Capital Punishment or death penalty as a means of giving
justice has become the most controversial issue, which pertains to the law of
the society. Death penalty is a legal process where a person is put to death by
the state as a punishment for the crime he/she has committed.
Taking away a criminal’s life has become the most talked
about topic not only at the national level but also globally. Crimes like kidnapping for ransom, murder, rape,
human trafficking and other major offences are committed by heartless and cold-blooded
criminals. If these evil activities are not controlled, the society will be
filled with chaos and confusion.
One of the direct solutions for these individuals
susceptible to commit a heinous crime is capital punishment and if it is
abolished many victims would not get justice. I have a number of reasons why
capital punishment is necessary. Firstly, it acts as a crime deterrent. Fear
and dread of capital punishment can make the bandit think twice before committing
a crime. Secondly, capital punishment
serves as a means of fair justice. The old Mesopotamia law advocates “a tooth
for a tooth and an eye for an eye”. If a person takes away the life of another
person, it’s just logical that he pays with his own life. Equal justice for
both, the victim and the perpetrator of the crime should be served without any favor.
Capital punishment should stay for those hard-core offenders
whose behavior and mind set are not changeable. Some people argue that capital
punishment is better than serving life term as it is quick and instantaneous.
Making the prisoner suffer by rotting in jail for the rest of his life is more
torturous and inhuman than execution.
"The crimes we are now witnessing cannot be addressed by simple punsihments. We need drastic action."- Dushyant Dave - Senior advocate (Supreme court)
One more reason can be cited that imprisonment is simply not
a sufficient safeguard against the future actions of criminals because it
offers the possibility of escape or release on parole. Another reason in favor
of capital punishment is that the punishment for the culprit that fits the
crime would soothe the victim’s family. Executing a person certainly prevents
recurrence of violence or quite possible the first occurrence of other
murderous acts.
In a broader sense, capital punishment is the ultimate
warning against all crimes. If the criminal knows that the legal system will
not hesitate to give him death penalty, the system may appear draconian to him.
Hence, it can be possible that he may be less inclined to break the rules and
kill.
Society is justly ordered where each person receives what is
due to him. Crime disturbs that just order for the criminal takes from people their
life, peace, liberties and worldly goods in order to give himself undeserved
benefits. Deserved punishment protects society morally making the wrong doer to
pay a price equivalent to the harm he has done.
The capital punishment is an act of retribution and should
not be confused with revenge which is guided by a different motive.
No comments:
Post a Comment