Capital punishment has become a basis for serious conflict in the modern world, because it does not provide freedom to experience the grace of God for the criminals involved. Criminals are humans just like the rest of the people in the world and they have fundamental rights and, therefore, they have to be given the opportunity to reform in order to fit into society and the expectations of religion and God (Schabbas 2002). Supporters of capital punishment argue that murderers must pay with their lives for the crimes that they have committed but one wonders whether this is the right thing to do. The Old Testament wants justice to prevail in the world and that people should not always employ an eye for an eye approach in life (Allen, 2010). The death penalty should, therefore, be abolished and alternative punishments be given to criminals
The New Testament embraces forgiveness because in it, Jesus came into the world and died for all human beings so that they can get forgiveness through him. Modern judicial systems should, therefore, replace the death sentence with life imprisonment in severe cases such as murder. Prisons are becoming places where people find peace and repent their sins. Instead of judging them for the bible does not advocate for people to judge others, they should be given an opportunity to lead upright lives (Hood & Hoyle 2008). Also, in light of our previous discussion, the death penalty defies basic human rights and robs the criminals the right live as better persons beyond their criminal offences. There are instances of wrongful convictions that resulted in the deaths of innocent people in the name of capital punishment and as such, people should be given room to lead upright lives without necessarily sending them to the graves (Bartinder 2008).
Death penalty leads to the killing people, but it does not provide room for improvement and change of behavior (Banner 2009). In the event of them awaiting their killing, criminals lose faith in themselves, and they end up not improving or changing their lives because they know after all, they will be killed even if they repented of their sins and changed their lives for the better. In fact, prison should keep murderers and other people who have committed serious crimes alive in order for others to see that even if people are condemned as bad, they can change their lives and become better persons (Garland 2010). If this happens, they will trust the judicial system, as one that seeks to help them reform and change their lives. The associated cost of death penalty is significant because it can be equated to brutality cruelty, and therefore, criminals will see no reason to invest in their personal growth and reformation. The military and federal government, as well as the courts should have the authority to give people room to change their lives. The good thing is that thirty-seven states in America, including New York, do not permit capital punishment because they believe it violates basic constitutional rights of the criminals.
I am interested in this topic of capital punishment because I want to argue against its brutal form of punishment that does not give people another chance to correct their lives. The research performed by Hood and Hoyle provided the basis for my work because it discussed fighting for the protection of the human rights of prisoners in detail (2008). Furthermore, it developed an argument in support of letting prisoners have a chance to complete their remedial process. They are human and so, deserve second chances. The prisoners on death row will never have the opportunity to turn around their lives. The cited researcher wanted to give prisoners a little hope even when there is darkness and depression all around them. But in the event that they do not change, because there is a possibility that they may not change, then society stands to suffer because they might go back to committing the same crimes.
References
Banner, S. (2009). The Death Penalty: An American History. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Print
Bartinder, R. (2008). Abolition: One Man’s Battle Against the Death Penalty. London: UPNEP. Print
Garland, D. (2010). Peculiar Institution. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Print
Hood, R. G. & Hoyle, C. (2008).The death Penalty: A Worldwide Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Print
Schabas, W. (2002). The Abolition of Death Penalty in International Law. Third Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Print
