Classical argument position paper

Capital Punishment

The use of punishment to discourage various kinds of wrongdoing is as old as humanity. However, what has dominated the debate arena for centuries is the use of capital punishment as a penalty for wrongdoing. While there are those who believe that capital punishment is highly effective as a form of punishment, others oppose the same from both a moral and religious point-of-view. In basic terms, capital punishment is the use of death as a legally sanctioned form of punishment for an individual convicted of a wrongdoing punishable by death. In my opinion, the application of capital punishment cannot be justified under any circumstance and hence should be abolished.

Capital Punishment: Reasons for Abolishment

In my opinion, there exists both moral and religious grounds for the abolishment of capital punishment. Not only does capital punishment diminish the very value of life but it also occasions great suffering to the dependents and family of the accused. Further, there is no proof that capital punishment deters the commission of crime. However, those of contrary opinion claim that capital punishment should be retained based on cost considerations. Another reason often floated in support of capital punishment is the need to protect the society from confirmed criminals. Whilst these two arguments seem valid, they are inadmissible as they contain factual errors and assumptions.

To begin with, capital punishment demonstrates little or minimal regard for the value of human life. One of the moral arguments that has been advanced in the past against capital punishment according to Banks (2004) is that the same happens "to be degrading to human dignity and inconsistent with the principle of the sanctity of life." In support of this argument, it is important to note that owing to the sanctity of life, nobody for whatsoever reason should be allowed to end the life of another. Only the creator has the mandate over life and death and hence any move by the authorities to prescribe death for whatever reason would amount to playing God.

Secondly, according to Souryal (2010), there are those who have in the past argued that "there is sufficient evidence that the threat of capital punishment does not convince potential murderers to forego criminal activity." If this is indeed the case, then capital punishment plays no role at all in making the society a safer place. This effectively means that though capital punishment is harsh on the individual to whom it is meted out, it fails the harshness test when it comes to crime.

Next, the pain loved ones and dependents of the accused experience before and after the execution of the accused is often overlooked when it comes to capital punishment. It is important to note that though the victim's family also does suffer, the accused could be somebody's mother, father, spouse or even best friend. In such a case, it becomes hard for many to come to terms with death as a form of punishment for a loved one. Thus though capital punishment may be viewed as a symbol of justice by the victim's family as well as friends, it surely does cause pain to the wrongdoer's family and friends who may have had nothing to do with the offense committed.