Suicide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Suicide - Essay Example Even though suicide affects other people who are related to the victim, there are situations whereby it seems applicable, especially when the person is undergoing problems in life that makes him/her lose its meaning. In the criminal justice systems whereby suicide is regarded as a crime, one often wonders whether incarceration of the victim brings back the lost meaning of life to an individual. It seems logical to assist the victim to overcome the problem rather than considering it a crime that is punishable. It is often assumed that incarceration deters suicidal decisions. Incarceration may not provide what the person desired in life, and after completing the imprisonment term he/she might get back to the same problems that led to suicidal thoughts. In such a case, Barak (2007) observes that there is no reason to believe that the person will not try a more effective way to terminate his/her life. There are situations whereby incidences similar to suicide have been allowed. For example, voluntary euthanasia leads to the termination of a person's life upon his/her request to avoid escalating suffering or other benefits which the person alleges (Bertolote & Fleischmann 2002). This can be regarded as assisted form of suicide. Some states such as Washington and Oregon as well as countries such as Switzerland, Netherlands and Belgium amongst others allow physicians to conduct voluntary euthanasia (Ursula, 2009). One wonders whether there is a difference between voluntary euthanasia and suicide. This is because in both cases, an individual focuses on death as the only solution to personal problem. The difference is the method of dying, with... Suicide is one of the controversial issues in the criminal justice systems of many states. This is because many views are held by different people regarding the right to take one’s own life. Suicide involves taking one's life intentionally as a result of contemplation on his or her life, and finding that the most appropriate thing to do is to put life to an end. People may do it because of depression, embarrassment or humiliation, remorse and extreme anxiety among other reasons. Governments have a role in protecting the lives of citizens, and there are usually no provisions of the kinds of death that people should be protected from. Suicide is one of the controversial issues in criminal justice. Criminalization of suicide raises questions as to whether a person does not have freedom over his life so long as it does not affect the freedoms of others. People usually commit suicide as a solution to problems that they face in life. Incarceration does not help them to solve these p roblems. It escalates the problem leading to more desire to die. However, the death of a parent through suicide denies the children the right to grow up under the care of a parent and may necessitate prevention of suicide. Many criminal justice systems globally criminalize suicide while they legalize voluntary euthanasia, which leads to inconsistencies in approaching issues regarding the rights and freedoms of a person over his/her life. However, each person needs to be allowed ownership of oneself and personal freedom to decide on whether to live or die.