The criminal justice system have sought to instill peace and order to society. A careful evaluation of methods to deter crime, seek retribution, and impose punishment is through the imposition of the death penalty. Statistics from Amnesty International revealed that some countries still actively implement capital punishment. The countries that continue to execute inmates, in descending order, were disclosed as follows: “China, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, USA and Somalia” (Haddou, 2014, par. 2). There are people, groups, or nations that support capital punishment; while others contest the death penalty for specifically identified reasons. The current discourse hereby argues that death penalty has more benefits to society and is within the universal ethical standards.
Pro Death Penalty and Reasons for Supporting this Side
One has affirmed that with increasing number of violent and heinous crimes, society must impose stringent approaches to ensure that safety, security, and confidence in the criminal justice system is retained and sustained. The review of various studies and information on capital punishment revealed the death penalty imposed in world powers, such as the United States and China. The rationale for the imposition include validating its effectiveness for crime deterrence, retribution, cost minimization for prison establishments, and in incapacitating dangerous criminals .
The reasons for supporting the death penalty stem from the ultimate goal of deterring crime, specifically heinous, violent, or criminal acts that result to death of victims. Ernest van den Haag, reported to be a Professor of Jurisprudence at Fordham University, validated the fact that capital punishment deters crime. According to van den Haag, “capital punishment is likely to deter more than other punishments because people fear death more than anything else. They fear most death deliberately inflicted by law and scheduled by the courts. Whatever people fear most is likely to deter most” (In Support of the Death Penalty, n.d., par. 4). Thus, to prevent current or potential criminals from even thinking of committing violent crimes, the imposition of the death penalty must be promoted, promulgated, and communicated as required.
Likewise, by imposing the death penalty, managing prisons using an optimization model considers the cost component of sustaining and maintaining prisoners, especially those with lifetime sentences. As the inmates age, the cost of supporting their health needs could take a significant toll on the budget of state prisons. Thus, through the death penalty, the lives of prisoners who were found to be guilty of heinous crimes would be curtailed. The cost of supporting these prisoners in the long run would therefore be classified as savings, instead, for the prisons.
Ethical Theories that Apply to Pro Death Penalty Argument
The ethical theories that apply to arguments supporting the death penalty include the concepts of utilitarian and deontological approaches . The utilitarian theory asserts doing an action that considers the greatest interest for the greatest good. The theoretical approach explained that: “utilitarians judge an act to be moral if it augments the happiness not just of the individual, but also of the community. A punishment, therefore, like any other legal practice, is morally legitimate to the extent that it fosters human happiness” (Jenkins: Ethical Theory, 2009, par. 5).
Concurrently, deontological theory focuses on the study of obligation or duty. The examination of the consequences of the criminal’s actions become the guiding principle for review. The deontological theory presupposes that a society perceives the criminal as “an end in himself and to recognize that his actions reflect the kind of world in which he chooses to live and if his world includes death, then that is what he has chosen to receive himself as well” (Binghampton University, 2011, par. 12).
Significant Objection to Chosen Side
The significant objection to the death penalty is executing innocent prisoners. When execution had been carried out, and if the person who was executed turned out to be innocent, there is no way to revert the death that was inflicted . In addition, the manner by which death would be carried out had been reported to be the subject of controversial debate. Pain and anguish is inflicted to the prisoner through undergoing the process of execution, whatever the manner for inflicting death. Therefore, human rights activists would always concur that putting a person to death is a gross violation of his rights.
Conclusion
Overall, the reasons for promoting the death penalty have far greater bearing than the counterarguments. Powerful countries around the world have intricate means to evaluate the effectiveness of capital punishment to deter crime in the long run. The protection of unsuspecting citizens and keeping societies safe and secure have been the paramount concern of lawmakers for imposing capital punishment.
References
Binghampton University. (2011, March 6). leva: The Death Penalty: Utilitarian and Deontological Perspectives. Retrieved from parenthetical.com: http://parenethical.com/phil140sp11/2011/03/06/ieva-the-death-penalty-utilitarian-and-deontological-perspectives/
Haddou, L. (2014, March 27). Death penalty statistics 2013: country by country. Retrieved from The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/world/datablog/2014/mar/27/death-penalty-statistics-2013-by-country
In Support of the Death Penalty. (n.d.). Retrieved from deathpenaltycurriculum.org: http://deathpenaltycurriculum.org/student/c/about/arguments/argument1a.htm
Jenkins, D. (2009, June 3). Module 7: Capital Punishment. Retrieved from danjenkins.strangiato.com: http://danjenkins.strangiato.com/Montgomery/PL%20180%20Module%207%20Capital%20Punishment%20Audio%20Transcript%20and%20Lecture%20Notes%20(html).htm
The pros and cons of the death penalty in the USA. (n.d.). Retrieved from capitalpunishmentuk.org: http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/thoughtsUS.html
