It is a commonly held belief that the death penalty is a good deterrent to prevent heinous crimes. However, others believe that lifelong sentence is a better deterrent. Discuss both views.

In today's world, crime is growing at an alarming rate and it is generally believed that to curb the serious crimes capital punishment is the most effective way. Whereas, on the other hand, some people believe that lifelong imprisonment is a better option. This essay will discuss the effects of death penalty such as reduction in heinous crime rate and later will examine the benefits of lifetime sentencing for example giving criminals a chance to rehabilitate. The society has witnessed hideous crime cases as compared to last decade and the severity of the case has made death penalty a viable option to decrease the criminal activities. Everyone fears for their lives, thus giving death sentence to criminal will create a situation of panic which results in decline of crime rate. For instance, in Saudi Arabia, Judicial execution of criminals who commit rape has reduced the number of rape cases in the country. However, in some countries judicial killing is illegal which make lifelong sentence a better deterrent. Since, it does not violate human rights of a person and at the same time give criminals a chance to reform themselves and think about their severe acts. Moreover, it punishes the culprit as he/he has to spend minimum time period in the prison, far from their family and friends. According to the survey of The Times newspaper in July 2020, more than 60% of criminals feel guilty for their crime during their tenure in jail. To conclude, one should be punished according to the severity of the crime as in some cases death penalty acts as a better preventive measure while in other cases, lifetime custody is a feasible option.