Death penalty, or capital punishment, is the execution of a person by the state as punishment for a crime. Death penalty has been used in societies throughout history as a way to punish crime and suppress political dissent. Many countries have abolished death penalty, including almost all European and many Pacific Area states, and Canada.
Most supporters of the death penalty believe that it is justified as a means of retribution, or as a deterrent to others. They say that death penalty can prevent any danger of re-offending. Also, it is cheaper than keeping people in prison.
However, in my opinion, I think that killing someone is always wrong, and two wrongs can never make a right. Saving money can never be a justification for taking someone's life. Moreover, currently there is no evidence of a deterrent effect. And once in a while, mistakes are bound to happen, and that means people being put to death for a crime they didn't commit.
If the goal is to punish a person as severely as possible, life without parole can be seen as meeting this objective better than death penalty. The reason is that life without parole forces a murderer to live out their remorseful life, whereas death penalty saves them from living it. I guess the loss of freedom for the remainder of one's life is no mild punishment.
Just like Ghandi said: "An eye for an eye makes the world blind." In other words, if we insist on holding to an ideology of punishing a crime with proportional harm and suffering to that which was inflicted on victims, we will all lose sight of the real solution to our problems, which is compassion and love.
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Well written and convincing.
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