The death penalty is synonymously known as capital punishment or execution. This two word phrase deals with the killing of a person due to his/her criminal record, where we believe tit for tat. This is the best solution for a person to realize what he has done to the other person. This is the best way to give lessons to others so that they don’t commit such crimes. The greatest fear is the fear of death for all humans on earth. Criminals perform such acts for the greed of money, for their desires and desperations. They should learn a lesson: everything on earth has a result, if they do good they will get good and if they do not perform according to the law they will be punished accordingly. This paper will make a clear understanding of what I believe and why there is a need for such punishments. We will first start with what the others claim against this particular act. Then we will be into actions with my point of arguments for your crystal clear understanding.
Many of the people who are not in favor of such an act believe that hanging a person till death is not the only solution, so I say question them “what could be the other solution then?” They answered that; there are many others like; life imprisonment; which is a life time torture and pain for the criminal. This could be more disastrous if the judiciary does not allow him to meet his family and friends. I believe that life imprisonment will never work for such a criminal who has no feelings for the person he murdered; life imprisonment along with torture will leave some sort of satisfaction with the criminal that he is still save in the prison. The fear of death plays with the psychology of the criminal in such a way that he becomes mindful before performing such a hazardous act and thinks twice. There is a possibility that many potential criminals may stop themselves when they actually realize the after effects of their deaths. (Haag, 1986)
The other argument is the “Utilitarian Rule” which means the greatest number is good for the greatest number of people. We can apply this rule in this situation in such a way that, keeping a criminal alive can also act as a catalyst for the other criminals, this can prove to be more dangerous and highly aggressive results could come in the future. We should not keep such a dangerous person alive in order to spread the crime, many or the people who disagree say, that there are people who feel guilty and sorry for the mistake they have made and we should forgive them and give them a chance to live. Well, my fellow friends, it’s only about how you take a certain thing, live and death is not a joke, nobody is that immature (except an insane person) who would kill somebody and then say that it was just a joke and I had no idea that he will die, and now I am guilty. Killing somebody, murderers are strictly prohibited in most of the religions. (Young, 1992)
Deuteronomy has mentioned eye for eye, hand for hand, nose for nose and similarly life for life. Islam has also shed its similar teachings to all the Muslims, so who are we to deny it. The supporters of death penalty feel that murderers should also be awarded by the same act they have done and they should be paid back in the same way they have made the other person feel. Anti death penalty people may feel that this level of anger is not so good and people like me should learn to be patient and forgive others. But my point of view is a bit different from those; I say that anger is a feeling that is a part of every personality. Some have this feeling deeply rooted inside them and some have the ability to express it. For me, anger for justice is not a crime and not something which has to be forgiven, anger for justice is something that teaches mankind about the level of balance they should maintain, and think ten times before performing such a repulsive act. This does not mean that the act is egotistic or selfish but it is the fire in the belly for justice and equity. The legal authority should understand this and make proper laws against such criminals, this need of security that every other citizen wants, this is the way the legal powers should satisfy their citizens by justifying it. (Young, 1992)
Before coming to the conclusion, I would like to say that the death penalty is not an easy job. If we believe that if a person has murdered somebody but we are out of solid evidence then hanging the person to death is a more criminal job. Solid proves is of a greater importance when the authorities decide to punish a person for death. Such lack of knowledge and proves may cause an innocent person to death which is abandoned in every religion. This is one of the solid reasons to argue that death penalty is not a good solution. There could be no better solution that death penalty in a case where the correct person is identified and he or she has to be punished till death. This strengthens the law of the nation and gives a sense of safety measures and relief to each citizen of the country. People feel satisfied because their anger has now been justified and finalized and the level of trust is built for the government. This leads to harmony in the country because the government is now playing the accurate role in satisfying their citizens, this also leads to a prosperous future of the nation or country. There are areas where a person has to be calm and patient and should wait for the right time, but murdering is not the area where the victim should be forgiven but he or she should not be given this much privilege to live. Hanging him till death is the only option the government should opt for, in order to maintain peace in the country such brutal punishments are advantageous. (Ellsworth, 1983)
References
Ernest Van Den Haag, The Ultimate Punishmen, A Defence, Harvard Law Review, Vol. 99, No. 7. (1986)
Hart, H. L. A., Murder and the Principles of Punishment: England and the United States, Oxford Scholarship Online Monographs, 2008
Phoebe C. Elisworth, Public Opinion and Capital Punishment: A Close Examination of the Views of Abolitionists and Retentionists, Crime and Delinquency, 1983
Robert L. Young, Religious Orientation, Race and Support for the Death Penalty, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 1992.