Many people argue that the death sentence is not a suitable punishment for murderers because it only leads to more deaths, and a more appropriate option is life in jail. From my perspective, I partly agree with this idea because spending a lifetime in captivity will prevent any criminals from posing further threats to society; however, the death penalty is the ultimate punishment that should be utilized to warn people about the consequences of committing murder.
On the one hand, imposing a lifetime imprisonment sentence on murderers will stop them from ever committing other crimes. In other words, they will no longer be seen as a threat to society, making life in prison a much more humane penalty. In addition, many convicts may unintentionally commit murder, or do not have full control of their actions, which means receiving a death sentence would be too harsh for them, and would hinder the humane side of the law.
On the other hand, the death penalty is still a suitable punishment for those committing horrendous illegal actions with full intention. Taking a life is an extremely serious crime that not only causes loss and trauma to the family of the victim but also threatens the safety of the whole community. Therefore, implementing a death sentence on murderers will send a firm and direct warning to anyone who has ill intentions of harming others about the consequences of their actions. To illustrate, research conducted by the Vietnamese Department of Justice has shown that the number of homicide cases has remained relatively low over the last two decades, thanks to the existence of the death penalty.
In conclusion, putting a criminal in jail for life is a sensible punishment for murderers since they will no longer be able to commit more crimes; however, a death sentence is still needed to punish deliberate murderers and set an example for people about what can happen when they choose to end others’ lives.