Pros and cons of death penelty - Research Paper Example

of the English of the Teacher 9 May Pros and Cons of Death Penalty Death penalty is about legally killing a prisoner owing to the capital offence committed by one. In that sense it is indeed a very extreme sort of sentence that is imparted to only such criminals that have committed a really heinous and serious sort of crime. It is a fact that not all people feel that individuals guilty of capital offences should be subjected to death penalty. Public opinion about the legal provision of death penalty is highly polarized. There are an array of reasons both supportive of and opposing the death penalty.
(1) Death penalty is a legal sentence that acts as a strong deterrence to the criminals who seldom desist from committing crime and are used to committing such heinous crimes such as murder and killing (Hood 211). The provision of death penalty scares away the people from engaging in such serious and inhuman crimes like murder and killing. It protects the society from the serious criminals who are incapable of mending their ways. It is a final resort against such criminals who are incapable of correcting their criminal tendencies. (2) The one other advantage of death penalty is that it assures that a criminal gets full and complete justice. Since the consequences of death penalty are irreversible, the legal system looks to it that the varied aspects of a crime are seriously considered before an individual is given a death penalty (Hood 179).
(3) It is the duty of the criminal justice system to look to it that a criminal gets appropriately punished for the heinous crime committed by one. The provision of death penalty assures that a criminal gets suitably and appropriately punished in consonance with the inhumanity and gravity of the crime committed by one (Anckar 59). (4) Death penalty is also appropriate as it brings a sense of final closure to the family members and friends of the victims who are subjected to serious crimes. It gives a sense of solace to their families that the justice has been met with in a suitable and time bound manner (Anckar 119).
(ca) The one big objection against death penalty is that it is deemed to be inhuman and immoral (Haines 62). It is owing to the inhuman and immoral nature of the death penalty that this legal provision has been banned in Europe and in many other nations. (cc) One other objection against death penalty is that it is highly susceptible to the quality and fairness of a trial (Haines 172). In case the trial in the case of a prisoner is not fairly conducted, it may subject one to a situation, the consequences of which can never be overturned. (cd) Considering the availability of many other viable alternatives like life imprisonment, death penalty is a punishment that is avoidable and unnecessary (Haines 140). It is something that is really not required.
There are strong reasons both for and against death penalty. Eventually which stance is right depends on the mindset and ethical view point of an individual or a group. Death penalty is a punishment that is constitutional in the United States of America and is extended in the case of serious crimes.

Works Cited
Anckar, Carsten. Determinants of the Death Penalty. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print.
Haines, Herbert H. Against Capital Punishment. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Print.
Hood, Roger. The Death Penalty. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Print. Read More