CAPITAL PUNISHMENT - Essay Example

Capital Punishment “Affirms Life” Capital Punishment is one of the most controversial issues around the world due to the involvement of ethical, religious, and political considerations. Capital Punishment, in essence, is the execution of criminals who commit serious crimes, such as first degree murder and terrorism. While there are many countries which still implement the capital punishment, which sometimes referred to as death penalty, there is a growing number of countries which start campaigning for the abolishment of the death penalty from their justice system.

The opponents of the death penalty believe that the right of living for all people, even convicts and killers, is the basic human right that should be respected and so the death penalty should be replaced by other forms of punishments, such as life imprisonment. On the other hand, the proponents of the death penalty believe that it is important because it serves as a tool for deterring would-be criminals and murderers. Although the right of living for all people is the basic human right that should be respected, the role of the capital punishment in saving people’s lives and deterring would-be criminals and murderers is undeniable.

Capital punishment is in the benefit of all humanity because it "affirms life." Executing the life of the criminal would preserve the rights of hundreds or even thousands of people because would-be criminals, murderers or terrorists would be deterred if they know that they may be punished via a death penalty. On the contrary, abolishing the death penalty may encourage criminals to commit any number of murders as they know that they will not be killed if they are caught. On that basis, the death penalty preserves and elevates the lives of human beings, while failing to kill a murderer or a terrorist is in fact a humiliation of the victim.

This is asserted by many thinkers, such as Edward I. Koch, in his article which is entitled "Death and Justice: How Capital Punishment Affirms Life," who argues that when the justice system shrinks back "from justly punishing the murderer, the victim dies twice" (Koch).Moreover, capital punishment is vital for any justice system because abolishing it may encourage criminals to commit any number of murders as they know that they will not be killed if they are arrested. In that sense, the capital punishment preserves and elevates the lives of human beings, while failing to kill a murderer or a terrorist is in fact a humiliation of the victim.

This leads many proponents to the capital punishment to argue that when the justice system shrinks back "from justly punishing the murderer, the victim dies twice" (Koch). As such, by executing a convict, the lives of hundreds and thousands of people would be saved, as possible murders would be deterred and refrain from committing violent crimes. Therefore, the real benefit of the capital punishment lies in the fact that it actually "affirms life" (Koch). The paradox here is that the same act of death penalty, which involves killing, implies a preservation of life.

In addition, the number of possible victims of murder may be increased if convicts know that they will remain alive even if they kill a great number of people. As declared by David Anderson, "the Capital punishment is the only punishment for violent criminals and murderers if justice will be administered" (Anderson). Consequently, without the capital punishment in a justice system, ‘a license for killing’ is actually given to criminals who may kill a great number of people, while not being sentenced to death in return.

That is, if a capital punishment does not exist in a given justice system, a negative message is sent to would-be criminals that they will never lose their lives no matter how many lives they take.To conclude, the negative impacts of the abolishment of the capital punishment are too great to ignore. Thus, it is more feasible to execute one killer to save the lives of hundreds and thousands of possible future victims. As a human’s life deserves protection, the only way to accomplish this is by making sure that murder does not occur again and the capital punishment is the only punishment that assures this.

Works CitedAnderson, David. "The Death Penalty - a Defense." 14 Dec. 2011. Bruck, David. "The Death Penalty." Koch, Edward I. "Death and Justice: How Capital Punishment Affirms Life."