Should capital punishment be a major deterrent¹ to crime?

　　Arguments

　　1. There should never be suspicion~ of capital punishment.

　　2. Murderers whose motive~ is money should not get off lightly. It is absolutely wrong to think professional killers² are insane and need hospital treatment.

　　3. Criminals must be made to see the consequences of their crimes. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" is the very basis of justice.

　　4. Capital punishment is more hmnane because the criminal does not suffer the torture of life imprisonment³.

　　5. Only the return of the death penalty can ensure that people can sleep safely in their beds.

　　6. Murderers are not humane⁴ and, therefore, they cannot expect to be treated as hmnans.

　　7. Capital punishment should be a major deterrent. Other strict laws should also be put into practice.

　　8. A hfe sentence is only a nominal⁵ sentence. It leaves a chance for the criminal to escape.

　　9. Those who are lenient⁶ to criminals are unkind to innocent people.

　　10. We shouldn't be blinded by emotional argmnents, which leads to relaxation⁷ of harsh laws.

　　Counter-arguments

　　1. Capital punishment should not be a major deterrent. Emphasis should be put on the reform of criminals.

　　2. It has been proved many times in the past that the relaxation of harsh laws has never led to an increase in crime. Therefore, the "deterrent" argument is absurd: capital punishment never protected anyone.

　　3. Those in favour of capital punishment are motivated only by a desire for revenge and retaliation~.

　　4. There has been a marked trend in society towards a more humane treatment of less fortunate members. The same attitude characterizes our approach to crime.
　5. Suspension of capital punishment is enlightened~, civilized⁸ and humane.

　　6. Crime can only be drastically reduced by the elimination⁹ of social injustices——not by creating socalled "deterrents¹⁰" when the real problems remain unsolved.

　　7. It is illegal to murder, but are we justified¹¹ in taking away the life of the murderer? No. Capital punishment helps create a bloody¹² world.

　　8. He who never errs¹³ does not exist. The death penalty leaves no chance for first offenders¹⁴ to reform.

　　9. Murderers vary. Some kill people only to defend themselves while others are trigger-happy. It is unfair to give the death penalty to every murderer.

　　10. Some criminals can be reformed if they are handled properly. The death sentence leaves criminals no hope at all.