Criminology

Death penalty is a punishment given by the state to criminals who are involved in capital or serious crimes such as rape and homicide. It has been used in many nations over time but has since been abolished by some. Some of the countries that still use this method include Asian countries and the United States of America. There are different techniques used in execution namely use of electric chair, hanging, lethal injection, firing and use of a gas chamber (Lowenstein, 2001).

There have been varying opinions among different people on this subject. Some people feel that it is a necessary method for the culprits while others think of it as being unethical and suppresses the rights of the individuals. This paper explores the pros and cons of this practice with reasons why it should be abolished or allowed to continue.

In Steikers article No, Capital Punishment Is Not Morally Required Deterrence, Deontology, and the Death Penalty in Stanford Law Review Journal, she gives the reasons why death penalty should not be allowed. On the other hand, Ramsey differs and tries to justify the importance of death penalty in his article in American Criminal Law Review.

Cons of Death Penalty
Its a costly process which is a burden to the tax payers. It is much cheaper to keep someone in prison for life compared to sentencing them to a death penalty. The costs incurred are more than if the criminal was sentenced for imprisonment. There are many legal tussles which slow down this process for a long time of up to even 20 years. In a country where the resources are few, this process is not the best (Steiker, 2005). 

Every human being has a right to live. Therefore, it is against the rights of a person to take his or her life. It is morally wrong, unacceptable and cruel to kill another person no matter the reasons that may be used to justify such an action. It is a traumatizing process to allow the state to kill a person when the citizens are watching. This procedure violates the provision in the 8th Amendment of the constitution which is against the application of any unusual form of punishment (Steiker, 2005). 

It is a lengthy process which involves several procedures before such an action is carried out. These procedures slow the courts hence leading to an inefficient system. It needs a lot of appeals before a person is put on a death penalty. The court system should be moving but these processes drags it down. It is also time wasting and needless since once the victim is gone, his or her life can never be brought back (Steiker, 2005). 

Death penalty ideology is a set back to advancement of civilization in the U.S. It is a form of revenge which the society is striving to move away from. It is not the best solution available and only leads to more violence such as gang violence. There are better ways of punishing the culprits. Death penalty is not the best way to prove that murder is not acceptable. If you kill a person because he or she murdered someone else, what message are you passing across It means killing is justified in certain instances (Steiker, 2005). 

Some people have argued that the life inside the prison is the worst punishment that the criminals can go through. This is because life imprisonment never ends and the criminal will feel the pain as compared to sentencing them to a death penalty. Death penalty is a one minute process hence the criminal never feels any serious pain. It is also important to give the person a second chance in life. Some of the culprits usually change from their criminal ways and become better people in the society (Steiker, 2005). 

Countries that practice capital punishment usually have a bad image among other nations that are against it. Its a crime against humanity and the rights of a person. Most countries are against America due to the fact that death penalty is still being applied. It has also been argued that innocent lives have been taken through this process. It is a possibility that can not be ruled out. There are instances in which DNA tests have proved this after a person has been killed (Steiker, 2005). 

There have been cases where many mentally retarded individuals have been killed by the state. These people might have suffered a neurological defect during birth. The mental problems may make a person to do what he does not know such as killing another person as a result of his violence. Such people may not be aware of what they are doing hence should not be held accountable. It would be unfair to do this since it is not their wish to behave in this manner (Steiker, 2005). 

Pros of Death Penalty
The victims who have gone through a lot of pain and suffering need to get justice. This is the best way to at least put an end to their suffering though it will not totally relieve them. It acts to at least make them feel that justice has been done to them since the perpetrator has also lost his or her life just like the person whom they were close to (Ramsey, 2002).

Capital punishment serves as a lesson to other people who may be tempted to commit such capital offences or are involved in such crime like murder and rape cases. They might decide to leave their ways because of the fear of undergoing through the same punishment. For example, if the person who was sentenced to a death penalty was a close accomplice or even a member of his group, the trauma of losing him might make him retreat from crime (Ramsey, 2002).

Prison is not the best way to keep such dangerous people. There have been incidences where prisoners have escaped from prison back in the society. It is obvious that such criminals will go back in the society and continue murdering and committing other crimes too. The only way is to get rid of them once to avoid such crimes. A prisoner can also finish his sentence of many years and get released afterwards. The chances that he might go back to his criminal ways are high. The victims will also feel that the justice they deserved was not carried out in the best way. They will also live in fear for their lives since such a dangerous person may decide to kill them too (Ramsey, 2002).

This is the best way to offer punishment to the perpetrators of capital crimes like murder or rape cases. Putting such an individual in the prison is not punishment at all. In a case where a person murders another person, the only best way to punish the culprit is to take his or her life too (Ramsey, 2002).

Death penalty will make the citizens to trust their judicial system. It has been believed that the justice system is sympathetic to the culprits than those who have gone through a lot of pain because of the loss of someone they loved through murder. The only better way to ensure that trust is restored in the citizens minds is when the judicial system offers justice in the right manner (Ramsey, 2002).

After proving a persons guilt, it is only in order to offer justice. The modern advancement in crime technology and improvement in DNA tests, the doubts about a persons guilt are eliminated. This means that there will be no possibility of punishing the wrong person by mistake (Ramsey, 2002).

Prisons are already full with different kinds of criminals who are being rehabilitated. There are also other hard core criminals who should have been sentenced to the death penalty but are still being locked in the prison. The result of this is a continued overpopulation in the jails. Every year, criminals who have committed capital offences like murder are being arrested and detained in these jails. This directly leads to overpopulation (Ramsey, 2002).

Summary
In both articles, there is the conclusion that the application of capital punishment is not something that can be considered as being definitely wrong or right. The answer is not definite and relies on several factors such as the gravity of the offence that the criminal was involved in and the past history of the individual. However, according to Steiker (2005), there is no justifiable reason as to why life should be taken and imprisonment is the best form of punishment. On the other hand, Ramsey (2002) argues that the only best option is death penalty.

Conclusion
The use of death penalty is not an efficient way of punishing the perpetrators of capital offences. It is morally unacceptable to try to justify the killing since this is against the basic human rights of a person. It does not matter the crime committed since I believe there are prisons which can offer punishments that will make the criminal suffer for his actions. The killing will not bring a change in the life of the victim. Therefore, the only best way is life imprisonment.