Capital Punishment as Non-Effective Form of Punishment - Essay Example

An objective and critical look at the main arguments advanced in favor of the death penalty shows that the arguments are flawed and not based on facts. For objectivity, let us critically analyze the two main arguments advanced in favor of the death penalty.

To begin with, let us critically look at the argument that the death penalty deters crime. This argument is one of the main arguments advanced by the proponents of the death penalty in support of their view that a death penalty is an effective form of punishment. The proponents of capital punishment contend that, by killing criminals through capital punishment, we deny the criminals any other opportunity to commit a crime, hence reducing crime in the society; also, the proponents of capital punishment argue that through subjecting criminals guilty of grave crimes to capital punishment, we scare other potential criminals from committing such crimes in future. A critical view at this position, however, shows that capital punishment does not deter crime. This is because there is absolutely no scientific proof that capital punishment deters crime. On the contrary, studies in social sciences have shown that there is no correlation between the death penalty and crime; studies in social sciences have shown that the death penalty does not deter crime (Goel, web). For this reason, therefore, the death penalty is an ineffective form of punishment because it does not deter crime.

The second argument advanced by the proponents of capital punishment is the argument that a death penalty is an effective form of punishment because it ensures that justice is done to both the offended party and the offender. The main argument here is that heinous crimes are extraordinary forms of injustice to the victims of the crimes; for that reason, it is only an extra-ordinarily grave form of punishment that can compensate for the grave crimes and ensure that just has been rendered to both the offender and the offended parties. The main presumption in this argument is the idea that capital punishment is the gravest possible form of punishment that can be meted out against a human being. A critical view of this punishment, however, shows that the death penalty does not render justice to either the offender or the offended parties. This is because, first, the offended party does not get back what was taken away from them through the death of the offender. Secondly, it is not true that capital punishment is the gravest form of punishment that a human being can be subjected to. This is because, from experience, we have seen some people commit suicide when they are faced with difficult situations; this fact means that death is a form of solace for some people and not the worst form of punishment. For this reason, therefore, capital punishment does not render justice to the offenders.

In conclusion, a critical analysis of the two main arguments upon which the idea of capital punishment is based has shown that the arguments are flawed and not based on fact. For this reason, therefore, the concept of capital punishment is premised upon false and erroneous ideas. For this reason, therefore, death punishment should be completely abolished since it is an ineffective form of punishment.