To Die or Not to Die
As a girl walks home from school, she notices there is no one around. Then an unusual
noise grabs her attention. As she turns, she spots a young, handsome man walking on the other
side of the street. She ignores the feeling that something is wrong, smiles, and continues walking.
Do people have the right to take away life? Most would say no. But perhaps they do.
Even since Biblical times, the death penalty was an acceptable form of punishment. Criminals
were given punishments equal to their crimes: an eye for an eye, an arm for an arm, and the like.
The most horrific crimes were punished with the most atrocious sentence. Crucifixion, while rare,
was the most harsh penalty. However, in today's society, the morality of capital punishment has
been debated. Opponents often argue that mankind does not have the right to take life away.
Unfortunately, abolishing the death penalty would actually result in more crimes. When people
know their crimes will not be punished harshly, they are more likely to commit them. People
who knowingly carry out inhumane crimes do not have the moral or civil right to live.
The current criminal mentality is that offenders can get away with more for less
punishment. Perhaps what society needs is not an elimination of the death penalty but rather a
strengthening: if the government makes the death penalty stricter, then delinquents will be more
aware of the consequences of their crimes and, as a result, be less likely to commit infractions,
no matter how serious the crime. Of course, the psychopathic criminals would probably not
change behaviors simply due to a strengthened death penalty. However, the government would
influence and lower the crime rate overall. Many convicts are not aware of the consequences of
their actions; by creating stricter capital punishment, society would alert and warn potential
lawbreakers of the ramifications of their illegal acts. Even more, a harsher death penalty would
make the immorality of crimes more blatantly obvious, effectively dissuading many offenders
from committing the infractions in the first place.
In addition, capital punishment increases the value of life. Oftentimes, criminals on death
row come to realize the beauty of life; unfortunately, they realize this moments before they are
executed. When the death penalty is a prominent punishment, offenders tend to treasure their
lives before committing horrendous crimes. Robert Koch also shares this view in his “Death and
Justice: How Capital Punishment Affirms Life”: Koch believes that the death penalty "helps to
affirm this fact [of life]". In his essay, Koch claims that the benefits of the death penalty,
including lower crime rates, outweigh the minor downfalls. He believes that the sacredness of
life gives taking it away all the more powerful. With stricter capital punishment, criminals as
well as law enforcement would take crimes more seriously.
In addition to strengthening the death penalty, the government and law bureaus should be
more adamant and consistent in enforcing the death sentence. It is useless to create a stricter
execution regulations if authority figures cannot follow through; the threat is meaningless unless
court systems and law enforcement actually force criminals to live up to their crimes.
Unfortunately, locking criminals up in prison is not enough. The current prison system treats
criminals better than the elderly are treated in our nation: prisoners receive medical treatment
when needed, are well-fed at every meal, and are given resources to rehabilitate themselves
(computer access, library, etc.). Jails are not a place of suffering and punishment. The death
sentence is.
The girl finds herself in an unfamiliar place, away from her home, her family, and her
safety. She cries because she knows she should have been more careful: she made herself
vulnerable in the street. She let her guard down because the man was attractive and her life may
now end before it has even begun.
As much as people have a right to live, they also are obligated to take responsibility for
their actions, regardless if they simply stole a piece of candy or if they murdered 20 women in
three years. The girl was murdered by a serial killer who watched the life leave her eyes. If he
believes that he can take life away so easily, he should also understand that his can be taken
away as well. By strengthening the death penalty, the government can dissuade people from
committing crimes by bringing attention to the death sentence. If our society cannot hold
criminals responsible for their behaviors, who will pay for the rapes, robberies, and murders?
Works Cited
Koch, Edward I.. "Death and Justice." The Macmillan Writer: Rhetoric, Reader, Handbook. By
Judith Nadell, Linda McMeniman, and John Langan. 4th ed. New York: Macmillan,
1991. 477-480. Print.