Capital Punishment - Essay Example

Capital punishment is defined as the execution of a convicted felon through methods that would inflict instant death.  This issue, more commonly referred to as the death penalty, remains highly debated to date.  Various organizations and even prominent people have articulated their sides to defend what they believe and stood for relative to the issue.  In light of the increasing incidence of heinous crimes committed with a worsening magnitude of cruelty, this paper asserts that capital punishment must be implemented in the judicial system of states in order to effectively deter crime and addresses the counterarguments presented by anti-capital punishment groups.  The issue is approached using key points such as the moral implications of the death penalty and the effectiveness of this method in deterring crimes.

Upholding Victims’ Rights and Moral Implications      

The judicial system of any state should be primarily concerned with upholding the rights of aggravated parties since it is their rights which were initially violated.  The emotional and psychological effect of such a violation is not only experienced by the victim but by his/her family and community as well.  In this regard, they deserve the type of justice in accordance with the degree to which their rights were violated.  With this, heinous crimes such as murder should be punishable by death. 

The Roman Catholic Church and organizations like Amnesty International counter that the morality of this punishment is questionable since even the life of criminals are deemed sacred.  This argument may not be simply accepted by the victims whose lives were intentionally violated and their families as well.  They too have the right to be ensured that punishments for crimes against them have been carried out and other people in the community would not have to suffer the same fate. 

Deterrence of Crime

Capital punishment is considered a way to deter crime since convicted criminals may no longer roam the streets with an increased likelihood of repeating the offense.  Given this, security in communities would be enhanced and citizens would be less anxious about their safety.  In addition, the death sentence serves to dissuade criminals from committing heinous crimes as such would lead to their own death.  On the other hand, those who are opposed to the death penalty insist that life imprisonment would be an ample punishment.  A state does not have to go through extreme measures of executing the criminal.  However, it is believed that a life sentence is tantamount to providing free boarding and lodging to these capital offenders.  With the imposition of the death penalty, the firmness of the law in fighting crimes is established.  Citizens may observe and appreciate the fact that their judiciary is seriously committed to upholding the rights of the people and preventing crimes by punishing those who have totally disregarded human life.

Imposition of Death Penalty

To avoid glitches in the death penalty provisions, some states continue to improve their policies on capital punishment by establishing additional parameters and checks on the system.  Such measures ensure that justice has been carried out fairly and in line with the United States Constitution.  For instance, in Florida, the judge, who has a better constitutional overview, is allowed to intervene with the jury’s decision in imposing the death penalty.  In this regard, by improving the provisions of the death penalty coupled with the technological developments in forensic science and criminal investigation, the rights of the victims are upheld, criminals are punished equitably and heinous crimes are prevented.