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CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ESSAY

Capital punishment or the death penalty is a legal process whereby a person is put to death
by the state as a punishment for a crime. The judicial decree that someone be punished in this
manner is a death sentence, while the actual process of killing the person is an execution.
Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences.
Capital punishment is forbidden in many countries, whereas, in others, it is used more and
more often as the time passes (e.g.: China). There are several forms of execution, such as
lethal injections, electric chair, a firing squad, hanging and so on.
On one hand, there are some criminals whose acts are so sordid that not even prison for
twenty five years to life is enough to compensate. Killing, robbing, raping and so on are the
results of a mind that, more often than not, is beyond salvation. Thus, to prevent more people
from getting hurt or worse, the authorities must act as such, using extreme measures in an
organized way, doing the oldest thing that has caused the world problems - justice. Of course,
the criminals are thoroughly trialed before the sentence is passed, because the law must be
meticulously obeyed especially in such cases, where the life of a person (if we can call them
that way, since, most of the times, they file ridiculous accusations to postpone or annul their
penalty) hangs on a thread. And, as Stendhal says in his novel, The Red and the Black,
being condemned to death is the only real distinction. It is the only thing which cannot be
bought.
On the other hand, the most frequent and controversial question that arises is: Who are
we to decide who lives and who dies? God?. What death penalties lack is the one thing for
which the law exists, and that is the absolute truth, the right decision. To explain better, we
can view an example from our own country, that of Ion Ramaru, or the Bucharest vampire.
After brutally attacking fourteen women and killing four of them with a cold-blooded mind,
Ramaru was sentenced to death and executed in 1971. At his execution, he shouted that the
only person to blame for his crimes was his father. A year later, when his father died, his
autopsy revealed that he also was the author of four previous murders. So, whose fault was it,
after all? Given the circumstances, Ion Ramaru was more likely to turn into a sociopath, but
was it because he wanted that? Of course not! And, after all, the line between good and evil is
getting thinner and thinner. How can we decide the fate of others?

Furthermore, the simple act of capital punishment makes the executioner an equal to the
criminal. Whats the difference? The criminal kills because he feels like theres no other
option, because thats the only thing his mind can conceive, whereas the executioner is
actually paid to kill. The hangman is a disgrace to any civilized country., says Koestler
Arthur. A TV show called Prison Break debated this theme by simply adding a subjective
element: the criminal was, in fact, innocent, despite all the incriminating evidences. Was he
exonerated? No, because his whole conviction was ordered from a much higher position and
could not be questioned. Thats why he had to do justice on his own. Obviously, that doesnt
mean that behind every criminal lies a conspiracy theory. But the main point is that we, as
humans, do not (yet) possess the power to comprehend the entire truth, therefore we are not
able to make the absolute decision on anyones destiny but our own.
To sum up, the death penalty is the ultimate punishment for those who have committed
unforgivable crimes. In my opinion, it should not be used, no matter what the charges are,
because we will only create chaos by fighting murder with murder. This is just a sloth the
authorities choose to compensate the reduced number of maximum security prisons. I think
we should look at ourselves in the mirror, stop asking what is good or bad, what deserves a
punishment or a reward, and start believing that we can change. The world can become a
better place if justice and morality become equal values. The song said it, we just have to do
it: If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change.

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