Capital Punishment

Capital punishment has been into practice thousands of years ago since the times of ancient Babylon who stated Hamurabi's role "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," It was considered the best way not only to prevail justice and take revenge to victim's families, but also to deter murderers from committing crimes and ensure people's security. Things, however, have changed in the last few decades as some people started questioning the effectiveness of capital punishment in declining violence. Moreover, the idea of rehabilitating murderers by giving them a chance to be good has been accepted for many in the western world. These new facts have pushed many western countries to outlaw the practice of capital punishment but still a big controversy is surrounding its suspending.

People who are in favour of capital punishment stated that rude punishments would make criminals think twice before killing someone. Dr. Isaac Ehrlich at the University of Chicago has conducted a research showing that "if the death penalty is used in a consistent way, it may deter as many as eight murders for every execution carried out" (Anderson 4). On the other hand, Anti-capital punishment groups bring into the spotlight its effectiveness in deterring violent crimes. The USA, for example, is the only western nation that allows the death penalty but still it has the highest crime rates. No criminal commits a crime, they claimed, if he believes he will be caught and even if a rude cruel punishment can help in premeditated crimes it is impossible to imagine how the threat of it could prevent a crime that is committed in the heat of the moment when great emotional stress or influence of drugs and alcohol blocks logical thinking.

The second most significant issue is taking revenge which could also be a great factor in spreading out violence. In the past, people have invariably felt that if they had been wronged in some way, it was their right to take vengeance on the person that had wronged them. This mentality still exists but in a lesser form because the law has outlined a person's rights and developed punishments that conform to those rights. But without a suitable punishment for crimes, justice will never truly be served to those that have suffered damages or losses.