A highly controversial issue today relates to whether to have capital punishment or not. In this essay, I am going to examine this question from both points of view and then explain why I believe the arguments for capital punishment are stronger.
There are people who argue that the benefits of killing violent criminals considerably outweigh its disadvantages. The main reason for believing this is that the fear of execution acts as a deterrent to commit serious crimes such as rape and murder. It is also possible to say that the execution of a criminal may bring relief to the suffering victims. One good illustration of this is when Saddam Hussein was executed. Many of the victims who were persecuted under his rule expressed joy and relief when he was finally captured and killed.
On the other hand, others believe that the death penalty is not morally just. It is often argued that sentencing criminals to death is just committing another murder. People often have this opinion because they think that it is immoral to take another person’s life, no matter what the reason is. A second point is that many religions are opposed to any form of murder. A particularly good example here is from the Bible or Quran, which lists killing another person as one of the most severe sins
In conclusion, I believe both arguments have their merits. On balance, however, I feel that capital punishment is justified. This is because in cases of extreme crime and that deterring crime is more important than taking the moral high ground.