VirtueofCherishingLife
TsokalidaFloraA34-year-oldciviceducationofficeratMalawiLawCommission
Thedeathpenaltyiscommonlyreferredtoasthelegalpracticeoftakingahumanlifeinresponsetoacrimecommittedbytheconvictedperson.Itisadifficultandemotionaltopicthoughwidelypracticedinmanycountries.Butwhetheranygovernmentisjustifiedincarryingouttheprocessisunfathomable.Isometimesfeelthatthedeathpenaltyisanidealpenaltyonlytobeusedtotackleseriouscrimeslikemurder,rape,childmolestation,abductionandkidnapping.Certainly,therearesomeinstanceswhereIfeelthatthedeathpenaltyshouldnotbeapplied.ButwhydoIhavethissecondthoughtifIhavealistofcrimesIfeeldeservethedeathpenaltyasasolution?Thisiswhy.
IwasbroughtupinaChristiancommunitywhereIwastaughttobenon-judgmental,leaveGodtojudgehumanbehavior,andobeyGod鈥檚commandments,oneofwhichstatesthathumanbeingsshouldnotkilleachother,onlyGodhastheauthoritytotakehumanlifeunderanycircumstance.Inthisregard,IdisagreewiththedeathpenaltyasitisanunusualpracticethatcompromisesChristianityandthebasicethicalstandardsofhumanbehavior.
Inmyopinion,it鈥檚aformofrevenge.Likemostcivilians,IampainedwhenIseeorhearofpeoplebeingsuccumbedtokilling,rape,molestation,abduction,kidnappingandotherbrutaloffences.
But,whileIamstillatit,questionspopupinmyhead.Doesgivingsomeonethedeathsentenceserveasaneffectivedeterrentforbrutalcrimes?Takingretributionfortheircrimeonbehalfofthevictim?Whatifthecriminalwantedtodiebutneverhadthecouragetocommitsuicide?Willthismakethemfullypayfortheircrimes?Iguessnotreally.Inmyopinion,acriminalshouldfacepunishmentfortheircrimewhiletheyarestillalive.Lifeimprisonmentservescriminalsbetterthanthedeathpenalty.LifeforaLife
MengLingmengA28-year-oldassistantlawyerinBeijing
Today,thedeathpenalty,whichhasexistedfornearly2,000yearsinhumanhistory,hasbecomeacontroversialdebate.Thepracticehasalonghistoryandisstillusedinmanyplaces.Shoulditberetainedasdeterrence,orshoulditbeabandonedasbrutality?Inmyopinion,ifacriminaltakesawayhumanlife,he/sheshouldbepunishedforit.Ifweeliminatethedeathpenaltyimposedbyourcourts,therewouldbeamajorincreaseintherateofcrimesperyear.Theonlywaytostopcriminalsfromcommittingtheseterriblecrimesistoshowthemtheconsequencesofdoingthem.
Thedeathpenaltycanreducetheoccurrenceofsimilarcrimebecausethemostfrighteningthingforahumanbeingistolosehis/herlife.Thethoughtofseverepunishmentmaydiscouragepeoplefromcarryingouttheworstcrimes.Therefore,ifweabolishthedeathpenalty,itseemsasthoughseverecrimessuchasmurderareindirectlybeingencouraged.Forcommittingsuchoffences,criminalsshouldfaceequalpunishmentratherthanlenientpenaltiessuchascommunityservice.
Somehumanitariansarguethatitisacruelprocessusedtoendanotherhumanbeingslife,statingthattheexecutionisinhumane.Butovertheyears,thisprocesshasgraduallybecomemorehumanesotheargumentthatit鈥檚acruelprocessisinvalid.Inmyopinion,illegalperpetratorsshouldbepunishedaccordingly.It鈥檚nousedebatingwithhumanitarianswhenitcomestohowcriminalsshouldbejudgedbecausetheyneverseemtoconsiderthesocialoutcomeoftheseoffencesandthenegativeimpactonsociety.Ishouldadmitthatrehabilitationisusefulintransformingapersontobecomingsociallyacceptable,butthefinaljudgmentfromjudicialinstitutionsworldwideshouldbejustifiabletothesociety,especiallytothefamiliesofthevictims.
Idon鈥檛agreewithmanyabolitioniststhatitcostsmoretoexecutesomeonethantoimprisonthemforlife.It鈥檚unfairfortaxpayerstosustainthelivelihoodofsuchcriminals.