Death Penalty as Capital Punishment

Death Penalty as Capital Punishment

Justice and human dignity: These words come to mind when the death penalty is discussed. They are the foundation for democracy and civilization. They can be regarded as the cornerstones in the defense of capital punishment. In the judicial system dealing with crime and punishment, the concept of justice lurks in the shadows when it should ultimately be the foundation within the legal system. Rather than keeping it under cover of darkness, allow justice to be brought forward and into the light when the death penalty is discussed. Deserving the utmost respect is mans dignity. Dignity and respect for the victims of these crimes needs to be the highest consideration today more so than for the perpetrator who killed his fellow man especially when connected to the death penalty. In other words, the prerequisite for society should be one of sympathy and solidarity with the victim. Empathy and understanding for the victims and their relatives are necessary in order to rightly value the death penalty. The death penalty will only slightly lower the number of criminals since murders and violent offenders will always exist in society. However, one less violent criminal will make for a safer society. A lengthy prison term still leaves the possibility of parole and, until death, a dark cloud that will hover over society. Affirming the death penalty proclaims publicly to the criminal that his evil and immoral acts will not be tolerated. It is the strongest moral declaration a society can make proclaiming that some crimes are deserving of capital punishment. However, more than any other punishment, the death penalty also declares that the criminal is also moral individual with responsibilities. Punishment follows justice, and dislike follows punishment. Dislike can also be termed as wrath. Therefore the wrath of society on the violent acts of criminals and murderers is testimony that our concern, sympathy and compassion towards the victims are honest and binding. By not reacting to the heinous acts of these criminals, a society is doomed to loose its humanity and feeling. It would only be natural that such an unfeeling society does not understand or accept capital punishment. The most powerful way a society can show how much it respects, values, and understands its afflicted citizens, is capital punishment. To quote The Bible in Genesis 9:6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” It does not matter if these words came from a god or not, what matters is these words, written almost four thousand years ago, speak of justice. It is a belief of the value of man and his life that has existed since far back in history. Instinctively people know that man has value and dignity. To murder a man, and destroy that value and dignity, that person does not deserve to live. The death penalty would come naturally for murders and violent criminals by a society that respects and values man, the ultimate victim of a crime. Therefore, in a deeper sense, capital punishment is about placing emphasis on the human value. The perpetrator should never be allowed to claim any form of “value.” This individual has viciously and without respect, crushed the value of his fellow man. Justice has to be demanded and recompense is the death penalty. To take another persons life is the most atrocious crime on the face of this earth. It is the utmost violation an individual can endure. It drastically despises the value of human life. Victims of this horrible crime are deprived of ever seeing the sun rise or the light of day, hearing the songs of birds, enjoy the aroma of a rose or freshly baked bread, rejoice at the sound of a loved ones voice, gently stroke a baby’s cheek, spend quality time with friends, and never again to smile over the beauty of life. The pain endured over the loss of a loved will still remain. It cannot be cured by capital punishment. However, a clear and decisive turning point towards inner peace and healing for the soul can be experienced when the death penalty is carried out. An understanding and feeling that justice has prevailed through the death penalty will become evident as an inner peace begins to ease into the soul. These individuals will always feel uneasy in their heart if they know the perpetrator of the violent crime did not receive the punishment they deserved. The criminal’s deed will come to an end when the death penalty is carried out.
This is an end to someone who has caused so much pain and grief for the victims loved ones. This is the beginning of the road for inner peace. Sentencing a murderer to a life in prison is only a reminder to the victim’s relatives and the rest of society, that the possibility this individual may be free again, allowing the wound to remain open, festering, constantly causing pain. Valid arguments for the death penalty are difficult to find. Some are likely to use emotional expressions and witty slogans when they attack the death penalty. If one can remain calm when listening to speeches about the death penalty being uncivilized and barbaric, seriously examining them, it will be easy to see how weak and superficial these attacks actually are. Keeping justice, the value of man, and democracy, as the central ideas, is what makes capital punishment reasonable. Place these ideas in full view when discussing the death penalty along with the relationship of this punishment to the victims and their relatives. When applied in this manner, no argument against the death penalty can disconnect this position as a justifiable method of punishment.