Those on the left fiercely oppose the death penalty whereas most folks on the right are in favor of it. Who is right? Do we really need the death penalty, or is it just an extreme punishment? Perhaps my discourse will clear the air.
Without too much effort, the reasonable person will conclude that the death penalty is a necessary evil. Many opponents say that the death penalty is just a “form of revenge” and “who are we to kill this person?” As if to say that two wrongs don’t make a right. I usually take pity on those who use such arguments. Clearly, they are uninformed about the process as a whole.
The death penalty is not revenge for a heinous crime. It is a consequence of one’s actions. The death penalty in any society is not installed because the leaders enjoy executing criminals. Instead, it is implemented with the hope of never having to use it.
However, its purpose is to serve as a crime deterrent. In any society, there will be individuals whose minds are given over to the most despicable evils. The death penalty says to those individuals (as well as all individuals in a society), “If you commit this crime, we will take your life as punishment.”
Clearly, any decent person will heed that warning and avoid committing heinous crimes deserving of the death penalty. Yet, there will still be the certain individuals who care nothing for the law and will commit such dastardly crimes. When they do, it is only just that they receive the punishment set forth. Of course, they may have changed while on death row and have become penitent.
However, if we did not mete out the punishment, the rest of these base criminals would receive the following message: “Go ahead and commit all the most odious crimes you can imagine because you will not be punished for it.”
Seriously, do we want to send that message to criminals?
I can hear the confused soul saying, “If we replaced the death penalty with a life sentence, then there’s still punishment for one’s crime.”
Really?
The sentencing system in the United States is almost laughable.
One may receive a life sentence but be up for parole in about 10 years. How just is that? The end result is that they are back on the street and committing the same malicious crimes that landed them in prison the first time.
Now, had they received just compensation for their earlier deeds, they would be in a cemetery, not out on the streets committing more murders, rapes and other foul misdeeds.
No one has ever come back from the grave to commit more crimes.
It really depends on what kind of society we want to live in.
Do we want a society safe from criminals, or do we want to live in constant fear that our homes will be the next to be invaded by some deranged, throat-slicing lunatic?
Do we want to be able to merrily go to and fro, or do we want to continually shudder at being the next victim of a bombing or drive-by shooting?
Clearly, imposing the death penalty will curb the number of ice-pick murders and building bombings in this country.
The main point is that the purpose of instating a death penalty is to hope that it is never used.
It should serve as a real threat only to would-be villains, not an empty threat. It makes sense.