• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • CONTACT US
  • All Essays
  • JEE Main 2022

Study Today

Largest Compilation of Structured Essays and Exams

  • Essay⯆
    • Freedom Fighters
    • Leaders
    • Events
    • Festival
  • JEE Main
  • Scholarship 2022
    • Class 1
    • Class 2
    • Class 3
    • Class 4
    • Class 5
    • Class 6
    • Class 7
    • Class 8
    • Class 9
    • Class 10
    • Class 11
    • Class 12
  • Speech
  • History
  • General Knowledge
    • Things to Know⯆
    • Blog

Essay on Is the Death Penalty Effective?

January 4, 2018 by Study Mentor Leave a Comment

What is penalty? Right from not obeying your mother’s instruction and getting scolding for same to the sanctions put on countries which disobey an agreement or treaty. Every reaction to any deviance from the expected outcome comes under the radar of punishment.

Every society or institution is based on rules regulations and norms to ensure smooth functioning of the system. If anyone breaks a law they are considered for punishment and sanctions. The whole purpose of these is to instill fear and deterrence so that similar act is not performed again.

Here deviance is a very broad term. As it includes petty issues like not doing one’s homework to participating in acts that are threat to national security. Therefore, depending upon the harm caused, the penalty is decided and imposed. 

No society across the world is free of crime. Be it the property disputes, theft, violation of a business clause or personal attacks in the form of murder, assault, kidnaping etc. Every social system works to contain and limit these crimes for maintaining harmony in a state.

That is why we find some formal or informal law and order enforcing agency at every level. It is here that punishment or penalty are thought to act as restraints. At a micro level like family punishments are menial. But at macro level to decide upon kind of punishment to be imposed a judicial set up is required.

Degree of damage or intensity of evil are considered while giving sentences. This restraint includes imposing huge sums of money as fines, imprisonment, corporal punishment, banishment from territory and even the death penalty. 

Death is the most feared of all things a human can ever experience. Death penalty is not a new way of deterring a crime. As death is end of a person’s existence even in traditional society it was a preferred way of punishing. Back then the rule was “eye for an eye” and this was unquestioned as repressive laws dominated.

But as humans evolved and civilized they relooked at death penalty. The purpose of the death penalty basically is twofold – it serves the purpose of vengeance (on the part of the state and the victims), and it serves the purpose of segregation (the prisoner who is sentenced to death will never rejoin society).

Both of these are, to some extent, are valid purposes and send a strong message to anti-social beings in society. Many argue “harsh crimes merit harsh punishment”.

So, we find support for death sentence in cases of heinous crimes like rape, mutilation, mass murder, child abuse and terrorist activities. It is not unjust but have to be used very rarely. As the threat of severe punishment certainly does dissuade potential offenders. 

Death penalty should not become the norm to curb crime and ensure deterrence. There are many vantage points to look at this controversial, costly and divisive issue. Firstly, there is no credible data supporting the fact that capital punishment has been deterrent and avoided similar crime that led to conviction.

Second as the civilized world prescribes under restitutive mechanism of justice death is the last option, more preference is given to corrective measures and rehabilitation of convict. Every person has right to life as per natural justice, one must not be forgiven for atrocity caused by him but a chance to repent, regret and change should as well not be ignored.

In case of death sentence the above cannot be done as there is no return after one dies. Thirdly human rights of convict are considered. What if an innocent being is trapped and convicted would it not be absolute grave thing to declare death penalty in such a case.

Are we confident of judicial results? Can it not be misused by people in power? Death sentence once executed offers no way of correcting a wrong judgement? Fourth encouragement of death penalty leaves entire onus of the offence on culprit, ignoring the reasons that led to his actions.

The role of society, dearth of resources, inequality or exploitation many such social issue might have turned a normal man into criminal. Thus, retrospective reflection on system is undermined with such punishments. Also, the sense of injustice caused can in turn breed more violators in protest.

Fifthly, the definition of grave crime termed rarest of the rare which can justify the death sentence is very subjective and left to discretion of the judges. Cases of mass murder and crime during riots cannot be equated to child abuse or gang rape. Each case has its own set of circumstances to consider.

Every victim can justify their loss as grave, or the number of people injured in the crime may be used to explain the death sentence. As judges are also part of same society they are affected by demand and expectation of the people, which impacts neutrality of their decision.

Media also acts as pressure group and indirectly influence the judgement. So, it is immensely difficult to demarcate what deserves capital punishment and what does not. 

Sixthly, every death sentence is an incredibly costly affair. As cases resulting in death sentence are challenged at every judicial level. From district to high court and then supreme courts of a country. Likewise, these cases end up spending years in various legal appeal, additionally eating up on time of judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers all at the expense of taxpayer’s money. 

Consider terrorist activities for instance where we see growing number of suicide bombers, these mass murderers typically expose themselves to far greater immediate risks. So, chances of execution many years after committing a crime if caught would not influence the behavior of such sociopathic deviants. To answer Is it effective for suicide bomber? Surely no. 

With little reason to continue this practice, death penalty is certainly an ineffective deterrent. Also, it has high monetary, human and social costs involved. Crime, atrocities, anti-social activities can be better curtailed by fixing the gaps in social system.

Working towards preventing crimes before they occur, which calls for high end policing. Giving more focus to initial violation, and treating criminals as humans with scope of change for good and improvement. It might prevent repetition of offence by the convict but cannot ensure absolute deterrence. 

Filed Under: Essay

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search for Essay

Top Engineering Exams in India

  1. JEE Main

Get Benefits in Click

Best Scholarship for Students

  1. Scholarship 2022
  2. Apj Abdul Kalam Scholarship 2022
  3. Ashirwad Scholarship 2022
  4. Bihar Scholarship 2022
  5. Canara Bank Scholarship 2022
  6. Colgate Scholarship 2022
  7. Dr Ambedkar Scholarship 2022
  8. E District Scholarship 2022
  9. Epass Karnataka Scholarship 2022
  10. Fair And Lovely Scholarship 2022
  11. Floridas John Mckay Scholarship 2022
  12. Inspire Scholarship 2022
  13. Jio Scholarship 2022
  14. Karnataka Minority Scholarship 2022
  15. Lic Scholarship 2022
  16. Maulana Azad Scholarship 2022
  17. Medhavi Scholarship 2022
  18. Minority Scholarship 2022
  19. Moma Scholarship 2022
  20. Mp Scholarship 2022
  21. Muslim Minority Scholarship 2022
  22. Nsp Scholarship 2022
  23. Oasis Scholarship 2022
  24. Obc Scholarship 2022
  25. Odisha Scholarship 2022
  26. Pfms Scholarship 2022
  27. Post Matric Scholarship 2022
  28. Pre Matric Scholarship 2022
  29. Prerana Scholarship 2022
  30. Prime Minister Scholarship 2022
  31. Rajasthan Scholarship 2022
  32. Santoor Scholarship 2022
  33. Sitaram Jindal Scholarship 2022
  34. Ssp Scholarship 2022
  35. Swami Vivekananda Scholarship 2022
  36. Ts Epass Scholarship 2022
  37. Up Scholarship 2022
  38. Vidhyasaarathi Scholarship 2022
  39. Wbmdfc Scholarship 2022
  40. West Bengal Minority Scholarship 2022

Advertisement

Students Big Search Today

  1. Speech about Family
  2. Women Safety Essay
  3. Autobiography of a Pen
  4. About Haritha Haram
  5. Mahatma Gandhi Essay
  6. Clayton Rule
  7. My Favourite Cartoon
  8. Clayton Rule
  9. Importance of Trees Essay
  10. Directive Principles of State Policy
  11. My Favourite Teacher
  12. Speech About Family
  13. My Father Essay
  14. Honesty is the Best Policy Essay
  15. my favourite book

Footer

Top Trending Essays in March 2021

  1. Essay on Pollution
  2. Essay on my School
  3. Summer Season
  4. My favourite teacher
  5. World heritage day quotes
  6. my family speech
  7. importance of trees essay
  8. autobiography of a pen
  9. honesty is the best policy essay
  10. essay on building a great india
  11. my favourite book essay
  12. essay on caa
  13. my favourite player
  14. autobiography of a river
  15. farewell speech for class 10 by class 9
  16. essay my favourite teacher 200 words
  17. internet influence on kids essay
  18. my favourite cartoon character

Brilliantly

SAFE!

studytoday.net

Content & Links

Verified by Sur.ly

2022

Essay for Students

  • Essay for Class 1 to 5 Students

Scholarships for Students

  1. Class 1 Students Scholarship
  2. Class 2 Students Scholarship
  3. Class 3 Students Scholarship
  4. Class 4 Students Scholarship
  5. Class 5 students Scholarship
  6. Class 6 Students Scholarship
  7. Class 7 students Scholarship
  8. Class 8 Students Scholarship
  9. Class 9 Students Scholarship
  10. Class 10 Students Scholarship
  11. Class 11 Students Scholarship
  12. Class 12 Students Scholarship
  13. Class 11 Students Scholarship
  14. Class 12 Students Scholarship

STAY CONNECTED

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Resources

  • About Study Today
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Scholarships

  1. Apj Abdul Kalam Scholarship
  2. Ashirwad Scholarship
  3. Bihar Scholarship
  4. Canara Bank Scholarship
  5. Colgate Scholarship
  6. Dr Ambedkar Scholarship
  7. E District Scholarship
  8. Epass Karnataka Scholarship
  9. Fair And Lovely Scholarship
  10. Floridas John Mckay Scholarship
  11. Inspire Scholarship
  12. Jio Scholarship
  13. Karnataka Minority Scholarship
  14. Lic Scholarship
  15. Maulana Azad Scholarship
  16. Medhavi Scholarship
  17. Minority Scholarship
  18. Moma Scholarship
  19. Mp Scholarship
  20. Muslim Minority Scholarship
  21. Nsp Scholarship
  22. Oasis Scholarship
  23. Obc Scholarship
  24. Odisha Scholarship
  25. Pfms Scholarship
  26. Post Matric Scholarship
  27. Pre Matric Scholarship
  28. Prerana Scholarship
  29. Prime Minister Scholarship
  30. Rajasthan Scholarship
  31. Santoor Scholarship
  32. Sitaram Jindal Scholarship
  33. Ssp Scholarship
  34. Swami Vivekananda Scholarship
  35. Ts Epass Scholarship
  36. Up Scholarship
  37. Vidhyasaarathi Scholarship
  38. Wbmdfc Scholarship
  39. West Bengal Minority Scholarship

All Rights Reserved Copyrights @ 2020 StudyToday.net