More than a decade ago, I watched Syllvestor Stallone's movie , “Cobra". It is an action-packed movie with a touch of sarcasm. However, these were not aforementioned aspects that made me appreciate the movie. Instead it was the central idea that appealed me.
The movie imposes a question on the criminal laws where felons are protected under the claim of human rights.
In the movie, Stallone, playing the character of Cobra has been displayed as a tough cop. He shows no mercy to murderers. While he is condemned by his fellow officers for being unlawful, Cobra is clear and loud about his sense of justice which means to protect innocents by punishing the wrongdoers.
The final conversation between Cobra and the villain, Night Slasher is remarkable. While I don’t remember the exact dialogue, there is something like Night Slasher makes fun of the cop and the law. He tells even if he is caught he will be out in an year or so to commit the same crime. He taunts Cobra saying that he cannot shot him because he has rights.
“This is where the law stops and I start,” saying these words Cobra impales the serial killer on a large hook, bringing the justice to the innocents murdered at his hand. Also, protecting victims to-be.
At this point, I think it’s important to mention that I am not in favour of a person taking law in his hand and being a judge on his own. Never the less, I want to emphasize the importance of laws and the justice system to be strong enough to ensure the security and safety of its citizens.
In the last few decades, there has been a great advocacy for human rights of criminals. Following the virdict, many countries have abolished capital punishment also gather. In such a situation, high profile criminals are either released after putting into rehabilitation centres or are sentenced till death. Both aspects appear problematic to me.
Bearing the burden of a sentenced criminal via the money of taxpayers is a burden on society. On the other hand, a criminal released after a shorter sentence is likely to repeat the same crime if they know that their crime is not going to bring them serious consequences.
The question of whether or not spending money on rehabilitation of criminals is worth it can not be answered in a direct Aye or Nay. It is a complicated matter and involves a lot of insights and wisdom.
The severity of the punishment ought to be decided not only on the basis of the severity of the crime but also on the basis of the reason behind the crime. For instance, a theft to satiate one’s hunger or other basic needs may be forgiven compared to the theft meant to fulfil one’s lustrous desires.
On the other hand, there are more severe crimes like murder and rape. For rapists, I feel no mercy. Be it out of a medical condition, intentional or unintentional, this crime deserves to be punished in a way that becomes a lesson for others. The punishment must be severe enough to settle a fear in collective unconscious of the society, so that nobody would even think of committing it unconsciously.
In case of murder, I opine that the reason behind the murder should be assessed. At times, the murder is purely unintentional such as a consequence of a brawl or something like that. At other times, it may happen as a result of severe oppression and self-defence.
In such cases, putting the convict in a rehabilitation centre is lightly to yield beneficial results. Nonetheless, in such a case also, I am only convinced to give a second chance. If the crime is repeated, giving another chance is likely to be unjust. As Paulo Coelho mentioned an Arabic proverb in his novel, The Alchemist, “Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.”
For serial killers or a murder committed for personal gains, I have the same opinion as that for rapists. They should be punished with a death penalty as soon as their crime is proved. Putting such people in a rehabilitation centre is likely to inflict others with the similar kind of depraved mentality.
In conclusion, justice system needs to be designed wisely to maintain the balance between human rights and the protection of its citizen. the laws must be designed to ensure that the rights of victims are not overshadowed by those of the perpetrators.
While certain offenders may be benefitted by rehabilitation programs, felony like rape and planned murder demand to be punished stringently for deterrence of such a crime; and also to reduce the financial burden of incarcerating such criminals.
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This post is my participation for Hl-featured contest.
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