The Last Sunset

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