Should Capital punishment be abolished? 10 Pros and Cons

Table of Contents

Introduction:

Should capital punishment be abolished? This has been a topic of debate for a long time. Capital punishment, or the death penalty, means taking the life of a person for committing a crime. It is awarded in cases of heinous crimes like mass murder, terrorism, rape, assassination, etc.

Different countries follow different ways of execution, like hanging, electrocution, lethal injection, or gassing.
Many countries have completely abolished capital punishment. It is present in many countries, and India is one of them.
As of 2022, 111 countries have completely abolished capital punishment, and 54 countries have retained
Prominent countries where capital punishment is still present are the United States of America, Japan, China, and India.
Prominent countries where capital punishment has been abolished: Almost all European countries, Australia, and Bhutan
Some people say that it should be removed from India as well. However, the government of India is not ready to abolish capital punishment.

Should capital punishment be abolished? No

Capital punishment brings fear into the minds of criminals. The purpose of capital punishment is to give a strong message to society. So, it works as a deterrent.
A person who has committed heinous crimes does not deserve to be part of society again. If allowed by society, he may commit the crime again.
Some people say they should be put in jail for their whole lives. But there are provisions for parole.
Criminals who take parole come out of jail, and society will be in danger. Parole is awarded in cases of emergency at the criminal’s house, like death or marriage.
In India, the death penalty is given only in the rarest of rare cases, meaning in exceptional cases. So, by awarding the death penalty for a heinous crime, the judiciary sends a message to society about the severity of the case.
Before being hanged, a criminal gets various opportunities to prove his innocence.
The process in the Indian courts is as follows: Trial court > High Court > Supreme Court > Review petition in the Supreme Court > Presidential mercy petition > Execution of a criminal.
If one court gives the wrong judgement, it will be corrected by another court. If all of them are firm in their views, he must be awarded capital punishment.
We can say that capital punishment somehow protects value and morale in society.
If, with the background of the criminal, it is evident that he cannot be transformed, it is better to take his life rather than give pain to another victim in society.

Should capital punishment be abolished? YES

India is the great land of Gautam Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi. They were always of the opinion that “you should hate the crime, not the criminals.” No person in the world cannot be transformed and become a good person.
Justice will not be achieved by taking the life of a criminal, but justice can be achieved by reforming the person and giving sufficient punishment.
Capital punishment describes society as revengeful. These days, we can see people asking to hang the culprit, even without judgment.

Even the death penalty does not prevent crime from occurring. Even after hanging the culprits in the Nirbhaya case, so many rape cases are still coming.
Capital punishment is irreversible. If a person is proven innocent after the death penalty, there will be nothing left to be done.
In the Judiciary, it is said that “sparing the guilty person is better than taking the life of an innocent person.”
Society is not aware that life imprisonment is for a lifetime and not just for 14 years. Perhaps that is why many people demand the death penalty for criminals.

Conclusion

In conclusion of the debate, should capital punishment be abolished, we can say that, in general, the death penalty can be avoided. Life imprisonment is the best alternative to capital punishment. By giving the person life imprisonment, we can reform them. But if the judiciary realises that it cannot be transformed in the case of heinous crimes, it must reward capital punishment.