Public safety debate - Research Paper Example

There is a growing concern among the human rights group regarding the morality of such stringent punishments as a means to deter crime. However regardless of such public outcry against the immorality of death penalty, and the violation of human and civil rights it continues to be implemented in different parts of the world. In the wake of high-profile international cases such as terrorism and war crimes which are continuously on the rise which threatens to disrupt the social fabric of the society, capital punishment or death penalties have garnered more support bringing the topic back to public consciousness.

Historically, diverse forms of punishment which were implemented to ensure law and order in society have been influenced by a range of factors including social, economic, political as well as cultural, regardless of its impact on the outcome (Strange, 1996; Garland, McGown, and Meranze, 2011; Pate, Laurie, and Gould, 2012). Thus the issue of capital punishment is not merely restricted to legal issues but extends far beyond that and the only crucial question that looms large is the one concerning its moral legitimacy rather than its efficacy.

It has been often observed that with respect to issues aimed at questioning the legality, efficacy and credibility of policymaking process and its implementation, opinions are often sharply divided and staunch supporters as well as opponents exist that defying the claims made and weakening the arguments put forward by the rivals on either end of the spectrum (Weiss, 1991; Majone, 1989). The literature supporting and dismissing the credibility of capital punishment is on the rise; pointing to opposing conclusions, which itself acts a barrier preventing the formation of an informed public opinion.

Some such discussions are included hereunder: Death penalty as a crime deterrent: Proponents of death penalty argue that the threat of punishment acts a deterrent to criminal offenders and prevents them from committing crime. It attracts large scale public disapproval and has a serious impact on their attitudes towards the criminals thus affecting the morality of those convicted of serious crimes. There is large amount of literature which provides empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of criminal punishment as an effective crime deterrent.

Researchers have argued that the fear of such harsh punishment instills a fear of execution among the people and hence results in the reduction of homicides (Dezhbakhsh, Rubin, and Shepherd 2003; Mocan and Gittings 2003; Shepherd 2004; Zimmerman 2004; Shepherd 2005). Furthermore it has also been argued that the threat of punishment induces compliant behavior among the public which results in following the law by the citizens as a matter of habit, thus successfully establishing a natural law and order in the society and safeguarding the well-being and security of the citizens in the process (Siegel, 2012).

However contrary to such claims, it has been observed by various researchers that most criminals are unyielding to harsher punishments either due to their ignorance regarding the perceived risk associated with the crimes and the severity of the punishment or their complete lack of knowledge regarding the consequences of their actions (Siegel, 2010; Brody & Acker, 2011). The proponents of death