Capital Punishment Essay – Argumentative Essay

(320 words)
Without capital punishment (the death penalty) our lives are less
secure and crimes of violence increase. Capital punishment is
essential to control violence in society.

Crime and violence have existed and sustained in our world since centuries. In
earlier times, all crimes were designated as one and there was no differentiation
between heinous and petty crimes. Death penalty was awarded to all who committed
crimes, irrespective of their seriousness but now it is awarded for those crimes which
are heinous. Some people think that death penalty is necessary in the society,
because without it we would become vulnerable to violence. In this essay, I will
elaborate further.

Capital punishment for certain crimes is essential as it deters the culprit to commit
the offence again. It instils fear in the person who has committed terrible and brutal
offences. If there was no death penalty for such crimes, criminals would walk around
free without any fear and repeat such criminal acts of violence. It is only when a
criminal or offender fears for one’s own life, does it dissuade him to commit offences.
We have had a number of cases in India whereby the death penalty has been
awarded. For instance, Kasab, the terrorist who was involved in the terrorist attack in
which many people were killed in cold blood at the Hotel Taj in Mumbai, was
awarded the sentence and was hanged till death last year. Apart from this, the
victims and their families also feel a sense of justice and security which in turn
makes them live peacefully.

Yet capital punishment does not always lead to less crime in society. If the crime
statistics are given attention, it will be seen that crime has increased manifold over
the years, despite the death penalty being awarded in many cases. This can be
supported by the recent rape case which occurred in Delhi, whereby two criminals
were given the death penalty but the incidence of rapes has not decreased. In fact,
the numbers are growing gradually and each year it surpasses the previous year.

It can be concluded that capital punishment does not necessarily control crime in a
society and only has a deterrent effect but it is required in those cases where
heinous and despicable crimes have been committed.