Capital Punishment- The Solution?
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A much debated topic in today’s society and a rather controversial issue is capital punishment, or the execution of a convicted criminal as a punishment for crimes known as capital offences. These may include murder, treason, drug trafficking and human trafficking depending on the country that is being referred to. The two opposing arguments about this issue are whether or not it should be allowed. Both sides offer a credible and justified resolution to this debate. However, as an unbiased individual, my say is that this form of punishment should be practiced.
As mentioned before, the issue of capital punishment has been debated increasingly over the past few decades. The question of whether or not it is humane and should be allowed is still not answered. One of the reasons it is being pursued is the belief in the fact “lex talionis”, Latin for “an eye for an eye”. People believe, and I agree, that a person should pay for his or her felonies. The idea that a person who has committed murder be pardoned is just not plausible. What will stop the person from repeating this act? People believe that the presence of the death penalty will keep criminals from acting in the first place due to the fear of death. Death penalty is also considered more humane than life imprisonment since it is quicker and less agonizing. It is also considered more economical since executions cost less than supporting a prisoner under a life sentence, which can cost up to $22,000 a year per prisoner. It is thought that this money could be put to better use than to feed a prisoner serving for life.
People who commit capital offences usually do them intentionally. Thus, they should be punished accordingly. For instance, if a person thinks murdering is justified, he or she should be hanged for just having such a thought. The fact that a person steals the life of another person is just barbaric. Such a person should be treated with the utmost severity and it should be verified that the person will pay for his actions to the same extent as the crime he committed. Some people just don’t deserve to live. While this statement may seem harsh, it is not as harsh as the acts performed by many convicted criminals. Some examples of capitalist criminals who were not convicted but still did not deserve to live include
Adolph Hitler and Stalin. Hitler’s massacre of the Jews and Joseph Stalin’s Great Purge resulted in the deaths of millions of innocent people. Since Stalin was the leader of the country and nothing could be proven, he wasn’t convicted of any charges. Hitler, on the other hand, committed suicide instead of facing any attempts to bring him to justice. If either of them had faced justice,