Death to the Death Penalty

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Recommended: Universal declaration of human rights article 3

Life is the most precious good that a human being possesses. Therefore, it is not a coincidence that one of the first human rights listed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the right to life. The third article states that a person has the right not to be killed by any other human being, and this is where the nations that apply the death penalty are failing (Source 1). The death penalty or capital punishment is a legal process in which a person is executed as a punishment for committing a crime. It is still used in over 50 nations worldwide. Centuries before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights existed, important civilizations such as the Mesopotamian, Greek, and Roman Empires used death to punish criminals for their actions. It was such an important issue that even religions took a stand on whether the punishment should or should not be used, and in the case of Christianity and Judaism they both agreed that the punishment is justified on their sacred books. As time passed, empires declined, new knowledge was acquired, and emerging civilizations still used the death penalty. It was not until the Heian Period in Japan (794–1185) that people started questioning if death was the best penalty for a criminal and if it was fair or not because they saw different alternatives that were effective too (Source 1). The United States is one of the 58 nations that still uses the capital punishment. It is only legal in some states, but there is a general regulation of the federal government that determines which cases can be punished with the death penalty. In order to sentence a person to be executed, he or she must have committed a capital offence, which is a crime that is condemned with death in the United States. The capit... ... middle of paper ... ... others. Different types of workers such as journalists, executioners, and wardens have reported these symptoms. It should not be surprising that the workers have to deal with these distresses as they carry on their hands the lives of the people who are executed. As the retired executioner Jerry Givens said, “If you let the [jury] foreman be the executioner, then I think they'd give a second thought about execution. If you let the judge be the executioner, I think he would give a second thought about sending somebody to be executed.” What this proves is that the executioners are conscious that they are taking away someone else’s right to life and this is a disturbing feeling for any person. It is inhumane to cause so much psychological trouble in people’s mind, especially in the mind of those who are just trying to make a living by completing their jobs.

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