capital punishment , you agree or disagree # IELTS Essay

Topic

Without capital punishment (the death penalty) our lives are less secure and crimes of violence increase. Capital punishment is essential to control violence in society.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Answer

Crime and violence have existed and sustained in our world since centuries. In earlier times, all crimes were designated as one and there was no differentiation between heinous and petty crimes. Death penalty was awarded to all who committed crimes, irrespective of their seriousness but now it is awarded for those crimes which are heinous.

Capital punishment for certain crimes is essential as it deters the culprit to commit the offence again. It instils fear in the person to commit atrocious and brutal offences. If there was no death penalty for such crimes, criminals would walk around free without any fear and repeat such criminal acts of violence. It is only when a criminal or offender fears for one’s own life, does it dissuade him to commit offences. We have had a number of cases in India whereby the death penalty has been awarded. For instance, Kasab, the terrorist who was involved in the terrorist attack in which many people were killed in cold blood at the Hotel Taj in Mumbai, was awarded the sentence and was hanged till death last year. Apart from this, the victims and their families also feel a sense of justice and security which in turn makes them live peacefully.

Yet capital punishment does not always lead to less crime in society. If the crime statistics are given attention, it will be seen that crime has increased manifold over the years, despite the death penalty being awarded in many cases.  This can be supported by the recent rape case which occurred in Delhi, whereby two criminals were given the death penalty but the incidence of rapes have not decreased. In fact, the numbers are growing gradually and each year it surpasses the previous year.

It can be concluded that capital punishment does not necessarily control crime in a society and only has a deterrent effect but it is required in those cases where heinous and despicable crimes have been committed.