The Last Sunset

The Death Penalty (III): Opposing Views

In this entry, I shall indicate another reason on why the Death Penalty (DP) should be abolished.

The DP cannot provide social stability not bring peace to the victims. (Amnesty International) Once an act of murder is committed, nothing can be done to revive the victim. This already caused the victim’s family to suffer. Even if the offender is executed, will that serve any purpose as to revive the victim? Furthermore, capital trials usually take very long to solve, as the consequences are irreversible. Once a trial takes place, the victim’s family has still got to suffer the uncertainty of whether the judge finds the accused guilty of murder or not. There have been times when murderers were acquitted due to lack of evidences. Not only the trials, the appeal processes also adds on to the family’s suffering. That is because the judges of appeal can overturn the sentences made by the presiding judge, hence adding on to the uncertainty of the verdict in the end.

The opposing views of the DP shall end here temporarily. This is to allow me to also state the reasons on why the DP should be retained, thus providing a more objective view regarding this issue.

(Never let impulse get the best of you)

Acknowledgements

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR010132004?open&of=ENG-392

4/30/2007 11:03:00 pm
Maung SNZ, Cloud

The Death Penalty (II): Opposing Views

In my view, the DP is merely an eye for an eye; to take revenge on the offender – pain for pain, life for life. The DP can also be defined as taking revenge on the offender. Why is the society being so cruel? Why the word “revenge” even exists? For example, A murdered B and A is thus sentenced to death. So, who are those who commit murder? The answer will not only be A, but also the state as well. The state is basically committing murder to the offender. This only leads to a never-ending cycle of murder – if one keeps taking revenge on another.

Isn’t the purpose of the law to protect the public and to reform the criminal? By imposing the DP on him, the objective of reforming him will not be met, as he will not be given a second chance to live. Thus, he can never be able to reform anymore. However, I feel that the appropriate sentence be Life imprisonment, as it shuts the offender away from society and also let the offender to be reformed. Upon his release through remission, he can still live a normal life after that. That way, not only the public is protected, it also helps to reform the criminal as well.

In case people have the mindset that the DP deters murders, it actually does not. There are statistics which show that. “There have been no studies that clearly point to that fact and many that support the opposing view. The reason for this is that the vast majority of murders involve passions of the moment, violent conflict, and other such circumstances wherein the killer is not at all thinking of what might be at stake should they kill someone.” (Creative Ideas) The murder rate of states with the death penalty is still much higher as compared to states which do not. (Death Penalty Information Centre) To save space, please check out the website on your own to view the statistic table/graph. As a result, it can be concluded that “it is not prudent to accept the hypothesis that capital punishment deters murder to a marginally greater extent than does the threat and application of the supposedly lesser punishment of Life imprisonment.” (Amnesty International)

The last reason (for this entry) that shows why the death penalty is inhumane is through the methods used for execution. In ancient times, the methods used are absolutely humiliating and callous. Such methods include breaking on the wheel, garrotte, crucifixion, impalement, sawing, boiling, and burning at the stake and hanging-drawing-quartering. These methods are no doubt the more than inhumane ones. However, though the current methods of execution (Hanging, lethal injection, lethal gas, electrocution and firing squad) are less painful, it is still as inhumane due to the risk of it being botched. The consequences will then be unsightly and traumatising for the witnesses. Before the criminal is killed, he will be taunted tremendously by his emotions. Now, can you imagine being in such state of predicament? Well, I think I’d better stop here, or else, it might begin to bore you to death. I shall elaborate more about the DP in subsequent entries. I hope that through those views, you will be inspired to work towards the abolishment of the DP.

(Never do tomorrow what you can do today)

Acknowledgements

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR010132004?open&of=ENG-392

4/30/2007 08:32:00 pm
Maung SNZ, Cloud

Sunday, April 15, 2007

The Death Penalty (I): Opposing Views

In this entry, I will share about my views regarding the Death Penalty (DP). Firstly, let me explain what exactly the DP is. Basically, DP is a lawful execution of a criminal. It is the ultimate punishment for the most heinous crimes such as homicide and treason. The scope of the DP is very large. Thus, it can be, in fact, it is still being, a debatable issue.

“The DP is that it is a violation of one of the most fundamental of human rights: the right to live. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state in the name of justice. It is the ultimate cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment.” (Amnesty International)

I am totally against the DP and one of my goals is to work towards its abolishment worldwide, or at least, in Singapore. Though most Singaporeans are for the DP, there is still a ray of hope that it can still be abolished as long as there are people against it. The DP is something which I absolutely loathe due to it being totally inhumane. The supporting details are stated below:

One fact about the DP is that it is irreversible, we must understand that. There is no escaping of the risk of error which can lead to the execution of an innocent person. No matter how slight the risk is, as long as there is a possibility, innocent people can be killed. Well, this has got to do with the judicial system of the respective countries. If the system is full of prosecutors who lie, incompetent defence lawyers or bias judges, the chance that the DP will be applied wrongly will be higher – much higher. So, what if a person is killed and his innocent is only determined after his execution? Well, the law has taken its course and there isn’t anything anyone can do to help to reverse the sentence by reviving him. Could you imagine how the victim would feel prior to his death? Could you imagine how the victim’s family would feel? Such feelings are definitely unbearable. This is in fact the strongest reason why the DP should be abolished. As long as the DP exists, the possibility of an innocent man being executed also exists. Thus, it leads to the inhumanity of mankind.

(Live everyday as if there is no tomorrow)

Acknowledgements

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR010132004?open&of=ENG-392

4/15/2007 12:39:00 am
Maung SNZ, Cloud