Many people are against capital punishment because it may carry risks of unjust execution. However, I believe the death penalty should be permitted in very specific circumstances to people who are proven to have commited atrocities and show no remorse or prospects of reforming.
People who are against capital punishment feel that even in the face of the judicial system, a person’s right to their life should remain intact . Especially because there could be rare instances of a wrongful conviction, where the punishment would be irreversible if the individual were to be proven innocent after the fact. In some countries, the death penalty is abolished. For example, in the USA, people under the conviction of crimes such as homicide or serial murder are given life sentences in prison. Therefore, if a person were wrongfully convicted, justice can still be served in favor of the accused.
Meanwhile, others argue that when a person commits serious crimes, such as mass murder, it is justifiable to give them capital punishment for the public distress and loss they’ve caused. It is believed that a person with a blatant lack of regard for human life should meet the same fate. In cases of a mass murder, public support for capital punishment stems from the belief that the individual is a permanent threat to society. Moreover, some proven criminals take pride or even satisfaction after being convicted for taking innocent lives, which renders them incapable of rehabilitation and may warrant the decision to execute them.
In conclusion, while many people are against capital punishment due to regard for basic human rights, others such as myself stand with the belief that criminals who refuse to show moral accountability or prospects of rehabilitation are justified to receive capital punishment.