Philosophy

The execution of an individual by the state as a punishment for a crime committed is referred to as capital punishment or death penalty. All crimes that are punished by death penalty are called capital crimes. This form of punishment has been in existence throughout history. Some of the capital crimes that are punished through death penalty include  intended murder, espionage and treason. Some countries also punish corruption cases and human trafficking with death penalty. In the recent times, the issue of death penalty has become an issue that is debated both in private and public settings. Many governments are also faced by the challenge of whether to abolish the penalty or leave it in place. Several countries have abandoned the punishment. These include the European countries as well as many pacific countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Latin American states have completely abolished the penalty. Others allow it for exceptional cases. The United States, Africa and Asia however retain the penalty.

Countries that have abolished death penalty as well as individuals who oppose it give various reasons to support their argument. One of them is that, it as an immoral act that goes contrary to human values. Critics argue that executing a criminal makes no difference between the criminal and the person who executes that him. If a person is being punished for killing another person, the person who commits the execution is seen to act in a similar manner as the criminal and therefore deserves to be punished also. It is not right for a person to be charged and severely punished for killing another person while on the other hand another person is legally permitted to kill. There is no difference between those who commit murder and those who execute death penalties. Opponents argue that life is life it does not matter whether it is the life of a criminal or an innocent person. According to critics, anyone who takes the life of another person should be taken as murderer.

Death penalties are not at all times just and suitable. They act as a means of oppression for the poor who do not have the resources required to hire a competent lawyer to defend their case. It is very rare for a wealthy person to be subjected to death as a means of punishment. Poor people are often victimized during judgment of severe cases. They do not have the voice of authority due to their state of poverty. Wealthy people on the other hand have a very strong voice during judgment of such cases. They hire the most competent lawyers in the nation who seriously defends their cases. A person may be charged of murder, but a competent lawyer defends hisher case and sees it reduced to a less serious charge of manslaughter. Poor people on the other hand, have no power to hire lawyers of such esteem and therefore their cases cannot be defended effectively. Death penalty also acts as oppressive ways to minority and marginalized groups (Hinton, 2009).

Considering the fact that every person has the right to life according to Hinton (2009), it is very wrong for somebody to be sentenced to death. Sentencing a person to death violates the bill of rights. If moral ethics were to be considered, only God has the right to take away the life of a person. Murderers as well as executers of death penalties have no right in taking a life they did not give. All life should be respected it does not matter whether it is the life of a criminal or an innocent person. Taking the life of another person leaves one with guilt concerning the act heshe has done. A person who hangs criminals lives with guilt for all his life. It is wrong for the states to allow for the killing of criminals as this psychologically affects those who execute the punishment. Such a person is haunted for life by the images of those he has hanged throughout his career.

Every person should be given a second chance in life for a crime committed. It is a reasonable decision to put convicts in jail without killing them as they may change their character rather than killing them. This gives them a second chance to change and improve on their behavior. There are very many cases of criminals who have been put in jail and after a certain period of rehabilitation they change their character for the better. These criminals may become strict followers of a certain religion while in jail. A person may become a Christian or a Muslim both of which discourages evil deeds. It would have been very wrong therefore if such persons were hanged without considering the fact that they can change their behaviors. This has been displayed by people who were initially sentenced to life imprisonment, but later pardoned. Some of them make commendable contributions to the society. Even if such a person was not released, there are numerous tasks heshe can undertake while still in prison.

The government does not have the right to allow for the killing of criminals claiming that they act as a liability. There are very few people who are charged with crimes of such intensity in the nation. These people during their life in prison can only consume a very small amount of national resources. If the government still insists that they are a liability, it should allocate them tasks while still in prison that will generate some cash to maintain them.

    Chances are also there that a person can be charged for a crime heshe never committed. Sentencing such a person to capital punishment will be going against the rules of justice. It may be realized later that a person was charged wrongly after heshe has been killed. There are several cases whereby innocent people have been charged and hanged for crimes they knew nothing about. Truth about a certain crime may come to light after a person has been hanged and buried. Even after the truth has been discovered the situation cannot be changed. The innocent person is dead and nothing can be done to bring him back to life. This would greatly destroy the reputation of the criminal justice system of the nation. To avoid such cases from happening, capital punishment should be abolished.
Hinton (2009) notes that reports have shown that there is no association between capital punishment and the rate of crime. Sentencing convicts to death does very little if any in reducing the rate of crime in the society. Implementing or abolishing capital punishment does not alter the crimes committed in any way. Capital crimes are still being committed despite the death penalty being in place. Criminals do not worry about what will happen to them in case they are caught by the law enforcement agencies and charged in court. They concentrate more on the ways to avoid being caught by police rather than stopping crimes for fear of being hanged. Most of the criminals also regard those who undergo execution as heroes. They say that it is better to die in the process of looking for wealth than die a poor person. With such a conviction, death penalties can do very little in minimizing the rate of crimes in the society. Fear of death as well as death penalties have never reduced crime. Criminals claim that everybody will finally have to die what differ are the modes in which different people die with. It would be good for these people to be imprisoned for life awaiting their death which will finally come.

It still does not make sense for the state to allow people to be killed on the ground that they have committed a crime. It is of no benefit to kill someone because he killed, it will not bring the victim back to life. Execution should not be taken as a form of punishment. It is not logical. A person who is supposed to be punished should be alive to feel the effect of the punishment. If a criminal is hanged as a punishment, he will not feel it. This is like freeing the person of all forms of punishment that might be subjected to him if he was alive. There is no way a person who is dead can be punished. The person should be allowed to live so that he can be punished through other means thereby making him realize the seriousness of the crime he committed.

    Though one may support the abolition of capital punishment, there are several factors that one can look into and think otherwise. Supporters of execution consider it a necessary punishment for those who have committed serious crimes. Crimes such as raping and killing deserve the penalty. It is a severe punishment, but has almost an equal intensity as the criminal act. Death penalty is an equal revenge for pain and suffering inflicted on the victim by the criminal.

    There are millions of criminals who have escaped the long arm of the law yet there is no one victim who has escaped the wrath of criminals. I would say that it is not right to reduce the punishment of a person who has been convicted without doubt of a certain murder. Criminals do not allow their victims to make a will and their last statement whereas they are given that chance by the state. Criminals completely destroy the rights of a person. Though they may be charged and apprehended the law still protects their rights. Criminals are also under the sympathy of humanitarian organizations that fight for their rights. The same is not provided to the victim who by this time may be long dead and buried. It is not right for a person who has killed to be protected from severe punishment on the basis of humanitarian rights. People who have committed murders have also no right to continue living. One cannot terminate the life of another person and still expect to enjoy life as if heshe has done nothing. All serious crimes deserve severe punishment.

 Hinton, (2009) states that, people who take the life of others have no right to live. To support his statement, I would say that it is of great relief to the family of the victim when a criminal is sentenced to death. They consider it justice. It would be very distressing for a family to hear that, the person who killed one of their members has been released from jail. It is good for criminals to be given capital punishment because it will dissuade others in the community from committing such acts. On realizing that punishment for a certain crime is losing someones life, a potential criminal would be greatly discouraged from committing a crime. This would really reduce the rate of crime in the society. Capital punishment is good as it would save the lives of millions of potential victims who are at risk. Death penalty is therefore a very good measure of reducing the rate of crime in the society. It is true that if someone knows the consequences of a certain crime, heshe will not commit that crime. If strict rules have not been put in place to restrict what a person does, the world would be full of crimes.

    Capital punishment plays a great role in eliminating criminals from the society. If a person is convicted for a serious charge and then released, that person might end up committing a crime whose magnitude is greater than the former. Capital punishment keeps the society free from attack by criminals. It is a suitable punishment for those who commit serious crimes regularly as well as those who commit crimes after being released from jail. It is argued that a person may change his behavior for the better while in prison. I would say that if such a person is pardoned and released to the community, he may return to his old ways and commit crimes that are even hard to express. To avoid such cases, it would be good for criminals to be executed.

It has been argued that innocent persons may be convicted and sentenced to murder. To nullify this belief, I would say that, there has never been any proof of an innocent person being executed. Forensic researches come in handy to ensure that the right person who committed a crime is executed.

Instead of announcing life imprisonment for criminals thus subjecting them to a futile life behind bars, it is better to execute them. It is more costly to imprison criminals than to execute them. It is of no benefit for the taxpayers money to be spent on a person who if released from prison might end up committing the same crime or a bigger one. Death penalty is also beneficial for the safety of other prisoners. These criminals tend to attack other prisoners and might even kill them. Executing them will make sure that other prisoners are staying in safety. Crimes are increasing in the society day by day. This requires for stern measures to curb them. Leniency in the department of criminal justice will increase the level of crime in the society (Hinton, 2009). These are some of the reasons that stress on the benefit of implementing capital punishment in contrary to banning it.