Essay Summary of Death penalty

The criminal justice system has been in place since medieval years up to date where it has adopted quite different forms. Different kinds of justice systems have been practiced over the centuries in different parts of the world, stretching from capital punishment to corporal punishments such as flogging, as well as public execution. To date, the criminal justice system can be said to have been particularly inconsiderate and cruel to the law offenders and breakers by denying them their rights to defend themselves.
Death penalty has generated a debate on whether it should continue to be used on the law offenders or not and also on its effectiveness if it is used. It evident that most of the countries in the US, as well as the public support Death penalty. However, this is not the best nor is one of the punishments that should be inflicted to an offender no matter the weight of the crime. Frankly, there are other forms of punishments that should supplement Death penalty like heavy fining and community services.
The community service penalty aims at socializing the offenders and also seeks to consider both the rights of the offender and that of the victims. It is a very good way of punishing the offenders because they usually give back to the community and as well establish good relationships with the people. Life imprisonment is a very good substitute for Death penalty that has been suggested for many years. This involves restricting the offender in prison for life. It is a way that to some extend prevents human rights of existence even though exercise of freedom is compromised.

Origin of Death penalty. Death penalty was given to capital offenders and this still happens today. Evidence of Death penalty suggests that it is a form of punishment has been in existence since mankind. In fact it seems from a literature review that, it was a very popular method in the ancient time. One of the greatest challenges facing the criminal justice system today is to strike appropriate balance for the offenders who are deemed to face death penalty. Most opponents of the death penalty argue that it should not be practiced because it is very dehumanizing as well degrading.
They go further to argue that this act of death penalty is very cruel and demoralizing. It is truly against the laws of nature as pertains human life existence. The opponents further reveal that Death penalties are only given to the minorities and the poor who are not able of paying for huge bonds in courts or who do not know any superior person in the system. The Death penalty opponents also reveal that through among ten capital offenders who face death penalties, one of them is innocent (Hagg, Ernest, & Conrad, 1987). This is very discouraging because an innocent live faces death for no reason.
The offenders rather than facing Death penalty should be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve considering fundamental human rights as well as attributes. Death penalty according to the opponents should be discouraged right from the politicians who have a lot of influence on the people and can politicize the act in such a way that most people support it. Politicians should not this issue to win in their politics whatsoever but should instead keep the lead for the people to see the disadvantages of Death penalty and discourage it under all costs.
Death penalty also can be very discouraging to the offender who may have committed the crime in an attempt to cater for his/her own basic needs. This could happen in a situation whereby the offender has tried all the possible and available means of meeting his/her basic needs and finally decided to result to committing a crime such as stealing. In the right and normal perspective or view, the offender should not be charged with such inhuman crime like Death penalty and yet he/she was trying to save his/her dear life.
But with all this, Death penalty can still be inflicted in him/her. Death penalty has led to lack of confidence on the government since it has formulated a lot of laws that are aimed at limiting appeals, such that the capital offenders don’t have enough chances of appealing for their cases. This suggests the government’s support for Death penalty, something that really discourages many people especially the offenders (Hirsch, & Andrew, 1976). The opponents for the Death penalty also claim that the administering of the crime is done quite on unequal grounds.
For instance, racism is very highly practiced such that only those people who do not belong to a particular country face Death penalty even if they had committed the same crime with the citizens of the country in consideration. On the other hand proponents of Death penalty argue that, it is an effective way of paying back an equal measure of what the offender inflicted on their victims, a kind of an eye for an eye principle. They go further to argue that Death penalty shows justice to the side of the victim and his/her people.
This is a very one sided way of judging occurrences since death can not in way pay for a crime done, rather the offender should be left alive and maybe be faced with other penalties. This way, he/she stands a better position of paying back what he had stolen for example. Strictly, punishments should be administered only for the purpose of discouraging the continued occurrence or repeat of the crime. It should not however be for the purpose of terminating ones dear life which is so much precious that the crime.
The other purpose for punishment is to let the other people learn from the person who receives the punishment. In this aspect, people learn quite a lot of negative attributes and their lives get into constant fear if the only thing they can learn is Death penalties (Kaminer, & Wendy, 1995). Death penalty therefore has a negative effect on the side of the public since the esteem as well as their well being in terms of ethical grounds is tempered with.
There is a lot of costs incurred in executing Death penalty and this has led America to unsafe conditions since very much needed financial as well as legal resources are being used in carrying out these Death penalty practice (Sheleff, & Leon, 1987 ). However, execution of life imprisonment is less expensive and it is what should be encouraged. Death penalty should also be discouraged because its practice does not give room for rehabilitation.
The justice system has in some cases been accused of leaning too much on the side of the victims of capital crimes therefore denying the victim the right to be treated as guilty until proven guilty before a fair and public trial in a court of law. Any justice system must be structured to meet the needs of both offenders and victims (Bedau, & Hugo 1987). Conclusion. Generally, Death penalty should be highly discouraged because it poses so much human violations and it against the laws of nature. Other better ways of punishments should be adopted to substitute Death penalty.
These ways could be use of community services, which really builds the offender in terms of socializing him/her and helping him to develop an attitude of hard work. These attributes can help the offender in his entire life when he/she decides to change. Life imprisonment is another form of punishment that should be used to substitute Death penalty though it is quite hard to detain the offender while at the same time spending the taxpayer’s money. In addition, all the rights of the capital crime victims should be observed and adhered to. There is a need for the government along with the politicians to call for an immediate end of Death penalty since it is doing more harm than good to the public.
Works Cited
Bedau, Hugo. Death is Different. Massachusetts: Northeastern University Press, 1987. Hagg, Ernest, and Conrad, J. The Death Penalty a Debate. New York, 1983. Hirsch, Andrew. Doing Justice: The Choice of Punishments. New York: Hill and Wang, 1976. Kaminer, Wendy. It’s All the Rage: Crime and Culture. New York: Addison – Wesley Publishing Company, 1995. Sheleff, Leon. Ultimate Penalties. New York: The Ohio State University Press, 1987.