Introduction
This paper will discuss the effects of the death penalty on violent crime in the United States of America. This paper will give its opinion regarding the effectiveness of the death penalty. Whether the youth should be punished through the death penalty will also be discussed.
Whether the death penalty is effective in deterring potential offenders is a matter that has been discussed by different people with mixed reactions. “There are scholars who argue that death sentence has actually succeeded in preventing people from committing capital offences” (Schaefer, 2007). Many countries all over the world have abandoned this form of punishment and those who have not done so constitutionally have not used it for the past decade.
However in the recent past different states in the United States of America have abandoned this form of punishment and adopted life imprisonment. New studies have shown that the death penalty has caused an increase in murder. “This is because by imposing the death penalty, the society is brutalized. This makes the officials who oversee the death penalty become brutal. This is also referred to as the coarsening effect” (Zipes, 1999).
A major reason as to why there are many deaths in the united states of America is due to the fact that the people I that country have a greater attachment to economic welfare as opposed to their counter parts in European countries who have a great interest in the society.
Death penalty has been used by prosecutors to coerce suspects to plead guilty and also to name accomplices. Those who cooperate are given lighter sentences.
Police officers have also contributed to this debate and they say that the death penalty is not a solution to solving crime. Opponents of this form of punishment have said that creation of jobs in America and the prevention of drug abuse are better ways of combating crime than imposing the death penalty.
My position regarding the death penalty is that it should be abolished. This form of punishment is degrading and fails to serve its purpose. Death penalty stands for revenge since you are supposed to kill someone who has committed murder. It is like the ancient saying of a tooth for a tooth.
The major reason why people are punished is because the society wants them to change and also to deter potential offenders. However the death punishment does not reflect any of these aspirations at all. This form of punishment cannot change the behavior of a person who has been found guilty. This is because the man has been killed and denied the chance of becoming a better man. He cannot be remorseful for his deeds because death has been pronounced on him.
Youths who commit violent crimes should not be hanged because they should be given a chance to change while they are in prison. They have a long life ahead of them and when one is sentenced for a long jail term, there will be efforts to change as they mature. If their behavior in prison is deemed to have positively changed, then they can qualify for parole and integrate them to the society. They would serve as examples to the members of the society.
Conclusion
This paper has discussed the effects of the death penalty on the society. This paper has opposed this form of punishment since it does not serve the purpose it was destined to. The youth should not be sentenced to death since they have a chance to reform.
References
Schaefer, R. (2007) Sociolology. London: McGraw-Hill.
Zipes, D. (1999). When Dreams Came True: Classical Fairy Tales and Their Tradition. Boston: Routledge.