The Death Penalty (one essay from second semester)

            The death penalty is a complex issue that has sparked argument and anxiety in our society. Whenever someone refers to the word “death punishment”, people from both sides starts exclaiming at their argument. One side indicates that the death penalty should be abolished because there's a potential reason of executing an innocent man; the other side says the death punishment should be continued in order to eliminate the bad people of our society. In this essay, I am disagree with the death penalty should be abolished. Wherever we look, we can find crimes, it’s already became a part of our daily lives. I am sure that nobody wants to let those crimes be the darkness of our society. They can be threat to our lives, so eliminating those crimes is our responsibility, and we should never disregard it. First of all, I think that death penalty can be deterrence to those criminals, and also helps our society to reduce crimes. Secondly, I think it’s unnecessary to abolish death punishment because not all the criminals deserve the death penalty punishment, and the judicial system itself is very careful with death sentences.

            The death penalty can be deterrence to those criminals because it’s one kind of extreme punishments that would create dread in the mind of people. Ernest van den Haag, a Professor of Jurisprudence at Fordham University who has studied the question of deterrence closely, wrote: "Even though statistical demonstrations are not conclusive, and perhaps cannot be, capital punishment is likely to deter more than other punishments because people fear death more than anything else. They fear death deliberately inflicted most by law and scheduled by the courts. Whatever people fear most is likely to deter most.” Everyone afraid of death, I believe most of the criminals would change their actions if they had thought about the outcome of their actions. Suppose if there is no death penalty in a country, then what can stopping a murderer who was supposed to face a death penalty to commit another murder in our society? Some people suggest that life imprisonment without parole would be a fair punishment for them, but I think that just imprisonment is not enough for them to stop from committing a crime. Every year, crimes and criminals are consistently increasing. For example, in this year, there were 27 people killed in less than a day from Acapulco, Mexico. There are two police officers got wounded when those armed men attacked them. At least 30,196 people have died in Acapulco. Those criminals may think that they would never get caught, and just keep committing crimes. Those people should definitely get the death penalty, so that others, who even think about committing such crimes, learn a lesson that every criminal is eventually caught.

            We know that not all the criminals deserve the death penalty, for instance, a person, who stole clothes from Ross, definitely does not deserve the death penalty, and the chance of making a mistake in death penalty is extremely low. Death penalty is one of the extreme punishments and the judicial system takes a lot of care in making the decisions. There are several precautions guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty. For example, "Capital punishment may be imposed only when guilt is determined by clear and convincing evidence leaving no room for an alternative explanation of the facts", "Anyone sentenced to death shall receive the right to appeal to a court of higher jurisdiction", etc. There are several other grants provided to the convicted that assure that death penalty is given to the rightly accused person. According to Federal Justice Statistics, in 1998, there were approximately 5000 criminals sentenced to life imprisonment as opposed to 74 criminals sentenced to death. This shows that judicial system itself is very careful to make the death sentences.

            Some people might think that death penalty is brutal and cruel, but ask those people who lost their beloved or whose lives have been tied to a hospital bed because of some brutal person. I am sure they would be very depressed to see the person who screwed up their lives just getting imprisonment or mere rehabilitation. Suppose this person that was killed was your family. How would you feel knowing that this person who ruined your family is till alive and calmly enjoying the benefits of an asylum and an air-conditioned room? Those people who believe that death penalty is barbarous. I think the murderers also think it’s barbarous to them. In my opinion, death penalty is not revenge. In fact, giving a murderer to death is just a favor to the society. Despite the moral argument focusing on the brutal treatment of the criminals, we return to the "nature" of the crime committed. The weight is unequal between the tragically lost lives of murder victims and the absolving of criminals. In "The Death Penalty in America", Adam Bedau mentioned, "even in the tragedy of human death there are degrees, and that it is much more tragic for the innocent to lose his life than for the State to take the life of a criminal convicted of a capital offense". I believe that if one has no value or even harm the life of another human being, and then one's own life has no value.

            Death penalty is a good punishment and helps in reducing crime as well as bringing justice to our society. I am disagree with the death penalty should be abolished, as it can be deterrence to those criminals, and also helps our society to reduce crimes. It’s also unnecessary to abolish death punishment because not every criminal deserves the death penalty punishment, and the judicial system itself is very careful with death sentences. Death penalty is really important to keep the brightness of our society and public safety shining brightly on our world.