Death Penalty as An Instrument Of Justice
‘Anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death. 18 Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution—life for life.19 Anyone who injures their neighbour is to be injured in the same manner:20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. 21 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death.’
Bringing back the death penalty is effective and can curb the crime in South Africa, before I make my argument, I would like to provide the statistics of the crime rate in south Africa. ‘The number of murders in South African increased from 20,336 in 2017/18 to 21,022 in 2018/19. On average, 58 people were murdered every day. Over the past seven years murder has risen by 35%, the Institute for Security Studies announced in reaction to the crime statistics.’
The death penalty influences the way people behave and that is true, having the death penalty as a law makes people aware and makes them more scared to commit severe crimes, it prevents future murders, the criminals think twice before committing a crime because of the fear of losing their own life if found guilty. Criminals that have committed severe crimes such as homicide, child molestation as well rape deserve the death penalty even if the victim isn’t dead their lives will never be the same again, the criminal has taken their life away from them during these acts, some victims never recover because they have been put through so much torture, mental devastation and even embarrassment. ‘Vicious murderers must be killed to prevent them from murdering again, either in prison, or in society if they should get out’. The death penalty also provides closure for the family of the victims that are harmed during such actions. Last year in South Africa a young girl named Uyinene Mrwteyana was raped and killed by a man who worked at the post office, a place where someone is meant to feel safe going too but no that is not the case, the man who committed this crime was sent to prison and charged with three life sentences, South Africa does not have the death penalty law in place and that day it should have been put in place because South Africans can’t roam freely knowing that murdering and raping people especially woman is acceptable, there are convicted felons, murders and even rapists that escape from prison, which makes the community and people fear for their lives.
There are prisons that are ‘Luxurious’ and murders and other criminals get to go to and also study in prison knowing they killed and burned people, second chances aren’t for everyone and people don’t always change and become better, some people become more damaged and cause more harm, the death penalty makes the criminals and the wanna be criminals aware of consequences and also lowers the crime rate, the death penalty also helps with overcrowded prisons, the criminals that have been serving life sentences or very long sentences can be executed because the crimes that they have done are severe and very dangerous crimes and should be taken out and away from society.
There can always be mistakes in the justice system but that has to be a risk lawyers and judges are meant to take to make sure that it’s safe for everyone in society, and there will be a few mistakes but the death penalty trials and court arguments try to make sure that there are no mistakes.
‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’
