IELTS Writing Task 2
The Essay Question: Some people argue that capital punishment is good for the country.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
The Essay Answer: The thought that death penalty is beneficial for the nation is a moot point and several people stand by it. I partially agree to this view because, while it instills fear, nevertheless it would not stop mentally unstable serial killers.
Firstly, death penalty given to a person who commits a heinous crime, is a strong deterrent to future acts of felony. Hence, psychologically, people would think more before committing such crimes. For example, according to news reports, the homicide rates in places without capital punishment is at least fifty percent higher than in states where it is enforced.
Secondly, most citizens uphold the decision of the nation to implement the capital punishment, after conviction by the court of law, because they believe such criminals do not deserve anything lesser than that. The sinful act is so extreme at times, as in the case of India’s Nirbhaya rape accused, that the sanity of the convict is doubted
On the other hand, a punishment of any extremity does not affect serial killers and psychopaths because violent offenses are like challenges to them. These people even leave clues to solve, so that they can be found, which shows that they are not afraid of being caught. For instance, the infamous Zodiac killer in America, who left baffling clues for the media and the Cleveland torso murderer who beheaded and dismembered his victims, were never caught and are still lurking amongst us.
To conclude, I partially agree that capital punishment is good for a country, as it controls crime in society to a large extent, although it does not intimidate a deranged offender whose ultimate dream maybe to taunt and instigate fear.