INTRODUCTION
The death penalty is termed as the biggest and most gross form of punishment in the world. It is normally given by a state or country when an offender commits a huge or heinous offence. It has been in the world for the longest time. In fact, it can be traced to several centuries ago for instance in the eighteenth century B. C King Hammurabi of Babylon put together a group of crimes which called for death. In modern times, it got influenced by great Britain as it colonized the world. The first death penalty execution witnessed in the United States was that of Captain George Kendal in Jamestown, Virginia. Even when it is being practiced today, it does not mean that it is final, it should be abolished and better ways of punishing offenders should be put in its place.
2. BACKGROUND
The death penalty has been debated for a very long time and there are those who are for it but a bigger percentage is after it. The whole issue of death penalty ignites debate in society as to whether it should be left to continue or should it be stopped. The society does not seem to agree on how to go about punishing offenders especially those who commit heinous crimes.
The death penalty is unconstitutional and uncalled for if the American constitution is to be taken seriously. In the Eight Amendment, it is clearly stated that “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines be imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment be inflicted." Much attention should be put on the phrase “cruel and unusual”. To say the least, punishment by death is cruel and unusual (Nathanson 3). The life of a human being cannot be taken away in the pretext that a person has committed an offence. Death penalty is unusual because it inflicts pain not only to the offender but also the people who love them especially their friends and relatives. When the legality of the death penalty is put to test, the punishment becomes ambiguous and fails to meet the expectations of a punishment in not repeating their offences. If they are killed, they are not given an opportunity to life and to be tested whether they changed or not.
The death penalty should be abolished so as to optimize other methods of punishment aimed at rehabilitation and not just mercilessly killing. Prisons are supposed to be rehabilitation centers where criminals are given a chance to better their lives. There is no way the life of any offender is going to be made better if they are going to be killed in the name of them committing offences (Nathanson 7). Punishment should elicit change in a criminal and who knows whether those convicted of very serious offences can be changed men and women who can contribute positively to the state. If prisons were to be taken seriously as rehabilitation centers, then there could be no such thing as capital punishment in the form of death, and instead as places where men and women can have a second chance to life. It is against this background that indeed capital punishments need to be abolished.
ALTERNATIVE ARGUMENT
Those who support the death punishment argue that it is a sure way of getting rid of these criminals and giving the society a surety that they will not be troubled by these said criminals ever again. The public will have peace because these criminals will have been eliminated. At the same time, those who support it argue that every action should be rewarded, whether good or bad. For instance, when a person murders another knowingly, there should be no excuse other than murdering them as well because that is exactly what they did, and this brings to attention the common anecdote “an eye for an eye” (Mandery 286). All human beings should acknowledge their crimes and be ready to face their punishment, and it their crimes deserve a death penalty so be it. Also, some people think that the death punishment is good because the world needs to be tough on crime. Crimes need to be stopped the crueler the crime the tougher the punishment. But again, it is not enough to have someone killed to secure society from their criminal activities because; more and more people commit the same crimes over again and this argument is not convincing.
CONCLUSION
Most Americans do not seem to agree as to whether capital punishment should be abolished or not. But it should be taken into consideration that if the real reason of punishment is to be taken seriously, then other avenues can be exploited rather than holding on to age old practices. There are several ways of combating criminal and criminals should also be given a second chance to life so as to give their lives meaning. But when the whole issue is looked at from a liberal and conservative stance, it is wrong to kill and even if it is a state execution, it should be abolished and better modes of punishment be put in place.
Works Cited
Mandery, Evan. Capital Punishment in America: A Balanced Examination. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett, 2011. Print
Nathanson, Stephen. An Eye for an Eye: The Immorality of Punishing by Death. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001. Print.
