even with physically powerful evidence against him has the chance to appeal” against the death penalty. Contrary to the United States, in Singapore there will be no twenty year old trials or governors scooping into for supporting the convicted and the execution will be carried out swiftly (“Singapore”). It is advisable for all nations to adopt this policy. When compared to other forms of punishment such as “incapacitation”, a form of lobotomy or punishing a criminal to solitary imprisonment for 30-50 years, the death penalty is more humane. A person sentenced to life without any parole will never again see the daylight. He has to ponder over the consequences of his crime until his death. Looking through an emotional perspective, this type of lengthened, extreme level of suffering for a prisoner could be avoided. A widely spread definition of justice describes, “Let the punishment fit the crime” perhaps the best one ever existed and ever will. All the human beings have the innate tendency of craving for justice. It is the justice that prevents the society from falling into a tyrannical confusion where a normal person is always subjected to anger, violence, and stupidity of criminals. The law and the justice of a society secure the lives of its citizens. The Death penalty and justice are bilaterally connected. For the solidity of the society, fair and fleet justice must always exist. The people who would obliterate the society through crimes should be completely detached. No other punishment serves this purpose better than death punishment. Looking through the perspective of justice, death penalty, in a society performs the function of wiping away its worst subject; the criminal one. As the governments change as do their policies too. A person imprisoned for life without the possibility of getting parole does not always mean that he will truly remain in prison until his death. The policies of the following government may differ from that of the previous. So there are chances for a criminal who was life imprisoned to get cut short his imprisonment period. An example for that is reported by Martelli in ABC News; Stacey Lannert, convicted for murdering her sexually abusive father, served 18 years of life without parole when she received a full pardon outbound. In the same way Lisa Connelly, one of the seven guilty for the 1933 Florida murder of Bobby Kent, reduced her life imprisonment to 22 years upon appeal (Martelli). As the time changes, law changes, political authorities change, so the death penalty to those who are convicted should be executed at first hand. Other wise the murders get the chance to skip away. A common problem faced by the authorities in dealing with the criminals is recidivism. There are likely any chances of changing the violent behavior of the criminal even if he had been imprisoned for many years. Once the criminal is free, his criminal mentality would start working and there is much possibility of his going back to the previous environment. Another problem related to this issue is the rehabilitation of the criminals after their release. As discussed above, once they tend to continue to be criminals, rehabilitation strategies become ineffective and more challenging. Forget the deterrent impact on crime, forget the justice, forget the emotional approach, and forget all the arguments for death penalty, but as long as you remember the victims. Since murder is the worst of all offenses, victim is not the only person to suffer. The family and the friends of the victim will have to live with the pain of losing their loved ones. Apart from that they see the person responsible for their loss still. Even after being handed down a death sentence, a criminal still lives, eats, and breaths. An example points out the importance of executing criminals swiftly. Ted Bundy, an American serial killer, was privileged enough to live long and even to procreate even after the sentence (“Ted”). It is really exasperating for the family of one of Bundy’s victims to know the same thing. The victims of murder cannot take vengeance themselves; only those closer to them or the law can do it. This is not more of a justice but retribution in the conventional logic. What they need is not a mere sympathy but something equal to their loss. In fact, the cost to execute is higher than that of the life in prison. The Amnesty International reports that in Kansas the death penalty cases cost 70% more than the comparable non-death penalty cases. The main costs associated with the death penalty incurs prior to and during the trial In order to reduce the expense, there should be provisions to limit the appeal processes. Though there are many who believe in the practicality of the death penalty, there are a few who say that the death penalty should be abolished. They put forward the argument that death penalty does not act as a deterrent. They also hold the view that in execution of the death penalty even many innocents are being sentenced wrongly. However, in my opinion, death penalties carried out very swiftly save many innocent lives. Today the laws around the world are exceedingly lenient. It helps murderers to get away very easily. If there is no death penalty in our state, crime would increase as criminals know that they could get out in 10 years or lesser from the prison. If death penalty is effectively implemented across the globe, there will be a considerable decline in the crime rate. Works Cited “Arguments for and Against the Death Penalty.” 2000. Web. 22 June 2011. “Let the Punishment, Yes!-Says Judge Robert Gardner.” The Rotarian 93:5 (Nov 1958). 40-41. Print. Martelli, Joan. “Convicted Murderer Released After 18 Years in Prison.” ABCNews. Web. 22 June 2011. “Singapore: The Death Penalty-A Hiddden Toll of Executions”. Amnesty International. 15 Jan 2004. 1-17. Print. “Ted Bundy Summary.” Bookrags.com. Web. 22 June 2011 “Death Penalty Cost”. Amnesty International. Web. 30 June 2011 Read More