Is death penalty a form of deterrence or a form of murder?

Throughout the centuries, death penalty was seen and used as a form of punishment, to warn people of certain crimes, and to show them the consequences they would face if they were to commit them. It gives justice to the victims, and assures the country that the person who committed the crime would not be able to harm the people anymore. Hence, I believe that death penalty is a deterrent and not a form of murder.

Death penalties causes people to be afraid of committing crimes, as they would be sentenced to death. Therefore, most people will remain as good citizens, abiding by the law. Also, when a criminal is sentenced to death, he will not harm anyone again, bringing more safety to the people.

However some would feel that a life sentence in jail would be enough for the criminals, for them to repent, to regret what they have done. Furthermore, a life sentence in jail would mean that they will not be freed, or allowed to rejoin the society again. Hence the criminal would not be able to harm others again.

I on the other hand, feel that by sentencing the criminal to life sentence in jail, would not be effective enough to teach the younger generations about the seriousness of the crime. Even though, life sentence does prevent the criminal from committing any more crimes to harm others. I feel that it only impacts a little on those “new generation criminals”, who may cause even more chaos in the country, jeopardizing the security and safety of the country. They may feel that life sentence is only a small matter, even after committing the crime, they would not have to be hung, or electrocuted, instead they can now spend the rest of their life in jail, enjoying the food shelter provided by tax payers.

However, in some other countries like India, where stoning is allowed by the government, death penalty may not be a deterrent, instead it could be a form of murder, to get back on the criminal for whatever harm he made to the society. The people gets an eye for an eye through stoning the felon. The process of stoning causes slow death, and shames the person. He feels unbearable pain when he is being stoned. The people believes that through this process, the criminal will regret deeply for what he has done.

I still believe that death penalty is a deterrent, and not a murder. This is because, in all methods of punishment, the younger generation still learn from the past mistakes committed by the older generation, and know what punishment they would receive if they were to commit the crime. Hence it serves as deterrence, preventing people from committing crime, decreasing crime rates in the world.