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Do people need capital punishment?
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DO PEOPLE NEED CAPITAL PUNISHMENT?
Punishment has been in existence throughout history as a method used to deter criminals from committing criminal acts. Some believe that punishment is a necessity in today’s modern society as it is a worldwide response to crime and violence.
Philosophers, governments and prison officials have arrived at the five traditional goals of punishment. They are retribution, rehabilitation, deterrence, restoration and incapacitation.
Retribution
The objective is that, the intensity of the punishment should fit the seriousness of the crime. The retributive punishment is used as a means of getting even with the offender, allowing the victim to feel a sense of justification by imposing the same measure of pain to the offender according to the crime committed; this will allow the victim to feel a sense of satisfaction.
Rehabilitation
This theory of punishment focuses on humanitarian values with the aim of allowing the offender to serve his period of sentence, change his behavior and return into society as a good law-abiding citizen in order to become progressive and start earning the respect of this society.
Deterrence
If the appropriate punishment is administered, it should deter criminal activities. In fact, experts believe that deterrence has no value because criminals have no cares neither for the living nor for the dead. It is also presupposed that potential criminals may be afraid to commit an offence because of the severity of the punishment they may receive.
Restoration
Restoration is aimed promoting peace and harmony in the society instead of resorting to revenge and retribution. The aim of restoration punishment is for the offender to take full responsibility, demonstrate his remorse for the wrong he did. In this case the victim gets different forms of compensation from the offender.
Incapacitation
Incapacitation is considered to be a primary utilitarian purpose for punishment as it incorporates diverse actions designed to reduce the physical capacity of a person to commit criminal activities. In other words it is taking away one’s ability to commit a crime, and more so making it impossible for the offender to commit another crime, meaning offenders are executed or given long prison sentences.
Capital punishment, also known as the " death penalty, " is the pre-meditated and planned taking of a human life by a government in response to a crime committed by that legally convicted person. Crimes that carry the death penalty vary greatly worldwide from treason and murder to theft.
Capital punishment is a difficult and emotional topic for many. Although it has been abolished in two thirds of the world's countries, it has a long history and is still used in many places. Its use continues to divide people. There are those in favor and those who oppose it.
Here are some of the most popular arguments in support of capital punishment:
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1. The punishment fits the crime.
One important goal of criminal punishment is based on retaliation, or the historical view of 'an eye for an eye. ' Many people support the priciple'an eye for an eye' and believe that the only just penalty in exchange for a willful murder is the death penalty. Criminal punishments are designed to best suit the seriousness of the crimes.
2. The death penalty serves as an important bargaining point.
In capital cases, offenders are often offered life in prison in exchange for a guilty plea. This allows the offender to avoid the death penalty and the prosecution to avoid an expensive and time-consuming trial.
3. Victims' families largely support the death penalty.
Certainly not all victims' families support the death penalty, but many report that the execution of the offender helps bring closure and alleviate some grief.
4. DNA testing greatly increases prosecution accuracy.
Recent developments in DNA testing and its wider availability vastly decrease the chances of a wrongful conviction. These newer developments should help subdue most fears that capital punishment is too risky and many innocent people are sentenced to death. Moreover, death row prisoners are given opportunities to challenge the court's decisions.
5. It deters criminals from committing serious crimes.
Common sense tells us that the most frightening thing for a human being is to lose their life, therefore the death penalty is the best deterrent when it comes to discouraging people from carrying out the worst crimes. The prisoners who are already serving life sentences in jailare kept from committing more serious offenses.
6. It is quick, painless, and humane.
The methods of execution have gradually become more humane over the years, so the argument that the death penalty is cruel and unusual is not valid. We've used hangings, gas chambers, firing squads, electric chairs, while now lethal injections are mostly used.
7. It is a cost-effective solution. The idea put forward by abolitionists that it costs more to execute someone than imprison them for life is simply not true and there is plenty of evidence to show this.
8. Retribution is not the same as revenge. Retribution is a necessary part of the punishment process— without it, the friends and family of the victims as well as the public in general would not feel that justice had been served.
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