The word death penalty excites and causes some fear in the eyes of everyone. It cannot be denied that humanity fears death and reflexively avoids all life- and health-threatening cases. The question of how this can affect society occurs since it is about the government’s interference or countries’ law on human life. In addition, the law on the death penalty is very vulnerable and requires careful and vigilant consideration in court to avoid injustice. Here it is talking about dangerous crimes that require severe punishments. This paper claims that the death penalty can be justified from an ethical point of view since it will reduce the number of criminals, satisfy the victims from a moral point of view, and the state will not suffer financial losses.
Firstly, the death penalty should exist because it will reduce the number of criminals. Yes, it is impossible to deny some points because the death penalty should not exist. For example, according to Stevenson, the death penalty in the United States mainly refers to those with no money, and people with position and wealth avoid this kind of punishment (Unit 6 Lecture – The Death Penalty 3). However, by executing a criminal, it is possible to nullify the repeated crime of this person and deprive society of danger. Therefore, for the death penalty to affect the community only from the good side, no matter how cruel and painful it sounds, sacrificing one person can warn many others. In other words, by punishing the guilty with a death sentence, the state shows an example of cruel punishment for a murderous crime that could not be justified by humanity. It can be such crimes as brutal rape, murder of a person, and torture. Thus, provided that the state or other representatives of the law are fair to everyone equally, people will be afraid of punishment and will not commit crimes.
Secondly, the death penalty, though minor, but to calm the burning anger of the victims of crimes. As Igor Primoratz said, “A life for life”(Unit 6 Lecture – The Death Penalty 2), executing those who deprive others of life in every sense is necessary. It would probably be unbearable to realize, for example, that the person who raped and killed his sister is in prison. Executing the criminal and depriving him of his life so that no one provides for him, even the state, is perforce. Otherwise, he will continue living at the expense of public funds. Of course, it will be brutal and insulting for the victims’ relatives to put up with such a fact while their sister can no longer enjoy the benefits of peace. Therefore, the criminal should be punished with the death penalty so that he could not be present in life, causing pain to the victims.
The third and most obvious reason the death penalty should be justified from an ethical perspective is that the state will not spend its funds on people who have committed terrible crimes. Why feed, clothes, and give a roof over a criminal’s head, even if it’s a prison, to a person who doesn’t deserve it? Donating funds to the homeless, children, and others in need is better than to those who deserve to die. People who commit brutal crimes will become those who will hurt their state and show their country the wrong side. In addition, the more criminals in prison, the worse the country’s statistics are compared to other countries because this will increase the status of a felony. Therefore, executing such a criminal is easier than tolerating damages to the country.
In conclusion, the death penalty can be justified for the safety of society, victims of violent crimes, and the sake of the state. If a dangerous criminal is executed, the community will guarantee that this criminal will not come to them, and they will be safe. Besides, the execution will serve as a lesson for everyone, and people will not dare to commit offenses. Also, the death penalty can slightly ease the pain of victims or relatives of the victim by punishing criminals as they deserve. In turn, the death penalty deserves to be justified because it will save the state’s expenses on prisoners.
Works Cited
Unit 6 Lecture – The Death Penalty.