What Is the Impact on the Community from the Death Penalty?

Whether you are for or against the death penalty, you might feel that the impact of the death penalty on the community is an important topic to study.

When the Courts Are Wrong

Over 100 people have been exonerated from death row in the past few decades. That statement means that innocent people were sitting on death row waiting to be killed, but new evidence was found and they were declared not guilty.

There could have been more people who were killed, not lucky enough to be found innocent before the death penalty was implemented, even though they really were innocent.

Implementing the death penalty on innocent people leaves a devastating effect on the community because it destroys the family and the trust in the legal system. Imagine having a relative or a friend taken away and killed because of a crime that they did not commit. Not only does it leave those who knew the victim distraught, but it makes the community not trust their law enforcement officials.

Death Penalty Debate

The death penalty is a hot topic issue. It is such an extremely sensitive issue because it raises questions of morality, the value of life, and the proper way in which to punish the most severe criminals.

Individuals who support the death penalty make some of the following arguments:

• They killed someone, so they should be killed.
• God will judge them and send them to Hell.
• A person like that can never be helped.

On the other hand, you might hear people oppose the death penalty make some of these arguments:

• How can we show that killing someone is wrong by killing another person?
• God will judge them, forgive them, and send them to Heaven.
• Their lives just end. They do not have to face any punishment. A lifetime in prison is much worse than just having to die.
• Rehabilitation progams might help them to lead a fruitful life in prison.

Closure for the Family

One of the most interesting ways to examine the impact of the death penalty is to look at whether or not it serves the purpose of providing punishment for a crime or multiple crimes. Each individual case is probably going to be different, but in general, the death penalty can usually be seen as the appropriate punishment for certain crimes.

For the family of the victim, the death penalty may provide some sense of closure. They are always going to mourn their murdered loved one, and that will always be an intense situation for them to deal with. Yet they are likely to  feel as though justice has been served and now their loved one's death has been avenged. Even people who generally oppose the death penalty can be so full of anger and rage that they leave behind their once held negative opinions of the process.

Closure for the Community

We can even bring this picture to the impact on the community. If there is a murderer running through the community, people will be glad that he or she is gone, no matter how he or she goes. Even though those who are immediately affected might feel a sense of closure, we still have this rift that exists because there is often the question of whether or not they are punishing the right individuals and whether or not this is true punishment.

As you can see, deciding whether the death penalty provides closure depends on several factors including personal feelings, personal circumstances, and what side of the debate you believe in.