In our modern world, there are a lot of controversial topics. One of the most controversial topics, however, is definitely the death penalty. Although most of today’s countries have already abandoned this cruel punishment, there are still some countries that allow it, including the United States.
These governments believe that the death penalty acts as a deterrent and, thus, prevents crimes. Somebody who wants to commit a crime does not fear a few yeas in prison but definitely does not want to die. This way, criminals are pointed out that their actions do have consequences. If parents do not punish their children, they will do whatever they want and will not know the limits.
The main function of the death penalty is to reduce the number of crimes. At least the government thinks so. But is it really that way in reality? Or are they missing their goal?
Most crimes are caused by the criminals’ emotions rather than by their rations. When they commit a crime, they do not think much about it, but just do it. For instance, aggressive people cannot think properly and are likely to kill the person causing their aggressions. Only a few minutes later, he or she might regret the murder.
In this case, the criminal needs psychological support and should not be executed. Imposing the death penalty on him or her would not be for the common good. In fact, quite the contrary is true. The execution would hurt the criminal’s family even more than him or herself.
In addition to that, we should not forget that there is always the chance of an error. How do you want to make it clear to a family that you have killed an innocent family member by mistake?
In my opinion, no government has the right to take a life. It’s simply against human rights. In many cases, the criminals are not told about their legal rights, as many law cases against Mexicans in the U.S. show. Resulting from this, many culprits cannot defend themselves.
We have now looked at the problem from all different angles and I have come to the conclusion that I am strictly against the death penalty. The main reason for this is that it lowers all those involved to the level of the murderer. Murder is murder, even if the State is committing the murder.