Should Capital Punishment be abolished? Discuss
What is Capital punishment? Capital punishment is also know as "death penalty" which is a kind of deterrent to punish and execute criminal when they committed "capital crime" such as murder. It is the highest punishment for the wrongdoer. There are 58 countries still maintain the death penalty in both law and practice.(Wikipedia, 2011) The aim to carry out death penalty is believed to protect the society by shorting the dangerous criminal's life, but it is not the only way to protect the society , "The only way to destroy a criminal is by reforming the man who is a criminal. To destroy his bodily life is nothing but a stupid blunder. " (Sunrise magazine,1998) According to website Brainz, there are 13 brutal and inhumane judicial punishments used today include beheading, judicial caning, hanging and so on. "It is incongruous and incompatible with our present standard of civilization and humanity."(Sunrise magazine, 1998) Therefore, Death penalty should be abolished as it is failed as a deterrent and is not reliable.
Firstly, Death penalty is failed as a deterrent as it does not prevent future murders.The purpose of punished criminal to death is because people think it is the only way to stop crime is to root out the origin of the murder or other serious offenses, "but this is of very small account in view of the fact that murder is seldom a career of repeated acts, but consists of single acts perpetrated by different individuals."(Sunrise magazine, 1998) According to Michigan State University and Death Penalty information Center in 2000, by comparing U.S., with the death penalty, has a higher murder rate than the countries of Europe or Canada, which do not use the death penalty. Moreover, "There is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than long terms of imprisonment" (The American Civil Liberties Union, 2007)." Besides, the death penalty may have opposite effect. Some criminologist claim they have statistically proven that when an execution is publicized, more murders occur in the day and weeks that follow. A good example is in the Linberg kidnapping. A number of states adopted the death penalty for crime like this, but figures showed kidnapping increased. Publicity may encourage crime instead of preventing it (McClellan, G., 1961). Therefore, death penalty is not necessary to have as it does not deter the crime rate.
Secondly, the death penalty is not reliable as it risk kill innocent people. "Death is one penalty which makes error irreversible and the chance of error is inescapable when based on human judgment." (http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/ornellaspaper.htm) We can not do anything once the the death sentence undertake, because the death penalty alone imposes an irrevocable sentence." (Kogan, 1999) Example one, according to Gerald Kogan who are a Former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice in 1999, since 1973, over 650 people have been executed. Thus, for every seven people executed, they have found for every seven people have been execute, there at least has one person was innocent. Example two, According to The New Yorker in 2007, Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in Texas in 2004 for starting the fire that killed his children, he insist his innocent and refuse an offer to plead guilty in return for a life sentence. At the end, "The Texas Forensic Science Commission has determined that the arson testimony that led to his conviction was based on flawed science."(yahoo answer, 2011) The case study above shows death penalty has high chance for risking kill wrong person.Dramatically, the law or people that have pushed the person to death is usually not punished as they have the authority power. Is this indicate the capital punishment is not reliable and conscientious? The answer is absolutely yes, a study carried by Columbia University Law school found two thirds of capital trials contained serous errors. (Kogan, 1999) When the death sentence is not equal and reliable, but cause tragic mistakes. Why should we support?
Last but not least, The death penalty is not necessary to have as it is not reliable and it has not been proven to prevent future murders. Thus, instead of executing criminal which may cause the publicity chaos and as well as tragic mistakes, rather than prison them. Once they are serving the life sentence, is highly decrease the danger and chance that they would back to wrong way and bring bad effect to our society, an it is also give them a chance to reformation which is enhance the humanitarianism in the modern society .
Firstly, Death penalty is failed as a deterrent as it does not prevent future murders.The purpose of punished criminal to death is because people think it is the only way to stop crime is to root out the origin of the murder or other serious offenses, "but this is of very small account in view of the fact that murder is seldom a career of repeated acts, but consists of single acts perpetrated by different individuals."(Sunrise magazine, 1998) According to Michigan State University and Death Penalty information Center in 2000, by comparing U.S., with the death penalty, has a higher murder rate than the countries of Europe or Canada, which do not use the death penalty. Moreover, "There is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than long terms of imprisonment" (The American Civil Liberties Union, 2007)." Besides, the death penalty may have opposite effect. Some criminologist claim they have statistically proven that when an execution is publicized, more murders occur in the day and weeks that follow. A good example is in the Linberg kidnapping. A number of states adopted the death penalty for crime like this, but figures showed kidnapping increased. Publicity may encourage crime instead of preventing it (McClellan, G., 1961). Therefore, death penalty is not necessary to have as it does not deter the crime rate.
Secondly, the death penalty is not reliable as it risk kill innocent people. "Death is one penalty which makes error irreversible and the chance of error is inescapable when based on human judgment." (http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/ornellaspaper.htm) We can not do anything once the the death sentence undertake, because the death penalty alone imposes an irrevocable sentence." (Kogan, 1999) Example one, according to Gerald Kogan who are a Former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice in 1999, since 1973, over 650 people have been executed. Thus, for every seven people executed, they have found for every seven people have been execute, there at least has one person was innocent. Example two, According to The New Yorker in 2007, Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in Texas in 2004 for starting the fire that killed his children, he insist his innocent and refuse an offer to plead guilty in return for a life sentence. At the end, "The Texas Forensic Science Commission has determined that the arson testimony that led to his conviction was based on flawed science."(yahoo answer, 2011) The case study above shows death penalty has high chance for risking kill wrong person.Dramatically, the law or people that have pushed the person to death is usually not punished as they have the authority power. Is this indicate the capital punishment is not reliable and conscientious? The answer is absolutely yes, a study carried by Columbia University Law school found two thirds of capital trials contained serous errors. (Kogan, 1999) When the death sentence is not equal and reliable, but cause tragic mistakes. Why should we support?
Last but not least, The death penalty is not necessary to have as it is not reliable and it has not been proven to prevent future murders. Thus, instead of executing criminal which may cause the publicity chaos and as well as tragic mistakes, rather than prison them. Once they are serving the life sentence, is highly decrease the danger and chance that they would back to wrong way and bring bad effect to our society, an it is also give them a chance to reformation which is enhance the humanitarianism in the modern society .
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