死刑は廃止すべきか？

Should the death penalty be banned in Japan?

Criminals who committed vicious crimes must pay the ultimate price for their actions. However, the death penalty should not be an option since there are ethical, emotional and legal issues involved in the execution process.

To begin with, execution in each case is usually conducted by several prison officers. Each executioner is assigned to press an individual button. No one knows which button is linked to process the execution command. The problem is that actual people are taking a life away. This is no different from an act of murder isn’t it? Thus, there lies an ethical problem in the death penalty.

In addition, officers who are assigned to take part in this operation suffer greatly from an inexpressible sense of guilt, posing emotional as well as psychological concerns about the death penalty.

Lastly, there is a risk of wrongful convictions in criminal cases where a suspect utterly denies his or her criminal activities. After the death penalty is declared in the Supreme Court, it is likely that the verdict will remain unchanged. What if a suspect was innocent, and that he was actually coerced into confessing a false statement by investigators?

Considering the ethical dilemmas, emotional toll on executioners, and the risk of wrongful convictions, the death penalty should be banned in Japan. Life imprisonment offers a viable alternative that aligns with the principles of justice and humanity, allowing for both punishment and the possibility of redemption.