Is Death Penalty Effective?

Is Death Penalty Effective?

Since the dawn of the human civilization, the death penalty has been used to eliminate the extreme wrongdoers in the society. It is undeniable that any civilization can only prosper if there is peace. However, peace cannot be achieved if staunch criminal minds roam freely, seeking to devour ordinary citizens. It should be noted that imprisoning some of the extreme wrongdoers is hardly a permanent solution because most of them will devise ingenious ways to break out of the system. This has been evident for years in the United States, with the latest being the New York prison break. The events that followed strengthened the need to withhold the death penalty in the United States.

While many people (including the world respected religious leaders) have offered a conflicting argument to quash the justice efforts, there is strong evidence that offering second chances to dangerous criminals is a wrong move. In fact, studies indicate that some of the high-profile convicts have crime genes ingrained in their DNA. This implies that subjecting them to the regular prison system is endangering the prison staff and other low-profile convicts. As such, the paper seeks to support the argument that death penalty is effective and should be implemented.

The punishment of criminals by death is implemented when there is a clear proof that an individual committed some of the gravest deeds in the society. Human rights activists implement most of the executions after years of weighing options and appeals. In the recent past, before an individual was executed, there were tortures aimed at extorting valuable information from the criminals. Besides, the death penalties were carried out publicly in broad daylight to instill fear on the potential criminals.

In the past, most societies practiced death penalty to punish religious and political dissidents. However, the modern society is inclined towards painless and humane executions. Painful executions such as hanging, stoning and use of guillotine have been replaced by modern means of executions including the lethal injection, gun and gas chamber execution.  However, there are modern critics that still view these latest developments as painful.

Provision of Closure

The main aim of the death penalty is to provide closure to the families of the victims. Most of the criminals that are eligible for death penalties have committed some of the worst crimes including rapes, assault, and multiple first-degree murders child defilement. In most cases, the killers deprive friends and families of their loved ones. The deprivation ignites grief that might not end until the murderer is executed. While the death penalty does not resurrect the victims, the friends and families' thoughts regarding the whole ordeal die with the execution of the criminals. The feeling of closure is hard to achieve if the murderer is still alive. In fact, there is a notion that the surviving victims will never achieve real justice unless the murderer is eliminated.

Sending a Clear Message

            A death penalty is the highest form of punishment a criminal can receive. Studies indicate that high profile criminals do not fear life imprisonment. This implies that unless the capital punishment is active in the justice system, the criminals can go on a killing spree before the justice finally catches up with them.  In the Middle East countries, where executions are effective, the crime rates are lower. From this scenario, it is arguable that the would-be criminals’ realization that their lives can be terminated should they be detected is enough turn them away from crime.

Economic Benefits

            More often than not, the best alternative for capital punishment is life imprisonment. In countries where death penalties have been abolished, there is a surge in the number of prisoners. The prisoners are not denied their basic human rights such as food, clothing and shelter. Therefore, the government is obliged to spend enormous sums of money on catering for prison requirements. It adds the burden to the taxpayers hence diminishing the economic performance. A closer scrutiny would reveal the fact that loyal citizens are actually offering material support to thieves, rapists, and murderers—they do not deserve the financial support.

Tit for Tat

A murder should be answered with another murder. Most subjects of death penalty deprive their victims of rights to their lives. There should be no argument against the justice system’s deprivation of the criminal to the right of life. In fact, a criminal’s life should be taken in the severest way possible, given the magnitude of their deeds and the implication it has to the victims’ friends and families. A justice system short of a death penalty has no proper response to murder crimes hence no justice to victims.

Death Penalty is not Cruel

One of the justice provisions is the lack of toleration to cruelty. The critics to the death penalty have based their arguments on the cruelty of the means used to take criminal lives. However, their arguments are baseless and fabrications of the truth especially if the modern means of executions are considered. Least of all, hanging involves a snap of the neck in microseconds. The subjects hardly feel the separation of their lives from their bodies.  The electric chair execution involves a strap of a metallic conductor to the brain, leading to the instant death as soon as the circuit is completed. The brain is shut off immediately due to the direct electric conduction to the brain. In fact, the brain has no time to register the pain.

For young subjects of the death penalty, a life imprisonment is lengthy and boring. If the motivation of the sentencing is based on the taking the criminal out of their mystery, a death penalty (especially to youthful crime masterminds) is the most appropriate choice. It is hard to imagine a barely 20-years-old murderer spending a lifetime in jail—it is an injustice to a young soul.

In summary, hardened criminals have no place in the society. Locking them up is an endangerment to the lives of low profile convicts. While there is a heavy controversy surrounding the issue of death penalty, the pros outweigh the cons. A judge should have the concerns of the victim’s families and friends when making the final judgment regarding the fate of the criminal minds. A failure to give a death penalty is a miscarriage of justice and a disservice to the society. The human rights activists should spend their time championing for the rights of the law-abiding citizens rather than the criminals that take lives of their victims. Otherwise, it won’t be long before the people realize that the activists are complicating their viewpoints.