Capital Punishment

CRJU 201

12/15/2010

Capital punishment

Capital punishment is defined as the death penalty given by the government of a country to the people who have committed heinous crimes like homicide, rape, etc. Capital punishment has been a way of punishing people for ages. (Kartha) Although there are some countries that have abolished the death penalty from their law, there are still many that still practice the act of killing a person for crime. Capital punishment is prevalent in the US, Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Some of the ways of executing criminals are hanging, shooting, electrocution and giving lethal injections.(Kartha) There are some pros to Capital punishment, for example if a person kills or rapes another they should get the death penalty to feel the same pain. If a criminal is jailed, they may again commit the same crime after being released from prison. Criminals who receive the death penalty are typically violent individuals and the safety of guards and other inmates could be at risk. (Kartha) Although Capital punishment had its pros, some people say that it is immoral to kill another human being.

A person who has committed a crime like killing or raping another person should be given death penalty; which is as severe a punishment as the act. It is said that when a criminal is given a capital punishment, it dissuades others in the society from committing such serious crimes. They would refrain from such crimes due to fear of losing their lives. This would definitely help in reducing crime rate in society. (Kartha)

If a criminal is jailed, he may again commit the same crime after being released from prison. Giving him capital punishment would make sure that the society is safe from being attacked by criminals. It seems to be an appropriate punishment for serial killers and for those who continue to commit crimes even after serving imprisonment. Statics show that between 2000 and 2001, 2,337 criminals were sent back to jail. By 2003/04 the figure had risen to 8,103. For those serving between 12 months and four years, the figure is even higher, quadrupling from 1,637 in 2000/01 to 6,415 in 2003/04. It said that four in 10 criminals sentenced to between one and four years and released halfway were recalled to prison for reoffending. (Martin)

It is also important for the safety of fellow prison inmates and guards, as people who commit horrifying crimes like murder are believed to have a violent personality and may, in the future attack someone during imprisonment. These reasons emphasize the importance of capital punishment for the betterment of human society. As recently seen in 1980, the murder rate in prison was nearly five times as great as in the general population. The rate has decreased greatly but, its still about the same to the general population. (Gomez)

While some think that the