Even in a idealistic world, there is always some issues, people who hurt others or do things beyond the laws.
When our loved ones are touch by unjust killing or some other inhuman act, our first reaction is to crave for vengeance. An eye for an eye, we used to say. If we hope to achieve an evolution of humanity we must be able to think as humans.
Yes, it is an easy choice to respond to an inhuman act by acting inhuman, it is easier, faster, and cheaper for the society. That is why most people would think reacting like this, and even bringing justice themselves.
But it takes a lot to be human, it takes a lot to fight this inner darkness we have in all of us, but that fight against ourselves to do the right thing, to be human, is what defines our humanity.
Now the question, is how would be the best way to respond to people who do wrong things, and to those who hurt other people or other living creatures? That is the real question, and to this there is only part of an answer. The answer you could give, is mainly, the goal is to give them the tools and chance to repent for their sins, and change, with the goal of bringing them back to live in society.
Why bring them back to live in society? First, because keeping them away too much would mean cutting them from the reality, opening the rift between their world and ours, and loosing them for good. Then it is because we need to learn to forgive, understand, and seek for solutions to make the world a better place.
Now maybe we could think of reversing the judiciary system. Because we know that it is more easy to make a mistake and create unknown chains of events out of these mistakes, maybe we should let the penalties be graved as rules. Then, once the penalty is decide, we could put to use our human brain, heart and resolve, to make things right for the person who’ve been sentenced. Humans are more quick to question things that are already done, and have the time to do so, than to make a good decision upon public pressure.
Finally we come back to death penalty. It is unnecessary, unjust, and inhuman reaction to a inhuman action. Yes nowadays DNA proofs are 99% reliable, but the issue as always, lies into the humans who manipulate the proof. Wether it is because of need, vengeance, laziness, or because it is more easy, some people alter or make speak the proofs in a different way than they should do. In the end the probability, even with DNA to be accused falsely stay above 50%.
With death penalty, what would you think if you’d be at the wrong place and the wrong time? maybe you’ll never have time to claim your innocence, or maybe no one will listen to you. Because having found a probable suspect, it is much more easy for the society and the victims to go forward, even if it is the wrong one, as long as all the evidence are made to speak against you. So do you still believe death penalty is the solution?
Death penalty should be removed from all judiciary systems still using it. Judiciary system should be changed from accusing to defending, that is why penalties and sentenced should be pre defines rules, and the role of justice would not be to find if someone is guilty or not, but to find if someone is innocent or if someone needs help from the society, how we could help them come back in our world, and how long it’ll take.
We should reverse our way of seeing things, stop making the system and society eat our humanity, but put our humanity in the core of the system and society. It’ll be more difficult, it’ll maybe be less cheap, but it’ll be a lot more human.