SEVERITY OF DEATH PUNISHMENT
Capital punishment or death punishment has, for decades, elicited sharp debates in many jurisdictions across the world. Death punishment is the process of executing someone after the offender has duly been tried, convicted, and sentenced. The mode of punishment has lost popularity in various countries over the last decade, with 141 countries abolishing the practice in totality. The proponents of death punishment believe that it is a way of retribution. They further argue that all crimes ought to be punished in proportion to their severity. There is also the argument that putting murders on a death punishment is likely to act as a deterrence on would-be murderers. However, despite all the arguments presented by the advocates for death punishment, the practice is archaic, less effective, and inhumane.
Death punishment has failed to deter murderers. In spite of the practice been there for centuries, murders are still prevalent in all parts of the world. There is no statistical evidence to suggest that capital punishment acts as a deterrence. Deterrence, as a mode of punishment, works best when the sentence is administered soon after the offense. For instance, a child learns that putting the finger in the fire is dangerous because there is instant pain. In essence, what the death punishment does is to propagate a notion that human life has no value.
Death punishment has also led to the execution of innocent people. The prosecution of offenders is often riddled with technicalities and mistakes. As a result, innocent people are often sent to the gallows for crimes they did not commit. There are various instances where people are convicted for crimes they did not commit but later acquitted upon judicial review and appeal. However, once one has been executed, the chance to amend the mistake is washed away. There is also the fact that the poor and marginalized may not secure a good legal presentation. Therefore, they end up been convicted even for crimes they did not commit.
Death punishment also fails to take into account that some offenders commit crimes as a result of intense feelings of passion. Some offenders are also under the influence of drugs and substances. Thus, they are never in a position to think rationally or think about the consequences of the actions. Therefore, ending their lives is quite severe, and it would be prudent to find alternative ways of punishment.
Retribution vs. Rehabilitation
The concept of rehabilitation should be adopted in various correctional facilities. Incarcerating an offender should be geared towards changing the offender to the extent that they will never return to prison. Punishment, which has been adopted in most correctional facilities, has proved to be less effective because most offenders often return to crime upon their release from prison. They end up learning better ways of committing crimes in a system that is solely aimed at punishing them as opposed to changing them holistically. A rehabilitation process is quite intensive and often brings on board psychiatrists to help inmates deal with mental and psychological disorders.
In conclusion, the paper has generally looked at why changing the life of an offender is more important than just administering a punishment. Society ought to learn about the value of the right to life. Death punishment does not promote the need to protect the sanctity of life and, thus, should be abolished.