Term 3 Week 6

Justice & Mercy in Our Present World - Do you think that mercy and justice can co-exist?

  In my opinion, I feel that justice and mercy can co-exist in this world. I find that justice and mercy go hand in hand with each other. In society, punishment is dealt to those who break the law, however there is mercy in these punishments. This mercy is actually one of the key essences of justice, in which it is the line which is drawn between justice and revenge. Without mercy, what difference would justice be from revenge? An eye for an eye, is that not revenge in its true form? Dealing back the pain which was dealt to you? Two wrongs do not make a right, and the society recognizes this, showing mercy to prevent abuse of justice.
  As I see it, the whole purpose of having justice is actually to act as a deterrent for society to not act like these convicts, breaking the law. Justice is a punishment for those who go against it and it acts to ensure that these criminals get their just desserts, to feel the pinch for their wrong doings. Also, justice also seeks to correct these criminals of their wrong doings and hope they will turn over a new leaf.
  However, there is a limit to the amount of mercy one can show. In my opinion, repeat offenders deserve no mercy. The court has already showed them mercy the first time they were convicted, however they refused to change their ways, and as the saying goes, 'a leopard will never change its spots'. They have already been given a chance, and they abused it. As such, full punishment should be dealt, and the only mercy is the one which the convict treats himself with.
  From the above, it is possible to see that there mercy and justice can co-exist in society, however there are exceptions to this.