Capital Punishment - Research Paper Example

United States of America, however refused to give in to the widely accepted trend of abolition of capital punishment and still continues to practice the act. According to a text quoted in Michelangelo and Mary E. Days ‘Death Penalty USA: 2000-2002’, capital punishment is said to serve two significant purposes in the USA; retribution and deterrence of capital crimes by prospective offenders ( 1). United States of America now finds itself being pushed into a club made up of members countries that it never even imagined before to be linked to; for example China and Congo (Steiker 1).

There are many reasons for capital punishment to be still a viable option in states other than just America. Before we go into a discussion of the reasons that support it, one should know that capital punishment is served for a list of capital offences only. In order to make sure that the law isn’t loosely administered; tough punishments need to exist. Those prospective offenders who have not yet committed a crime and posses a balanced psychological health will retract their steps towards the offence by the examples of capital punishment.

Countries do realize at a time that capital punishment is necessary for certain special situations and therefore allow it in those special circumstances. President of United States of America, Richard Nixon is known to believe that offenders who involve themselves in crimes such as human/drug trafficking and/or theft are rational human beings who violate the laws intentionally. Thus they should be dealt with an iron hand and stringent policies that have no room for emotions (Tatalovich, Daynes, & Lowi 70).

Apart from rational capital offenders, the reason why capital punishment is still an accepted and supported phenomena in United States of America is the country’s homicide rate which is much higher than the states that have abolished the act. Stated in Carol S. Steiker’s paper on ‘Capital Punishment and American Exceptionalism’, it was observed in the 1960’s and 1970’s that the homicide rates peaked when America’s stance on capital punishment had first began to diverge from its original path (5-8).

This proves that in a country like United States of America, death penalty needs to remain as an operative word because it is what keeps the offenders in check and the homicide rate low. One of the most significant reasons stated by the supporters of capital punishment be it a certain percentage of the population, policy makers or the politicians; is that it deters crimes such as murders (Lambert, Clarke & Lambert 6).Murder is a capital crime and a strict action towards the murderer is necessary in order to create an example for potential murderers.

Also the fact that it saves state a lot of taxpayer’s money, plays an important role in death penalty still being carried out in USA. Capital punishment is opposed on the basis of human rights as many claim that it violates the basic element of human right that each and every person has over his/her life. Yet they forget to take under consideration the rights violated of the human just murdered by the criminal. Retribution is what capital punishment supports because it is an appropriate reaction to the cruel crimes committed (Lambert, Clarke & Lambert 6).

Majority of the population support capital punishme