Death Penalty

Death Penalties: Pros vs. Cons

Death penalties, also called capital punishment, were once practiced all around the world. In recent history, death penalties have been eliminated in many democratic countries, with the exception of few--America being one of them. Capital punishment, however, is still practiced in countries that are not democratic. Death penalties are executed when a person commits murder, espionage, or treason. Death penalties differ all around the world--some countries perform death penalties in very immoral ways and others try their best to make it quick and simple. However, after a person commits a crime, are death penalties the ultimate punishment? There are both pros and cons for the practice of death penalties.

Primary reason that justifies the practice of capital punishment is that it prevents the majority of the people for committing such crimes. For example, if there were no death penalties, then people would kill on a more regular basis. Even though murder, espionage, and treason are still carried out by people, the numbers are negligible, compared to what it would have been if there was no such a thing as a death penalty. Another good thing about death penalties is that it is good for the government and the good people in a nation. First of all, if the criminal is dead, then the people would not be paranoid about whether or not the criminal escaped. Another reason its good for the country and its citizens is because the government will have more money to spend on important issues dealing with innocent people such as the following: shelters, welfare, hospitals, schools, and social security. A lot of money is invested on criminals, as they sit in their jail cells, probably thinking about escaping and commit another crime.

Every coin has two sides, and so does the custom of death penalties. A bad part of capital punishment is that it is irreversible. For instance, if someone is blamed wrongly for a crime they did not commit and death penalty is implemented on them, then they are gone for good. This will cause public riots and cause for people to distrust their government, intelligence agencies, and lawyers. People may feel that their government is corrupt and innocent person was killed to cover