Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Is Capital Punishment Justified ?


Over the past month i've been coming across a lot of reports of executions in many countries where Capital punishment is valid. There have been protests by both the civil society and human rights groups over this supposedly inhuman form of punishment. While in some countries like Singapore there is an attitude of "no compromise", other nations such as India and even the United States have a more compromising attitude where the death penalty is awarded in only extreme cases.

The law in itself is not outlandish or extreme but the way in which it is expedited is what is sparking off the protests. Take the example of a serial killer in the United States who had already spent half his life in prison before being executed. In some cases it is really bizarre that the executed persons have been found to be "not guilty" years after they have been convicted.I guess till date no amount of crime scene investigations or forensic science can validate or claim to be 100% sure about the identity of a murderer or a criminal.

Well i do believe that its got both pros and cons but do we really need to have such a law in today's world ? Personally i am against it, but it sure makes for one of the burning issues in what we call the norms of the civilised world. One protester's banner said it all" Execute justice , not people".