The Death Penalty

One of the most controversial subjects in the modern world today is, of course, the death penalty. Is the death penalty just? Is it a shining example of how we treat our worst criminals? Or is it the most unforgivable crime? Is it just exactly the same as murder? As Gandhi said, ‘An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind’. There are many arguments over the death penalty, many for and against points.

For guidance over the topic of the death penalty, many Christians turn to the Bible for direction. For some Christians, the death penalty is fair. As the bible says, ‘An eye for an eye’. If a person has taken a life it is only fair that the murderer should have their life taken. Why should the murderer live and eventually walk free? Return to the murderer his crime, perceive how the murderer feels. The Russian man Alexander Pichushkin, an infamous serial killer, was responsible for the deaths of numerous people. Some people believe he killed at least 80 people, some of them kids. He was put to death by the Russian government. He had killed many people who were innocent and who had done nothing to hurt anyone. When the Russian government executed him, a family member of a victim said that ‘justice was done’.

However in contrast many people don’t believe that the death penalty is no longer required in a modern society. Some Christians feel that they are no longer bound by the legal codes of the Hebrew Scriptures, and that the death penalty is no longer required. Since the Bible was written. Society has become more tolerant. We eliminated the death penalty for pre-marital sex, practising a different religion, engaging in prostitution, homosexual behaviour, blasphemy, rebellion by teenagers etc. Therefore the death penalty should be prohibited for murderers as well. We have stopped the death penalty for the earlier mentioned crimes and it has not harmed society but bettered it, so why not the same for murder?

Many people also take their views from the personality of the murderer. The death penalty should be used if the murderer is dangerous; they are executed to save other lives. If a murderer is left without prosecution, the murderer many continue to kill. Even if the murderer is imprisoned, the person could be so twisted and evil that once they were out, or if they escaped, they would kill again. Killing the murderer is the only way to stop the murderer killing again. John Straffen, now 75, murdered two young girls in Bath in 1951. He then escaped from Broadmoor prison for three hours in 1952 and killed another girl before he was captured. If this evil man had been executed for his terrible crimes then the third young girl would still be alive. Once a convicted murderer is executed, there is no chance that he/she will break out of jail and kill or injure someone.