Another important argument in favour of capital punishment is the fact that it protects society. If someone murders and is then taken away and killed, there is no chance of that person escaping or being released back into society and doing it again. I think that communities would feel safer with capital punishment in place because of this and also because of the deterrent argument.
Capital punishment also shows how innocent life is valued by society. Knowing that the government would kill someone who has hurt your family or friends to protect you is quite comforting and having capital punishment would lead to a more secure society.
A final, more selfish argument in favour of capital punishment is that it is less costly. Prison costs of keeping and feeding convicted murderers would be substantially reduced if they were all to be killed. I think that when human life is at stake though, this is a petty argument that doesn’t bear any relation at all to the issue and the morals involved.
On the other side, a lot of people argue that capital punishment is wrong and should not be allowed. One of these arguments is that it leaves no room for error. If the person is later proven to be innocent, unlike a jail sentence from which they can be released, they cannot be brought back to life. This is perhaps the strongest argument against capital punishment and one which I think is valid.
A common argument that religious people use in favour of capital punishment, is the old biblical saying: ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’. People who oppose capital punishment however, counter this by saying: ‘an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind’. This basically means that it is hypocritical in that the government are punishing a murderer for KILLING someone by KILLING him. This sends out the wrong message. If it is wrong to murder, it is argued, it is also wrong to execute.
Capital punishment rules out reform. Today, a lot of murderers can be counselled and rehabilitated during their jail sentence, transforming them into respectable citizens again. If they are executed then this is not possible.
Some people also think that execution is just an easy way to deal with social problems. To get rid of social problems, just kill the criminals and murderers, and this is wrong.
Considering all of the previous arguments both for and against capital punishment, I believe that, when you look at the statistics, it reduces murder considerably and leads to a safer, more secure society.
I think that some of the arguments against are valid but are not as valuable as the ones in favour.
Also, if it was my family or I who were wrongly (or even rightly) accused of murder, I wouldn’t like the possible threat of being killed for it.
Overall though, it is a good support for society and I think that capital punishment should be brought back for murder and inhumane treatment such as rape etc. It would make this country a safer place by ridding it of the animals that are currently roaming the streets, waiting to pounce.
By Damien Hendry
4H
