OPINION: To die, or not to die? That is the question on Australia's lips.

While we sit and discuss the topic of the sentencing of death in foreign countries, there are two Australians who wait in Indonesia, pondering over every detail of the last 10 years of their lives which have led them to stand in front of a firing squad within days. Is this right? I say no.

Will people disagree with me? Absolutely. Do I write this from a professional and educated background? Most definitely.

So, before you turn the page in disapproval, let me give you a moment of perspective.

Having majored in crime prevention in Criminology as well as years served in the police force, I can give you the facts about incarceration and capital punishment.

Firstly, the main aim of incarcerating an offender is to keep the community safe and begin rehabilitating the offender for integration back into society safely, and without the prospect of reoffending.

Not every country agrees with this theory, but a large majority of the research and practice of the western world uses this design when it comes to offenders.

Some offenders are beyond the prospect of integrating safely back into society so they are kept away from the community, but rehabilitation is still the main objective for them during their life sentence.

Capital punishment was abolished from Australian law back in the early 80s, but the last use of execution occurred in the late 60s.

Again, modern research into crime prevention suggested that the draconian practices of killing prisoners for their crimes no longer proved useful to our community.

The use of capital punishment does not act as a deterrent to other offenders any more than serving life behind bars without the prospect of parole.

So I pose the question to you: Will the death of the two Australians who attempted to smuggle heroin out of Bali 10 years ago stop other Australians from smuggling heroin?

Will their death stop Australians or others from using heroin?

From all reports that have been documented in the past 10 years of the offenders serving their sentence in their Bali prison cells, they have shown significant signs of remorse and therefore have been rehabilitated.

Their crimes were extremely serious, so they should serve out the remainder of their sentences behind bars.

But to have them now face a firing squad for crimes they committed 10 years ago, and for similar crimes committed by many others since, serves no positive outcome to our or Indonesia's society.

Trish Hamilton is an author based in Hervey Bay