Capital punishment - Death Penalty

From ancient times until today humankind has been through difficult moments, which had many times disastrous consequences, such as isolation, lack of freedom, sickness and even death. These difficult moments, among which can be mentioned natural disasters, wars and criminal actions, have changed very much peoples behavior and beliefs, either making them stronger and wiser or turning them into weak and unwise persons. Furthermore, the issues with which people had to confront transformed them so much that they even started to fight against each other, thing that made their problems even worse. However, unfortunately, for the ones that started to be a menace for the others around them and fortunately, for the good of the whole society, there have been elaborated rules to enable the existence of a peaceful and safe environment. These rules got more and more severe in time and culminated with the capital punishment, death penalty, which, however beneficial it could be for the society it should be fought against and abolished. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the capital punishment is the execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense (Encyclopedia Britannica). Generally intended as punishment for premeditated murder, espionage, treason or part of military justice, the application of death penalty consists of various methods of execution, depending on the country where the crime is committed. Since the year 2000 the following methods have been practiced: beheading in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, electrocution in USA, hanging in Egypt, Iran, Japan, Jordan and Pakistan, lethal injection in China, Guatemala, Philippines, Thailand and USA, shooting in Belarus, Somalia, Vietnam, Taiwan and stoning in Afghanistan and Iran. The idea of death penalty as a solution to the grave crimes committed by people is tolerated by such countries, as it is considered that its justification stands in the efficiency it has in society. The supporters of death penalty claim that many individuals would be discouraged in this way from committing serious crimes and would try to respect the law for fear of being executed. In addition, they think that applying the capital punishment would help create a safer environment because once a convicted murderer is executed there

is no chance that that person will get out of jail and kill again. Also, the sums required for keeping convicts locked up for life are great and once a convicted murderer is executed and buried there are no further maintenance costs to the state. Another argument for death penalty is that it would be a moral thing to do because many people consider that certain crimes are so atrocious that the right sentence for the ones that commit such crimes is the capital punishment only. In a word, the morality of death penalty justifies to the extent that the punishment fits the crime. A final dispute is that the capital punishment is just a law like many others and it cannot alter or affect in any way the life of the other individuals because its purpose is, on the contrary, that of bringing benefits to society and not prejudices. Despite all these disputes, that death penalty is a right choice when dealing with capital offenses, statistics and analyses of such situations show a different kind of reality. First of all, although some may claim that death penalty is an efficient method in making justice, it can be sustained to some extent that this statement is not true. A 1995 Hart Research Poll of police chiefs in the US found that the majority of the chiefs do not believe that the death penalty is an effective law enforcement tool.4 More than that, statistics show that death penalty does not cause any changes in reducing the murder rate. For example, from 1976 to 1996, the number of executions per year in the United States has increased from 0 to just fewer than 60. The homicide rate per 100,000 population has remained constant at just under 10.5 Another statement about the efficiency of the law, that referring to the cost of not applying the death penalty is contradicted by recent facts that underline the huge amounts of money spent in a death penalty case. Some suggestive examples need no comments in this matter: In Indiana, the total costs of the death penalty exceed the complete costs of life without parole sentences by about 38%, assuming that 20% of death sentences are overturned and reduced to life. (Indiana Criminal Law Study Commission, January 10, 2002).6 The same source also mentions, the most comprehensive study in the country found that the death penalty costs North Carolina $2.16 million per execution over the costs of sentencing murderers to life imprisonment.7 Other aspects related to the inefficiency of death penalty could be that of convicting innocent persons or making discriminations, as mentally ill criminals are convicted without taking into account that their illness may be the real cause of the crime.

Furthermore, the morality of the capital punishment is also doubted, as taking away someones right to life would be immoral and it violates human rights. The beliefs of the Christian Church come to support the idea that the destruction of human life is wrong, claiming that God places people on Earth for a purpose and that those that commit any kind of murder will be punished. "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one title shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."8 Besides this belief, death penalty lowers the value of human life, because it is a cruel way of punishment, often based on a need of revenge. The cruelty of the law is underlined in the eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution: Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.9 As a final point, contrary to the claim that the capital punishment cannot alter or affect the life of the other individuals it has been proved that many persons can suffer nervous breakdowns by witnessing or simply knowing that a close relative or friend is executed. Such people are very much influenced by this tragic event and can sometimes have behavioral problems or, even worse, try to revenge, reaching the level of committing themselves a crime and becoming murderers. The traumatic event of having to condemn someone to death can also affect the people of the law, especially when they reach the conclusion that the convict was innocent. Briefly, the psychological consequences of the capital punishment are those of a brutalized society, whose recovery is hard to reach. These being said there is one thing that remains certain among so many debates about banishing or not the capital punishment and that is its great influence at the level of the entire society. On one hand, death penalty brings along an impulse towards respecting what is right and what is good for the entire society. On the other hand, though, it is nothing but another criminal act as a response to a previous one. According to the latter statement, the directions in which we should concentrate should be that of abolishing death penalty and trying to resolve the issues of society by means that would not necessitate taking other lives.

Works Cited: "Capital punishment." (2006). Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2006 from http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9020149/capital-punishment Facts and Figures on the Death Penalty. Amnesty International. 21 Nov. 2006. 5 Dec.2006 <http://web.amnesty.org/pages/deathpenalty-facts-eng Bruce A. Robinson Capital Punishment-The Death Penalty Basic reasons: pro and anti
2006-JAN-01

http://www.religioustolerance.org/executb.htm 4. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/FactSheet.pdf 5. http://www.religioustolerance.org/execut4.htm 6. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/FactSheet.pdf 7. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/FactSheet.pdf 8. http://www.religioustolerance.org/exe_bibl2.htm Matthew 5:18-19: 9. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment08