'should Capital Punishment Be Abolished?

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth "is one of the oldest form of Justice, which we all today know as Capital Punishment. This is the severest of punishment which can be given to a criminal, for indulging in a heinous crime. It entails death to the convict, either by hanging or in some countries through the electric chair. In recent times there is a heated debate on this issue, which involves taking the life of an individual, a right that nobody has .

Modernity has brought with it many evils. The glorifying of violence and terrorism through print and electronic media, has cast an evil spell on the younger generation. The daily newspapers are replete with horrendous crimes, which are getting worse by the day. To keep this in check, there is need to make capital punishment more effective and stringent , rather than abolish it. Though this form of punishment is inhuman and cruel, there is no other alternative but to enforce it. Just as one removes a rotten apple to save the basket full of apples , similarly we must get rid of the unwanted elements so that we can preserve the society.

The criminal laws today are much more humane, than they were centuries ago. During that period, one could have his hands armoured for stealing and death penalty was quite common for even small offences. The laws are more lenint and complex and the ways of circumventing it has at time also been amply demonstrated. Hence to completely do away with capital punishment, would even remove the psychological fear of in the minds of criminals, to deter them from criminal acts.

The only argument against Capital punishment is that it is irrevocable. Justice is not infallible, and at times valuable lives have been lost due to its miscarriage. This calls for greater care and scientific investigation in awarding this form of punishment, rather than doing away with it altogether.

What is , therefore required, is not abolishment of capital punishment, but a thorough review of the present judicial system and a more scientific approach to investigation by the law enforcement agencies . Only by having a just and dynamic legal system, can the criminals be promptly brought to book. The death penalty should be awarded in the rarest of the rare case, as it is advisable to let a hundred criminals go Scot free than to hang an innocent person.