Nowadays, some people argue that due to the lack of capital punishment, people’s lives are less secure and violent crimes in the community increase. There is capital punishment, which is significant to control violence in society. This essay totally disagrees with this view for the following reasons.
Firstly, innocent people could be wrongly convicted. This is because many societies have lax security or inexperienced police forces, which may lead to misidentification of the perpetrator in serious cases resulting in the death penalty. In Vietnam in 1995, Mr Do Nam was executed because of police negligence, even if the real culprit was later identified, the punishment may not be reversed and the injustice could not be repaired. Thus, the death penalty should not be used because it leaves no room for correcting mistakes.
Another reason for this opinion is that capital punishment does not always reduce violent crime. Crime rates may be often influenced by broader social factors, including education, employment opportunities, policing, and rehabilitation. Canada abolished the death penalty for murder in 1976, but its homicide rate did not increase afterwards. In fact, it gradually declined in the following decades. This example shows that the death penalty is not necessarily an effective solution to serious crime. Therefore, governments should focus more on prevention and strong law enforcement rather than relying only on execution.
In conclusion, the death penalty is not essential to control violence because it may cause wrongful convictions and does not always reduce crime rates. I firmly believe that prevention and strong law enforcement are better ways to protect the community.