Pro Death Penalty Arguments

"I support the death penalty because I believe, if administered swiftly and justly, capital punishment is a deterrent against future violence and will save other innocent lives." - George W. Bush

"Courts must remember not just rights of the criminal but also the victims." - Judge M L Tahaliyani

These pro death penalty quotes - one coming from the President of the United States and the other from a judge in the Indian Special Court, speaks volumes about the necessity of the death penalty in order to ensure that a crime-free society prevails. One of the most controversial issues that we have ever witnessed, the death penalty, has left the world divided. On one side, we have people armed with pro death penalty arguments who believe that it is absolutely necessary, and on the other, we have people who cite numerous problems with this practice in a bid to highlight that it is against humanity and should be abolished.

Death Penalty: Capital Punishment

Death penalty statistics suggest that around 80 percent of the total death sentences come from the Asian countries - with China leading the pack with highest execution rate in the world. Even though, somewhere around 90 percent of the countries have abolished death penalty, it still continues to be one of the most controversial topics in the world - may be because major powers of the world continue to sentence criminals to death or may be because human rights organization are putting in all their efforts to make sure that their arguments against death penalty are heard. Irrespective of what the reason is, the fact is that death penalty is by far the most heated topic of debate in the world today.

Pro Death Penalty Facts

Is death penalty really a necessity for crime-free society? Does this form of punishment really serve the purpose? If death penalty pros and cons are weighed, do its pros have an edge over its cons? If pro death penalty arguments put forth by people in its support are to be believed, it's surely necessary to do away with some of the most heinous crimes that we often hear about. The list of pro death penalty arguments put forth by supporters of capital punishment - which highlights the need of this form of punishment, are given below.

• The foremost argument put forth by the pro death penalty activists is the fact that death penalty serves as a deterrent for other individuals. The fear of death affects everybody, and criminals are no exception. If they realize that committing some serious crime will take them to the gallows, they are bound to think twice before committing any such crime. This argument is supported by statistics which reveal that the crime rate in countries wherein death penalty still exists is far less as compared to those countries wherein it has been abolished.
• With criminal acts - such as murder, rape, homicide etc., becoming more and more frequent in the society, only death penalty can ensure justice for the victims. In most of the cases of murder, rape or homicides, the criminals are not first time offenders who would get deterred by the fear of capital punishment. Those in support of death penalty also argue that a person who kills someone doesn't have the right to live.
• Is it justified that a person who has committed some serious crime lives in a prison with all the basic amenities at the cost of taxpayers money? The cost incurred on housing inmates who are sentencing life imprisonment goes into millions, and awarding death penalty to these criminals can not just save this money but also make sure that it is used for a better purpose.
• If individuals involved in heinous crimes such as murder or homicides are not awarded death sentence, people are bound to lose faith in the judicial system. This will also add to layman's belief that the judicial system is more sympathetic towards a criminal than towards the victim or society.
• The most prominent of the arguments for the death penalty is the fact that death penalty ensures that we are safe from criminals. There have been numerous instances of criminals committing more serious crimes when they are out on parole. More importantly, life term doesn't ensure that the said criminal will never commit any such crime - something which death penalty does, in a harder way though.

Those were some pro death penalty arguments put forth by people who believe that capital punishment is necessary if we are to keep a check on the crime rate in society. Even though these arguments sound pretty convincing, we also need to take reasons against capital punishment into consideration when deciding whether it is a right form of punishment or not. With both sides resorting to arguments and counterarguments, it is very difficult to come to a consensus on this issue, which only means that the debate is only going to intensify with time.