by Matthew J. Geiger

Created on: October 08, 2009

The death penalty fails as both a deterrent and corrective punishment. On the other hand, though there is plenty of evidence and clear arguments to suggest this conclusion, it does not mean the death penalty is unnecessary and improper. Justice is not simply about applying punitive action to extract adequate reparations; but rather, it exists to maintain civil order. So long as state-sponsored executions are carried out to eliminate violent offenders from a society, the death penalty serves to protect law abiding citizens against individuals who have and are willing to terrorize a population with violent crimes. As such, the death penalty becomes a practice the People of a nation must decide whether or not to embrace.

The aftermath of heinous crimes like murder and rape, in particular, permanently affect individuals and communities in very profound ways, thus victims cannot be adequately compensated. Because society has failed the victims of these crimes after they trusted in their society's ability to protect them, society must apply severe consequences in order to maintain trust in law. Furthermore, in the case of lesser crimes, otherwise mentally capable individuals can see legal consequences as adequate deterrents and may respond to corrective punishments. With murder and rape, however, the acts are driven by far greater needs and perverted impulses while the danger of repeat offenders cannot be tolerated by victims and society as a whole.

Rape and murder are such heinous crimes that they spark an emotional outcry so power failure to give adequate consequences for these crimes can easily create social instability as well as deny victims justice. In essence, the State would be allowing them to be victimized once again. If the State neglects to serve justice to accused murders and rapists, the Courts lose legitimacy and, in extreme cases, could provoke vigilante action. Meanwhile, the number of repeat offenders may be on par with lesser crimes or better, but the lasting effects and seriousness of these crimes mean people and society have to adopt a near zero tolerance policies for repeat offenders when it comes to murder and rape.

Opponents of the death penalty often use various arguments to minimize executions as little more than society exercising a form of revenge and State sponsored murder. Death, especially by modern execution methods, is hardly cruel; in fact, humans are creatures naturally drawn to open spaces, so imprisonment is actually far crueler

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>