Death penalty should be abolished
Death penalty, also known as capital punishment is the execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law. Simply put, killing a person as a punishment for an offence is death sentence. This is different from extrajudicial killing which is otherwise known as jungle justice. Death sentence can be executed in various ways. They include; electrocution, hanging, lethal injection and firing squad.
Depending on the country, death sentence can be punishment for certain offences such as; serious crimes against the person, such as murder, aggravated cases of rape, terrorism, war crimes and so on. There are also crimes against the state such as, treason, sedition, among others.
Death penalty as a punishment for crime does not sit well with a lot of people. It doesn't sit well with me as well. It is true that a person who is sentenced to death has committed a grievous offence but even the worst of criminals have rights. There are other punishments that should be suffered by these offenders instead of being taken to the gallow. Life imprisonment should be a better and more effective punishment.
Methods of execution and death row conditions have been condemned as cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment and even torture. This is considered a derogation of human right.
A person who is sentenced to death suffers emotional torture in the sense that he knows he is to be killed but does not know when. What more if the person is an innocent who has been convicted of a crime he didn't commit. The feeling of waiting everyday in prison for death but not knowing when it will come can be degrading. Being stripped off your life is the worst thing that will ever happen to a person. Have you ever imagined that a person who is sentenced to death can stay in prison for years waiting for execution but yet it is not forthcoming.
Most people think that the death penalty serves as a deterrence to people who commit crimes like murder. But the truth is that it has no achievement in dettering crime committers. There is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than long terms of imprisonment. Country's that have not about he'd death penalty has shown no decrease in crime rate neither has countries that have abolished it show any decrease in crime rate. It is therefore evident that the death penalty has no deterrent effect. According to social science research, most of the people that commit murder do it under the influence of alcohol or drugs, because they are mentally ill, or in the heat of passion. They are emotionally unstable at the moment so they give little or no thought to the consequences of their acts. Those who plan to commit murder do it in the hope of not getting caught. In other words, death penalty has absolutely no effect in protecting people from criminals.
Some people may argue that murderers deserve to die but that is not true. No one deserves to be killed. If you do to criminals what they have done to others like killing them for committing murder, then a rapist ought to be raped. This is a rejected societal principle. Let's not also forget that at least 40 percent of people are convicted of crimes they did not commit. Imagine killing an innocent man as punishment for a crime he did not commit.
People who have committed capital offences should be given a chance at repentance. The person should be allowed to reconcile with his past and choose how to live afterwards knowing that the crime cannot be undone. Death sentence does not offer this opportunity to convicts.
The best punishment for them should be INCAPACITATION. Sentencing the person to life imprisonment and if the offence is too severe, limiting or eliminating the possibility of parole.
