In Indonesia, Australian resident Jessica Wongso might be facing the death penalty. In Taiwan, a man named Cheng was suddenly executed because the judge believed he was a threat to society. Cheng was called the “Monster of the Metro” for injuring 20 people and taking four lives when he was 23.
Stop Crime, Not Lives is an organization created in 2002 to end the death penalty in every country. Since the early days of mankind, laws like Hammurabi’s Code believed in the concept of “an eye for an eye.” However, when the ideas of the Enlightenment began to flourish, the death penalty system slowly started to diminish. Today, there’s a desire to end capital punishment. This writer also asserts that the death penalty should be revoked for three reasons:
First, if a misjudgment occurs, it can’t be reversed. When a judge demands punishment and executes an innocent person, we call this misjudgment. When the American state of Illinois legitimized capital punishment, 13 people died from misjudgment. After the mayor made this discovery, the state announced it would eliminate the death penalty.
Second, capital punishment teaches people that murdering is acceptable. People say that murdering is immoral and that all lives deserve protection and dignity. However, it is extremely ironic to ignore the sanctity of life by executing people with death sentences.
Third, no one has the right to claim others’ lives. Let’s assume we’re in a room with a judge and a wicked murderer. The judge, of course, has the authority to give sentences based on his judgment, but what judge or government has the power to take someone’s life? No one has that power. Capital punishment only creates pain and denies criminals the hope of rehabilitation.