Tuesday, May 8, 2007 @10:12 PM
"the death penalty isnt a deterrent; it is murder." do you agree? death penalty, in Singapore, is used to punish criminals who have committed capital crimes, such as murder, drug trafficking, terrorists activities, treason, and the list continues. however, is execution really the best way to put a stop to these crimes and to punish these criminals?
i beg to differ. i believe that the death penalty is a murder and not a deterrent. the death penalty is used to torture criminals and make them suffer and make up for the hurt they had inflicted on others, in other words, to inflict pain on them, emotionally and physically. while facing execution, whether by hanging, lethal injection or by using the electric chair, criminals have to face the emotional pain of knowing that their lives are going to end soon, and also, the thought of how the execution phase will feel like. during the execution, they experience the physical pain. hence, i think that the death penalty is just a form of murder, but in the legal manner, as it is no different from other forms of murder which are known as illegal in the government's eyes.
furthermore, two wrongs does not make a right. through the death penalty, the criminals do not learn from their mistakes. their lives are just put to an end due to a mistake made, whether in the moment of fury or not, no one knows. the death penalty does not exactly serve its purpose as a punishment, as the pain is just momentary for most cases. their sufferings are just for that minute or two, and their 'debt' is paid. the aftermath of that offender's execution, in turn, is suffered emotionally by his/her family members, as they will be the one experiencing the long run pain instead of the criminals. if one's intention is to punish the criminal and make the person turn over a new leaf, shouldnt the punishment be a long term one, so that the criminal will personally experience suffering and hence, learn a lesson?
there are many other more efficient ways of punishments, other than capital punishment. an example is rehabilitation. i believe that rehabilitation should be favoured upon the death penalty, as through rehabilitation, they are being counselled and their mindsets are being changed, hence, these offenders will be able to turn over a new leaf. furthermore, however tough and cruel one can appear, that person will still have a soft side to them. as the chinese saying goes, everyone has a heart of compassion, it's just whether they want to show and express it or not. thus, i believe that rehabilitation is more effective then capital punishments.
besides, criminals are not given a chance to change when a death penalty is imposed on them, and this is unjust to them. to err is human, everyone makes mistakes, hence everyone should be given a chance to repent and start afresh. these criminals should not be judged upon just because of a mistake they had made. moreover, human should not play God and make a decision to end someone's life. we do not have a right to command anyone's life. thus one should be given an opportunity to change for the better instead of just putting them to death.
in addition, the death penalty is irreversible in the miscarriages of justice. if someone is given the death judgement and is proved to be innocent later, who is going to take the blame for his death? in this case, a life would be lost, just because of a human error and carelessness.
on the other hand, the death penalty do serve a deterrence purpose. when one is executed, it serves as a warning to advocate the public that as they would face the undesirable fate of no return. also, this will induce fear in the public as no one will want to die young, thus, they will think twice before committing the crime because of the punishment. of course, those who are bent on committing crimes will not be bothered. there fore, the death penalty will only deter some and not others.
in conclusion, i feel that the death penalty should be abolished and other effective means should be used instead. death is murder, not a deterrent.
