Many people in society have the following reasons against capital punishment:
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Inconsistent Deterrence- Some believe capital punishment is not a deterrent and in countries that the death penalty is imposed, crime rates are rising and in some cases higher than countries that do not uphold capital punishment.
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Sanctity of life- All life is sacred and if it is wrong to take a life then it is wrong to execute a person. Some believe it is hypocrisy and killing is not condemned.
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Mockery of Reform- People against the death penalty often ask how someone can be a ‘better’ person when their life will be taken away before they can make a fresh start to their life.
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Execution of the Innocent- Some believe as long as there is the continued use of capital punishment the risk of executing the innocent can never be eliminated.
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Discrimination- It is thought the death penalty is biased and shows prejudice against the poor, minorities and members of social, ethnic and religious communities.
Muslims believe life is sacred and everyone has free will. In Islam, it is believed; if you commit a crime then you are to be punished for any act of disobedience. Some people feel the death penalty is the suitable punishment for some crimes such as murder.
In Islam, capital punishment is used as a means of deterrence and justice. Muslims follow the Qu’ran for guidance especially about capital punishment. The Shari’ah Law is the code of law giving rules and punishment. In the Shari’ah Law you are taught, everyone is equal in the eyes of the law.
‘Do not take the life which God has made sacred except in the course of justice.’ Hadith
This means every life is sacred and cannot be taken away as God is the ‘giver’ of life and death. Muslims believe that anyone acting on His behalf must act according to His principles. This means that Muslims need to know what the suited punishment for a crime is and how bad the crime committed is. The criminal that has committed the crime must not being wrongly accused because it is believed a victim’s life is equal to the offender’s. Therefore, Muslims must be certain that the punishment is equal to the crime and that capital punishment in each case is God’s command.
‘What punishment may be inflicted on the person so that he may not commit the same sin again, or so that he may learn good manners.’ Hadith
In Islam, the emphasis is not on the punishment itself but the reform of the criminal. Islam teaches that whatever you have done wrong you still can change for the best so that is the reason behind punishment.
In Islam, the family of the victim has a role in the punishment set for the criminal. They are able to have a say in what punishment could be served by the offender. However, it is then the decision of the Shari’ah Court, if the punishment demanded is rational. The involvement of the victim is authorized in Islam because it is the victim and their family that suffer due to the criminal’s offence. Therefore, Muslims are allowed to retaliate.
The ideas of forgiveness and reform are also supported. Muslims believe that they should be forgiving towards others. No human is free of sin but all Muslims would like to be forgiven for their mistakes by Allah in order to enter paradise.
Now I shall look at the view that a utilitarian would have on Capital Punishment.
Utilitarianism is the view that before an action is taken you must look at the consequences of the action first and depending on the number of people that are happy with the outcome, the action is then taken. The consequences of capital punishment would be the death of the accused and the people who have suffered due to the person(s) accused would feel a lot happier with the outcome. Alongside that there would be less suffering caused for the people affected if there was capital punishment, depending on how big a crime caused the suffering. Therefore, I think that a utilitarian would agree with capital punishment being retained in all countries because there would be more people happy with the result.
A social contract theorist would think similarly about capital punishment. They believe that laws and morals, a human invention that everyone agrees on is a way of making life better. Applying this to capital punishment the common view would be that in order to keep the majority of society stable, capital punishment would be supported. More people would feel at ease with someone posing a threat to be given the death penalty than them being in prison. However, other social contract theorists may support life imprisonment rather than capital punishment because they may feel that you should not have to go to extreme lengths to achieve stability in society as this may easily be achieved through life imprisonment.
I believe that capital punishment should be retained in every country. It is a good deterrent and can reduce crimes rates. Also, victims that suffer are able to have a small compensation for their loss through capital punishment and they should be allowed to retaliate. People who are wrongly victimised deserve justice and this can be served through capital punishment. I also believe in forgiveness and reform. I think humans need to be forgiven for committing a crime but if victims find it difficult to forgive through life imprisonment than capital punishment should still be an option depending on how bad the crime is.
I understand the arguments against capital punishment. The most popular argument is that capital punishment is inhumane and degrading. However, I disagree because is murder not inhumane and degrading and for crimes like this life imprisonment is just not the suited punishment. Some argue, in countries like the U.S.A, capital punishment is discriminatory. I understand but this is not the fault of capital punishment but of the people who carry it out. It is only society who can change this biased system of justice.
There were quite a few known cases that helped me decide on my view.
The case of Timothy McVeigh was quite influential. Timothy McVeigh was a city bomber in Oklahoma. He killed 168 people and injured hundreds. He did this to show that ‘American government was becoming increasingly hostile.’ He was executed. I believe that McVeigh had no right to take 168 lives to prove an opinionated point. So I think the death penalty was justified.
Another case is that of Damilola Taylor. He was brutally killed and left to die after coming to England ‘for a better life’. He did not deserve to die and I think that the killers should be executed. A young innocent boy has a life taken away from him intentionally so I believe that the death penalty would be in proportion to the crime committed.
Finally, I believe that the death penalty is justified for certain crimes, and offenders should be punished for severe crimes. Capital Punishment does not have to be used as punishment for every crime but for extreme cases like murder, the death penalty should be the ultimate resort.
Bibliography:
- www.religioustolerance.org/chr_10c9.htm
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Amnesty International, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia CD-ROM, Capital Punishment Worldwide, Amnesty International, 2000
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Richard Hobson and Victor Watton, General Studies, Ethical theories, Gray Publishing, 2000
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Simon Jeffrey, The Guardian, Oklahoma Bomber proclaimed Dead, Guardian Unlimited, June 11 2001,
