The main arguments for capital punishment being brought back are the deterrence theory, stating that the potential murderer would think twice before victimising a person if he new he would die if he were to be caught. The protection idea states that a convicted murderer would be set free after a life sentence of 15 years and go on to murder again. The last and most cold-blooded, is that it makes economic sense to execute the murderer rather than be in prison wasting tax-payers money.
A survey conducted for the UN in 1996 on the death penalty and homicide rates concluded:
“Research has failed to provide scientific proof that executions have a greater deterrent rate than life imprisonment and such proof is unlikely to be forth coming. The evidence as a whole still gives no positive support the deterrent hypothesis…”
In Britain, 1903 was the record year for executions and yet in 1904 the number of homicides actually rose. 1941 saw an unusually high number executions followed in 1947 by another rise in murder rate. If the deterrence theory was correct then it should have fallen. Although in Canada the murder rate went down after abolition of the death penalty deterrence means it should have risen.
There is a risk with criminals, not matter what crime they commit that they will go on to commit again, but after spending time in prison, there is only a small minority will go on to commit again with majority not committing murder again.
As for murders wasting tax-payers money, the cost of someone going on death row dramatically outweighs the cost for one person to stay in prison. The cost to stay on death row, legal appeals etc. all adds up dramatically.
The second main argument against the re-introduction is that innocent people get wrongly accused and although you can release someone from prison you can’t bring them back from the dead. The only post-humous pardon in British legal history was given to Timothy Evans in 1950 when it was proved that Christie had committed the murders Evens had been hanged for. Christie was later hanged in 1953. Recently there has been several cases where people have been released from prison several years later, after it was proven that they did not commit the murders they were accused of. If capital punishment was still enforced, the likelihood of the convicted being sentenced on death row is probable and would mean they wouldn’t be able to be released.
My personal view is that capital punishment should not be brought back in the UK because murder is murder, including the death penalty. I find it hypocritical and ironic of the government to kill someone for his or her actions of killing another human being. A country or state should set an example to society by not condemning murder, which is what they set out to prove. Many murder intentions are due to sociological problems that need to be dealt with in a more acceptable manner.
