Our world is far less cruel than it could be. People could be punished differently and more violently. In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, one can be punished by death if one steals one minute object. Although the government in The Hunger Games and governments around the world both punish lawbreakers, the way they punish and to what extent is completely different.

In The Hunger Games, the government is wanton when they punish. There are many crimes that the peacekeepers and the Capitol will kill someone for; Such as stealing, hunting, or murder. People will hunt or steal just to survive. Not only do people in Panem (the world where The Hunger Games is based) hunt and steal illegally, more than that, they do it on a regular basis. We do not know how the peacekeepers kill the offender of these crimes, but most of the time, the offender is killed without question. If someone defies the Capitol, they will cut off the convict’s tongue and make them an Avox, a servile figure for tributes. Just as the government in Panem uses capital punishment, so too governments in our society use capital punishment; although, the capitol is cruel and barbaric.

Societies around the world are rather lax on their criminals, compared to The Hunger Games. In different countries around the world, there are different means of punishment and differing degrees of punishment for the same crimes. One way is the death penalty. Some countries have completely abolished the death penalty. In the United States, the death sentence is rarely given. They usually just send people to jail, which is not very cost efficient. In some countries such as Iran however, someone will get killed just for possession of drugs. This wouldn’t be considered for the death penalty in the United States.

Countries in our society have different methods of execution or torturing them. Most countries just have a firing squad shoot the criminal. This is one of the most widely used methods because it is cheap and quick. However, countries such as Iran and China have public hangings or stoning. Likewise, Panem does not torture to death.

People in Panem have to live with more strict laws. They are killed for running from their district. We could be headed toward this type of overly powerful and strict government. Keep the world the way it is so we never have to live in that kind of cruel world.