The death penalty, which calls for the execution of a defendant if convicted of a crime, is the ultimate penalty possible for the commission of a crime. As of 2011, almost 60 countries throughout the world practice the death penalty. The manner of execution is different from one country to the next, but, in all cases, the end result is the same. There are three basic reasons given for supporting the death penalty: retribution, deterrence, and incapacitation.
Within the nations that allow the death penalty, the crimes for which it may be imposed vary widely. Murder and other violent crimes are typical crimes for which the death penalty may be imposed; however, many countries, such as the People's Republic of China, Egypt, and Iran, also allow the death penalty for drug-related crimes. The United States does consider the death penalty to be constitutional, although some individual states have abolished the use of capital punishment for state crimes. Within the United States, capital punishment is only allowed for aggravated or felony murder.
One reason often cited for supporting the death penalty is retribution. This reason goes back to the old biblical concept of "an eye for an eye." Many people feel that supporting the death penalty is a natural human response to the crime of murder. The rationale is that, if the defendant has taken a life, then the defendant's life should be taken.
A more common academic reason given for supporting the death penalty is that it is a deterrent for others who may consider committing the same crime. One argument for punishment of criminals is that by punishing someone who has a committed a crime, others will be deterred from committing the same or similar crimes. Supporters of the death penalty feel that if someone knows that he or she could be executed for breaking the law, then he or she will be less likely to follow through with the commission of a crime.
Incapacitation is another justification for supporting the death penalty. Although similar to the retribution argument, incapacitation is more of a logical response as opposed to an emotional response. One way to be certain that a criminal will not re-offend is to take away the possibility of re-offending. Some people feel that prison still affords a person the ability to commit a crime and is the only true way to incapacitate the offender. To assure that he or she cannot commit another crime, he or she is executed.
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NathanG
Post 8 |
@feruze - I agree. I’m a great believer in the death penalty as a deterrent to serious crimes. Some people assert that deterrence is one of the weakest arguments to support the death penalty.
They claim that it doesn’t work. My only response to them is that if it doesn’t work, it’s because we’ve allowed it fail. Most criminals nowadays know that, with good lawyers, they have a great probability of avoiding death row even if they commit murder. Deterrence has lost its edge, not because it doesn’t work, but because nobody believes that the death penalty will be implemented anymore.
However, you better believe that there are countries around the world that still practice the death penalty consistently. I flew to Singapore once, and when I landed, I remember reading the disembarkation card they gave me. In bright red letters it said, “Death to all drug traffickers in Singapore.” They meant it, too.
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lighth0se33
Post 7 |
I can see both pros and cons for the death penalty. I hope I'm never responsible for deciding the fate of someone who is at risk of this, because I don't want to cause someone to die. However, I understand the views of both sides.
The biggest death penalty pro is that the person will never have the chance to escape from prison or get out on parole and kill again. Many murderers are so mentally twisted that they cannot resist the urge to take a life, even if they know the consequences firsthand.
The hugest death penalty con is the guilt that either the jurors or the family of the victim might feel over it. Granted, most families are so angry that they desire his death, but even if they feel this way, after seeing him put down and knowing that they were responsible for the life leaving his body, they might be haunted by nightmares or their conscience. This is probably even more true for jurors who decide the verdict, because they are not personally invested in seeing justice. |
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burcidi
Post 6 |
@alisha-- Yes, the Bible does say that some crimes are worthy of stoning, which is basically a death penalty. And I know many Christians support the death penalty for this reason, because the Bible is supportive of it.
At the same time though, I've also heard those who are against the death penalty invoke the Bible to support their views. The Bible also says that only God can take life and some people believe that this is a reason to oppose the death penalty.
So even though there is a religious basis to support the death penalty in Christianity. It still is a bit vague in my opinion. |
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wavy58
Post 5 |
@shell4life – The Bible also says, “Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.” If you go by the Bible, then you leave justice and revenge up to God. You don't take someone else's life and put their blood on your hands.
Life is a precious gift that isn't ours to take away. Granted, a murderer violates that fact. However, I don' t believe that we humans have the right to take his life just because he took someone else's.
I believe that life is part of a master plan. If we start picking who should live and die, then we overstep our bounds. I say put the murderer in prison and leave him there to die when his time comes. |
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StarJo
Post 4 |
I suppose I can understand how people whose loved ones have been murdered would want the murderer to die. Their special person is no longer alive, so they think that their killer should not have the privilege of living, either.
I guess if someone had a life sentence without the possibility of parole, the only thing that execution could do for the family is give them a sense of vengeance. They might feel that justice had been done.
However, if that person is confined to prison for the remainder of their life, they could not have the chance to kill again, anyway. If they did have the possibility of parole later on, then the family would want them dead so they would not have the opportunity to come after them or anyone else. |
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shell4life
Post 3 |
@alisha – People tend to pull out scriptures that benefit their purposes. The Old Testament does mention “an eye for an eye,” but it also states in the Ten Commandments that “thou shalt not kill.”
However, if one pays close attention to the Bible, they will know that the New Testament is all about forgiveness and loving your enemy. It is not right for people to use the Bible as an excuse to kill, because Jesus would not advocate it.
Personally, I believe that life imprisonment is a worse punishment than death for murderers. Death would set them free from their shackles, but imprisonment would give them misery for decades. |
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alisha
Post 2 |
@feruze-- I've seen some death penalty statistics and many Americans who support the death penalty do so for some crimes, especially murder, like you do.
What I'm most curious about is Americans who support the death penalty out of religious beliefs and biblical teachings. What is the basis of this support? I know about the "eye for an eye" concept but aside from this, does the Bible actually say that certain crimes should be punished with death?
And what about other religions like Judaism and Islam? Are there teachings in these religions as well that might cause people to support the death penalty? |
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feruze
Post 1 |
I'm pro death penalty because I think it is a necessary punishment to deter people from certain crimes.
I don't think that the death penalty is necessary except in very violent crimes that cannot be deterred by the longest prison sentence. The reason I feel this way is because I believe that punishment for crimes should be a deterrent for other people in the society who might commit the same crime. If a punishment does not deter someone, then, it is not a punishment at all.
Unfortunately, there are some crimes, like murder, where even a life-sentence is not enough to deter criminals. If a murderer is punished with the death penalty though, I highly doubt that other people would be willing to commit the same crime. This is the whole reason for why I support the death penalty. |
