Death penalty law provides for a legal Process for the killing of a person by a state, as a punishment for the crime committed. Death sentence refers to the judicial ruling against a person receiving this kind of punishment. Death penalty is a subject matter that creates a great controversy worldwide with varying opinions from one country to another (Muhlhausen, “Death Penalty Deters Crime, and Saves Lives”)
In the European Union member states, there is the prohibition of the use of Capital punishment. The UN General Assembly made an adoption of a non-binding resolution with a call for global suspension on executions. The aim of this declaration is to abolish capital punishments in all countries. Notwithstanding, some Countries still practice capital punishments including India, People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, and the USA. These countries voted against the resolutions of the UN General Assembly (Walker 4).
In most cases, crimes that result in death penalty include treason, aggravated kidnapping, rape, capital drug trafficking, and murder (Walker 18). The reduction of these crimes can be done using intervention programs, community awareness, infiltration, and providing stiff penalties on the culprits. Implementation of intervention programs should target schools children, prison inmates and the community as a whole. The use of stiff penalties such as execution deters criminal from committing crimes. Community awareness play a key role in reducing crime because the citizens themselves can combat crime effectively compared to the law enforcement agencies. The use of undercover operations helps in exposing criminals and holding them responsible for their actions. Undercover methods of recording criminal activities include the installation of CCTV cameras in the crime hotspots.
The advantage of criminals’ reduction through the death penalty is that it reduces crime cases of by deterring potential criminals from engaging in criminal activities. According to a research by Professor Ehrlich of the University of Buffalo, capital punishment helps in reducing the crime levels in the US and saves many lives (Muhlhausen, “Death Penalty Deters Crime, and Saves Lives”). Another advantage of reducing criminals is that it reduces congestions in penitentiaries and the costs of holding criminals serving a long-term jail. In addition, criminals’ reduction serves as a retribution for the criminals’ actions.
Criminal reduction has a number of disadvantages. The key drawback is that, through the death penalty, there exists a chance of executing innocent people and there is no way for carrying out the compensation (Walker 28). Execution neglects the suffering undergone by the family of the executed criminal. It is a fact that the victim’s family suffer, but the ordeal of the criminal’s family is also valid.
Leaving criminals behind bars helps in reducing the crime levels because it limits the interaction between the criminals and the community. However, leaving criminals behind bars has a number of disadvantages. Keeping criminals in jail entails the use of money, and this increases the government expenditure on penitentiaries and other correction centers’. In addition, keeping of notorious criminals in jails without isolation puts the lives of minor crime convicts at risk. Releasing criminals help in reducing congestion in the jails. However, releasing criminals puts the lives of the crime victims at risk, and a released criminal might end up committing the same. Death penalty is beneficial because it helps in crime reduction by deterring criminals from committing crime (Walker 10). A potential criminal will have to think for a second time before committing any crime.
Works Cited
Muhlhausen. Death Penalty Deters Crime and Saves Lives. Heritage Website, 2007.
Web. 8 Nov 2012. <http://www.heritage.org/research/testimony/the-death- penalty-deters-crime-and-saves-lives>
Walker, Bix. The Death Penalty. New York: ABDO, 2008. Print.
