Sunday, May 13, 2007
Do you think we should continue using the death penalty?
Death penalty is the legal execution of a convicted criminal as punishment for committing capital crimes. It is currently implemented in some democratic countries such as United States, Guatemala, and democracies in Asia and Africa and most non-democratic countries. In the past, it was used to punish crime and used as a tool of political oppression.
In many retentionist countries, the death penalty is usually used as punishment for crimes such as premeditated murder, treason, drug trafficking. Certain societies still retain it as the death penalty deters crime. People are more likely to think twice about committing that offence as they only have one chance. If they choose the wrong path, there will be no turning point. They would then have to pay the price for their mistake with their own blood. It also prevent people from repeating that offence. Lastly, it is an appropriate form of punishment for the crime of murder. As the Chinese saying goes, “A tooth for a tooth”, the murderer has to pay back with his own life when he kills the victim.
However, many others such as human rights groups argue that it does not deter criminals more than life imprisonment and that most importantly, it violates human rights. Moreover, it leads to the execution of innocent victims who are wrongly convicted and causes extreme grief and trauma to the criminal’s families. Lastly, they argue that it discriminates against the minorities and those in poverty.
This may seem brutal and inhumane but I think that we should continue with this practice. The death penalty is the price that the criminal has to pay for committing heinous crimes such as murder, drug trafficking. There is no doubt that this is the retribution that these people deserve.
; 2:46 PM
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