Murder is considered a capital offense in many countries and societies all over the world. Many constitutions will define it as a cause of death due to unlawful acts by someone. In many nations, the sentences for murderers are the same regardless of their age, sex, or race. Detailed below is my opinion regarding whether murder and manslaughter should be treated the same and whether age matters when sentencing one in a murder case.
Murder and Manslaughter
The distinction between manslaughter and murder is justified in society. Although they both result in the loss of life, the former is unintentional while the latter is intentional. The two cases should not be treated the same. The intention of the corrective measures issued when such cases occur should be given priority. It should not seem like a form of vengeance against the action taken. To elaborate more on this, corrective measures will only be useful in the case of murder since actions that led to it are intentional. They will be ineffective in manslaughter since what led to it can still happen accidentally in future. Therefore, the two cases should be handled differently.
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Age of a Murderer in Sentencing
The age of the murderer should matter when sentencing them. The level of reasoning and judgment changes with age. It is all about the amount of knowledge, insights, and attitudes acquired through learning and experience about murder issues over time. In my view, a 68-year-old murderer should be severely punished compared to an 18-year-old. Young people lack the ideal know-how and knowledge regarding the consequences of murder (Ryon et al., 2017). On the other hand, older people know a lot about murder cases through learning and experience. Thus, their circumstances may be thought to be out of ignorance, hence, a harsh penalty (Blowers, 2015). Therefore, older people should be given a severe penalty than young people.
Conclusion
Manslaughter and murder cases should be handled differently since the former is accidental while the latter is intentional. Corrective measures in the way the two cases are handled can only be effective where one's intentional actions led to someone’s death. On the other hand, older people should be given harsher penalties since they know more about rules and regulations governing murder than young people.
References
Blowers, A. N. (2015). Elders and the criminal justice system. Journal of Crime and Justice, 38(1), 1–8. Retrieved from https://sci-hub.tw/10.1080/0735648X.2014.931509
Ryon, S. B., Chiricos, T., Siennick, S. E., Barrick, K., & Bales, W. (2017). Sentencing in light of collateral consequences: Does age matter? Journal of Criminal Justice, 53, 1–11. Retrieved from https://sci-hub.tw/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2017.07.009
