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DeathPenalty:SymbolofJustice1DDeeaatthhPPeennaallttyy::SSyymmbboollooffJJuussttiicceeAbstract:Theissuewhetherdeathpenaltyshouldbeabolishedhasbeenwildlydebatedaroundtheworldinrecentyears.However,deathpenaltyisnotonlytheoryinjurisprudence,butasubjectrelatedtothemoraluniverse.Whatisthepurposeoftheexecutionofdeathpenalty?Isitnecessarytoretainaheinousmurderer?Whatistheultimatemeaningofdeathpenalty?(61words)Deathpenaltyisalsocalledcapitalpunishment,whichistheultimatepunishmenttocriminals.Onceacriminalissentencedtodeathandexecuted,hislifewillprobablybetaken.It'sevidentthatdeathpenaltyisirrevocable,whichmakesussoprudentbeforesentencingsomeonetodeath.Actually,theissuewhetherdeathpenaltyshouldbemaintainedhasbeendiscussedforcenturies.Nowadays,aswehumanbeingshavedevelopedmoderncivilization,therationalityofdeathpenaltyischallengedconstantly.Moreandmorecountrieshaveabolisheddeathpenaltyinitslaw.Ithinkdeathpenaltywillcertainlybeabolishedcompletelyinthefuture,butdeathpenaltystillhasitsirreplaceablevalueinreality,Ibelievethatdeathpenaltywillbemaintainedwithinlimitsandcontrolforalongtimebecauseofsomesymbolicmeaningofit.Therearemanyso-calledhumanitarianswhoarguethatdeathpenaltyisasavageandcruelpunishmentforhuman.Intheireyes,thecourtandthegovernmenthavenoDeathPenalty:SymbolofJustice2powertokillacitizen,nomatterwhatcharacterhehas.Whatifthecondemnedmenarepossibletobereformed?Somedeathpenaltyopponentsmayask,Deathpenaltythreatensthehumanbeings'capacitiesandworthby'legallymurdering'.Thus,theythinkdeathpenaltyshouldbeabandonedinordertoprotectthoseso-calledhumanrights.Inmanypeople'sview,lifeisthemostpreciouswealthforindividual,anddeathpenaltydeprivescriminals'chancetostartanewlife.Soitseemsthatdeathpenaltyisnosohumaneforaperson.However,Ithinkit'sfunnytotalkabouthumanismwhenitcomestothepenalties,becausenopunishmentinCriminalLawishumane:deathpenaltytakesone'slifewhileseveral-yearimprisonmenttakesaportionofone'slife.Tosomeextent,wecan'tabandonthedeathpenaltybeforeweabandonlaw.Forthejudge,todefendtherightandjusticeismuchmoreimportantthanpayingattentiontohumanism.Anotherfunctionofdeathpenaltyisdeterrence.Now,everyindividualpersonisrelatedtotheentiresocietyasaparttothewhole.Therefore,ifamanisdangerousandinfectioustothecommunityonaccountofsomesin,itisessentialthathemustbekilledinordertosafeguardthecommongood.Withoutthefearofdeathpenalty,theseviolentoffenderswouldsomehowreentersocietyiftheyarenotexecuted.Thus,thosepotentialcriminalshavetotakesomeotherthingsintoaccountbeforetheyaredeterminedtocommitsomecrimesfortheywillrisklosingtheirfreedomorevenlife.Sometimes,thedeterrencecan'tpreventpeoplefromcommittingcrimes.Butthedeathpenaltycancontinuetoplaytherole.What'stheoriginalintentionofpunishment?Ithinkit'spunishingitself.Thepurposeofpenaltyisnoteducatingcriminals,becausetheyareadultandsupposedtobewelleducated.Whatthecondemnedprisonercommittedwasunforgivablecrime,sohemustbepunished.Thosewhosufferacertainpenaltyjustsufferwhathedeserves.It'sobviousthatsomeofthemwilllosetheopportunitytoreformthemselves,butthosearethepricetheyhavetopay.DeathPenalty:SymbolofJustice3Figurativelyspeaking,theexecutionofdeathpenaltyonamurdererisnotequivalentexchangelikeatoothforatooth.Sentencingthegraftersandrobberstodeathiscompletelydifferentfromamathematicproblemhowmuchhuman'slifeis.Wetakeitforgrantedthatapersonwhomakesamistakeshouldbecriticizedorchastened.So,whataboutthecriminals?Canwejustforgivethembasingonoursympathy?Wecan't,wecan'tneglectwhatiscalledlegaljustice.Deathpenaltyinfluencesthesocietywiththefunctionssuchasdeterrenceandpunishment.Theseareitspracticaleffectstoprotectthelegaljustice.Ontheotherhand,thesymbolicmeaningofdeathpenaltyisassignificant,ifnotmore,asitspracticaleffect.Wecanfindsomeinterestingphenomenoninsomecountries.InRussia,forinstance,deathpenaltyhasn'tbeenexecutedforafewdecades,butrecentresearchshowsthatmorethan60percentofRussiansappealtherevivificationofdeathpenalty,mostofwhomareworryingthesocialsecurity.ManyRussiansthinkitisquiteunfairthatahomicideisputintoprisononlyforseveralyearsandwillpossiblybereleasedsooner.Professorsalsoarguesthattheabolishmentofdeathpenaltydoesgiveenoughrespecttocriminalsbuttramplesthevictims'feelingatthesametime.Actually,inreality,theexecutionofcapitalpunishmentbecomelessandless.InChina,weusemorereprieveofdeathpenaltyinsteadofdeathpenalty.Everyyear,lessthan5000criminalsaresentencedtodeath,andonly10percentofwhomareexecutedatlast.Withthenumberofexecutionofdeathpenaltygoingdown,thesymbolicmeaningofitgetsmuchmoreprominent.IwanttoemphasizethatIbelievetherewillbeonedaywhendeathpenaltyisabolishedallovertheworld.Butnow,weneedmaintaindeathpenaltysinceitissuchasymbolofjusticethatholdsthepositionofbaselineofmorality.(843words)DeathPenalty:SymbolofJustice4Reference:1.Ernestvandenhaag&JohnP.Conrad.TheDeathPenalty:aDebate.PressofChinaUniversityofPoliticalScienceandLaw,20012.ZhaoBinzhi.ThinkofDeathPenaltyinChina.Libraryoflaw,20133.ZhangQimei.TheInternationalTendencyofDeathpenalty,ModernLaw(Taipei),8(1990)